JP5262311B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus having a built-in antenna which has high magnetism collecting power and excellent sensitivity, and is hard to produce eddy current loss, even if a metallic case and metallic components exist in the vicinity. <P>SOLUTION: An apparatus module 10 arranged in the housing space of the apparatus body 2 made of metal, includes a magnetic molding 10A which has at least one of the electronic component and a mechanism component within, and a coil 31 wound on the periphery of the magnetic molding 10A, and an insulative spacer 20 or cylindrical magnetic member 20A is provided between the periphery of the coil 31 and the apparatus body 10A, to acquire a structure which makes the reception sensitivity excellent and makes the apparatus body made of metal hard to produce eddy current loss. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device typified by a radio timepiece that incorporates an antenna and receives a radio signal including time information and performs processing such as time adjustment.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a radio timepiece that has a built-in antenna and receives a time standard radio wave including time information and corrects the time has been provided. In antennas mounted on electronic devices with built-in antennas such as radio clocks, radios, mobile phones, etc., when the case of the electronic device is made of metal, the metal case around the antenna functions as a shield, There is a possibility that the reception sensitivity is lowered.

In recent years, in order to increase the reception sensitivity, an antenna is provided that has a radio wave capturing unit at both ends where the coil is not wound, so that more magnetic flux passes inside the coil than the portion where the coil of the core is wound. Has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-235701 A

  The invention described in Patent Document 1 is a wristwatch type radio-controlled timepiece (hereinafter referred to as a radio-controlled wristwatch) provided with a radio wave capturing unit made of a magnetic material formed in an arc shape along the inner peripheral surface of the case, Both ends of the core of the rod-shaped antenna are joined to the radio wave capturing unit. However, in an electronic device incorporating a rod-shaped antenna as described above, the size of the antenna storage space becomes the upper limit, and it has been difficult to ensure more receiving sensitivity.

  Therefore, the present inventor functions as an antenna and clock module in which an antenna coil is wound around a module molded with a resin in which an electronic component or the like is incorporated and a magnetic material is mixed so that the module functions as an antenna core. An invention relating to an electronic device in which a component to be stored was stored was filed earlier (Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-354181). According to the prior invention, since radio waves can be captured on the entire surface of the module, there is an advantage that the reception sensitivity can be improved by expanding the area for capturing radio waves even in a small electronic device.

  However, as a result of detailed studies by the inventor after that, in the prior invention, in the electronic device in which the case around the module or the frame member covering the back side and the side of the module is formed of metal, the case The problem that the eddy current loss is likely to occur when the magnetic flux generated when the coil of the antenna housed inside receives the radio wave passes through the metal case or the metal frame has been clarified.

  In addition, it is difficult to make a mold with a complicated shape with a resin mixed with a magnetic substance, or the volume of some parts in the module is large, and even if a magnetic substance is mixed, the sensitivity does not improve so much, It has been clarified that there are cases where the magnetic body cannot be mixed in the entire module, for example, when the resin mold mixed with the magnetic body is not preferable because the strength is locally insufficient.

The present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device in which eddy current loss is unlikely to occur even when a metal case or a metal part is present in the vicinity of the antenna.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device having an antenna with high magnetic flux collecting force and good reception sensitivity even when incorporated in a small case.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present application is
An apparatus main body that is entirely or partially composed of a conductive member and has a storage space inside;
In an electronic device provided with a device module disposed in the storage space,
The equipment module is
A non-magnetic mold body containing at least one of an electronic component and a mechanical component;
A cylindrical first magnetic member provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the nonmagnetic mold body;
A doughnut-shaped second magnetic member joined to the first magnetic member on one surface of the non-magnetic mold body;
A donut-shaped third magnetic member joined to the first magnetic member on the other surface of the non-magnetic mold body;
A coil is wound around the outer periphery of the first magnetic member .

The invention according to claim 2 is the electronic apparatus according to claim 1 ,
A back cover made of a conductive material that closes one opening of the storage space;
The back cover has a thin part with a small thickness in part, and a magnetic sheet is attached to the thin part.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if a metal case and metal components exist in the vicinity of an antenna, the electronic device which cannot produce an eddy current loss easily is realizable. In addition, even when incorporated in a small case, there is an effect that it is possible to realize an electronic device incorporating an antenna having a high collecting force and good reception sensitivity.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, a case where the electronic apparatus according to the present invention is a radio wave wristwatch will be described as an example. However, embodiments to which the present invention can be applied are not limited thereto.

