Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Chronological – With auxiliary illumination for display
Patent
1997-06-16
1999-03-09
Miska, Vit
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Chronological
With auxiliary illumination for display
368 80, 368 84, 368227, G04B 1930, G04B 1904, G04C 1900
Patent
active
058810242
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a combination display timepiece equipped with EL illumination including a hand shaft display portion and a liquid crystal display portion.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART
Generally, a watch including a hand shaft display portion for indicating time analogously by hand positions and a liquid crystal display portion for indicating time digitally due to an electro-optic effect is known as a multiple display watch.
As an example of a multiple display watch of this type, disclosed by the present inventors in Japanese Patent Publication No. 16389/1987 is an illuminated multiple display watch equipped with a miniature lamp for illuminating a time display so that the current time can be viewed under dark conditions such as at night or the like.
With such an illuminated multiple display watch, however, there are difficulties in uniformly illuminating an entire display. Therefore, an improvement in such difficulties has been needed.
On the other hand, the progress in the technology for illumination using an electroluminescent (hereinafter abbreviated as "EL") element has allowed development of EL illuminated display watches using an EL element.