[Embodiment 1]
First, a first embodiment of a radio-controlled wristwatch that is an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.
FIG. 1 is a front view of a radio wave wristwatch according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an internal configuration of the radio wave wristwatch of FIG.
The radio-controlled wristwatch 100 includes a clock module 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) having an antenna A that receives a standard radio wave, receives the standard radio wave by the antenna A, amplifies and demodulates a received signal, and decodes time information. By doing so, it has a function of correcting the current time.

The radio-controlled wristwatch 100 according to the first embodiment includes a main body case 2 as a device main body having a storage space 21 in which the timepiece module 10 is stored.
The main body case 2 is made of a strong metal such as stainless steel, brass, titanium, or the like, and has a substantially annular shape in plan view with its upper and lower surfaces opened. Band attachment portions 3 to which bands 3a and 3a for mounting on the user's arm are attached are provided at positions (upper and lower sides in FIG. 1) of the outer peripheral portion of the main body case 2 that face each other. In addition, a plurality of operation buttons 4 for inputting various operation instructions such as a time adjustment instruction are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the main body case 2.

  The inside of the main body case 2 has a hollow shape whose upper and lower sides are open, and this hollow portion serves as a storage portion 21 that provides a storage space for storing various components. On the viewing side (upper side in FIG. 2) of the main body case 2, a windshield 5 as a non-conductive cover member formed of glass which is a non-conductive transparent material so as to close the opening on the viewing side. Is mounted, and a dial 6 is disposed below the windshield 5.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a back cover 23 that closes the lower opening of the main body case 2 is attached to the back side of the main body case 2. The storage case 21 inside the main body case 2 is provided with a pointer 8 such as an hour hand or a minute hand attached to the pointer shaft 7 so as to be interposed between the watch glass 5 and the dial 6. These pointers 8 are rotated by a hand moving portion 9 provided on the inner side (lower side in the figure) of the dial 6.

  A minute magnetic material having a diameter of about 2 μm is mixed in the moving part 9 with a stepping motor for driving, a mechanical part such as a gear for transmitting the power of the motor to the pointer 8 and an electronic part constituting a circuit. A timepiece module 10 is provided as a device module which is molded with a resin and is arranged in the storage portion 21 of the main body case 2.

In this specification, a module molded with resin is referred to as a resin mold body. A module molded with a resin mixed with a magnetic material is referred to as a magnetic mold body, and a module molded with a resin not mixed with a magnetic material is referred to as a non-magnetic mold body.
Further, in the present specification, a plurality of parts physically or electrically coupled to each other so as to realize a desired function such as a clock function as a whole are mounted on the base member or in the housing as if one A component configured to be handled as a functional component is referred to as a module.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the timepiece module 10 includes a driving stepping motor 16 and mechanical parts (hereinafter referred to as “movement”) 11 such as gears that transmit the power of the motor 16 to the hands 8. A receiving circuit 17 for processing a signal connected to an antenna and receiving a time standard radio wave, a motor 18 and a battery 18 as a power supply device for applying an operating voltage of the receiving circuit 17 are molded with resin. The resin portion of the timepiece module has a component holding function as a housing for holding internal components.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a coil 31 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the timepiece module 10 formed of a resin mold body in which a magnetic material is mixed in whole or at least partially. The entire timepiece module 10 formed of a resin mold mixed with the magnetic material functions as an antenna core.

  By having such a configuration, an antenna that is not easily affected by the components inside the mold is realized, and compared to a radio wristwatch that uses a conventional antenna component in which a coil is wound around a rod-shaped core. Therefore, the storage portion and thus the case can be reduced in size. In addition, the magnetic material mixed in the resin mold functions as an electromagnetic shield against electronic parts such as motors in the same resin mold, reducing the influence of a relatively strong magnetic field from the outside and malfunctioning. It works to prevent.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, a spacer 20 made of an insulating material such as a resin is inserted between the timepiece module 10 in which the coil 31 is wound on the outer peripheral surface and the main body case 2. Has been. When a magnetic field of standard radio waves passes through the mold body as a core, a current flows through the coil 31, and the magnetic flux generated from the coil 31 is most in the vicinity of the coil.
Therefore, as described above, an annular spacer 20 made of an insulating material such as a resin is interposed between the timepiece module 10 and the main body case 2, and the coil 31 and the main body case 2 have a thickness corresponding to the radial direction of the spacer 20. Of the magnetic flux that flows into the main body case 2 made of metal out of the magnetic flux generated in the coil 31.
The amount can be reduced to reduce eddy current loss.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, an annular spacer 20 made of an insulating material is interposed between the timepiece module 10 and the main body case 2, but instead of providing the spacer 20 As shown in FIG. 4B, the relative permeability is higher than the relative permeability of the metal body case such as amorphous metal or permalloy so as to cover the coil 31 wound around the outer periphery of the timepiece module 10. The cylindrical magnetic member 20 </ b> A made of a magnetic material having a high conductivity and lower conductivity than the metal body case 2 may be provided.
Even in such a configuration, the magnetic flux generated in the coil 31 does not flow into the metal body case 2 side, but flows into the cylindrical magnetic member 20A side, and this cylindrical magnetic member 20A functions as a sub magnetic path. Moreover, the amount of eddy current loss can be reduced by reducing the amount of magnetic flux generated from the coil 31 that passes through the main body case 2 made of metal. Here, the magnetic member 20A may be a magnetic sheet.

  The cylindrical magnetic member 20A or the magnetic sheet may be attached to the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion 21 of the main body case 2 with an adhesive instead of the outer periphery of the module. The spacer 20 can be used when the main body case 2 is relatively large and there is room in the inner storage space. However, when the main body case is small and the storage space is narrow, such a cylindrical magnetic member 20A or It is desirable to use a magnetic sheet.

  Further, instead of the magnetic sheet, a magnetic paint may be applied to the outer periphery of the timepiece module 10 or the inner peripheral surface of the storage portion 21 to form a magnetic film. Thus, by providing a magnetic member, a magnetic sheet, or a magnetic film around the coil, the magnetic flux generated when the coil 31 receives radio waves passes through the magnetic member, the magnetic sheet, and the magnetic film, and is made of metal. It becomes difficult to pass through the main body case 2, and eddy current loss can be reduced. Note that the magnetic member, the magnetic sheet, or the magnetic film may be formed not in the outer periphery of the module 10 or the entire inner peripheral surface of the housing portion 21 but in a non-continuous manner by providing gaps in places.

[Modification]
FIG. 5 shows a modification of the embodiment. This modification is a modification suitable for the case where the back cover 23 is made of metal. When the back cover 23 is made of metal, if the thickness of the back cover is thick, external radio waves are absorbed by the back cover 23, so that the amount of magnetic flux entering the resin mold body as the internal antenna core is reduced. There is a problem that the reception sensitivity decreases.
In this modification, an annular spacer 20 made of an insulating material such as a resin is interposed between the timepiece module 10 and the main body case 2, while a thin concave portion 23 b... The magnetic sheet 33 is attached to the inner surface of the recess 23b.

  Thus, by reducing the thickness of the back cover 23, the amount of external radio waves absorbed by the back cover 23 can be reduced, and the magnetic flux can easily pass through the magnetic sheet 33 attached to the back cover 23. Thus, the magnetism collecting effect at the antenna core can be enhanced. Further, the magnetic sheet 33 functions as an electromagnetic shield for electronic parts such as the motor 16 in the resin mold, and reduces the influence when a relatively strong magnetic field is applied from the outside to prevent malfunction of the electronic parts. Work.

  The reason why the thin portion is divided into a plurality is to form a cross-shaped bone portion 23a to maintain the strength of the back cover 23. In an apparatus where the back cover 23 is not so strong, only the peripheral part may be thickened and the circular magnetic sheet 33 may be attached to the thin part at the center. Further, instead of the magnetic sheet 33, a magnetic film may be formed by applying a paint containing a magnetic material to the thin concave portion 23b of the back cover 23.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 6 shows an antenna device according to a second embodiment of a radio-controlled wristwatch that is an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention.
In the antenna device according to this embodiment, the timepiece module 10 is formed of a nonmagnetic mold body 10A in which no magnetic material is mixed, while the outer peripheral surface of the nonmagnetic mold body 10A has a cylindrical shape in which a magnetic material is mixed. A magnetic mold body 10B is provided, and a coil 31 is wound around the outer periphery of the cylindrical magnetic mold body 10B.
Note that the magnetic mold body 10B is not completely cylindrical, and may be formed so as to circulate discontinuously by providing gaps in places.
In the embodiment of FIG. 6, as shown in FIG. 5, a thin concave portion 23 b... Is formed on the back cover 23, and the magnetic sheet 33 is pasted there. Thus, a form without the magnetic sheet 33 is also possible.

Even in such a configuration, a cylindrical magnetic mold body 10B mixed with a magnetic material is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the nonmagnetic mold body 10A, and the coil 31 is wound around the outer periphery of the cylindrical magnetic mold body 10B. Since the rotating configuration is adopted, the receiving sensitivity of the antenna device can be further improved by the magnetic flux collecting effect of the cylindrical magnetic mold body 10B as compared with the case of the timepiece module 10 without the magnetic mold body 10B.
Instead of providing a cylindrical magnetic mold body 10B mixed with a magnetic body around the nonmagnetic mold body 10A, as shown in FIG. 7, a cylindrical magnetic member 35 made of a magnetic body is fitted. Also good. This cylindrical magnetic member 35 can enhance the magnetic flux collecting effect of the antenna.

  In the second embodiment, when it is difficult to make a mold having a complicated shape mixed with a magnetic material, or the volume of some parts in the timepiece module 10 is large, even if a magnetic material is mixed, the sensitivity is not much improved. If the entire module is made of a resin mold mixed with a magnetic material, it is not preferable because the strength is locally insufficient. If there is a part in the resin mold of the watch module 10 where it is not desirable to have a magnetic material around. It is good to apply to. As a result, an antenna-integrated timepiece module having a good magnetic force collection, easy to manufacture, and insufficient in strength and having little influence on internal parts can be obtained.

[Modification]
FIG. 8 shows a modification of the second embodiment. In this modification, a non-magnetic mold body 10A in which a magnetic body is not mixed is used as a resin mold body of the timepiece module 10, and a cylindrical magnetic member 35 made of a magnetic body is fitted around the non-magnetic mold body 10A. Furthermore, doughnut-shaped magnetic sheets 36a and 36b are joined to the upper and lower surfaces of the nonmagnetic mold body 10A.

  With such a configuration, the magnetic sheets 36a and 36b are likely to be subjected to magnetic flux, so that the reception sensitivity of the antenna can be increased as compared with that of FIG. The cylindrical magnetic member 35 and the magnetic sheet 36a or 36b may be integrally formed. In the example of FIG. 8, the thin cover is formed on the back cover 23 and the magnetic sheet 33 is pasted as in FIG. 5. However, a configuration without the magnetic sheet 33 as shown in FIG. 4 is also possible. It is.

  Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the shape of the opening of the storage space of the main body case 2 and the shape of the watch module are circular, but the shape is not limited to a circular shape, and may be an ellipse or a polygon. Can be applied.

  In the first embodiment, it has been described that the insulating spacer 20 or a magnetic sheet or the like is provided between the outer periphery of the resin mold body 10 and the main body case 2, but the spacer 20 and the magnetic sheet are provided. Combinations are also possible. Furthermore, for reinforcement or the like, it is also conceivable to further mold a coil 31 wound around the outer periphery of the resin mold body 10 with a resin.

  In the above description, the example in which the present invention is applied to a radio wave wristwatch has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any electronic device having a built-in antenna and receiving information from an external radio wave to obtain information can be used. Anything may be used. For example, it may be a stationary radio timepiece such as a stationary type, a small radio, a portable terminal, or the like.

1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a radio-controlled wristwatch as an example of a suitable electronic apparatus to which the present invention is applied. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the internal structure of the radio-controlled wristwatch of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the timepiece module in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) And (B) is sectional drawing which shows the example of an internal structure of a different timepiece module. 3A and 3B show a modification of the timepiece module of FIG. 3, in which FIG. 3A is a plan view and FIG. The structure of the timepiece module in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is sectional drawing. The modification of the timepiece module in 2nd Embodiment is shown, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is sectional drawing. The other modification of the timepiece module in 2nd Embodiment is shown, (A) is a perspective view, (B) is sectional drawing.

Explanation of symbols

2 Main unit case (equipment main unit)
5 Windshield 7 Pointer shaft 10 Watch module (resin molded body)
10A Non-magnetic mold body 10B Magnetic mold body 11 Mechanical parts (movement)
16 Motor 17 Receiving Circuit 18 Battery 20 Spacer 21 Storage Unit (Storage Space)
23 Back cover 31 Coil 33 Magnetic sheet 35 Magnetic body 36a, 36b Magnetic sheet 100 Radio wave watch

Claims (2)

An apparatus main body that is entirely or partially composed of a conductive member and has a storage space inside;
In an electronic device provided with a device module disposed in the storage space,
The equipment module is
A non-magnetic mold body containing at least one of an electronic component and a mechanical component;
A cylindrical first magnetic member provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the nonmagnetic mold body ;
A doughnut-shaped second magnetic member joined to the first magnetic member on one surface of the non-magnetic mold body;
A donut-shaped third magnetic member joined to the first magnetic member on the other surface of the non-magnetic mold body;
An electronic device, wherein a coil is wound around the outer periphery of the first magnetic member . A back cover made of a conductive material that closes one opening of the storage space;
The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the back cover includes a thin portion having a small thickness, and a magnetic sheet is attached to the thin portion.

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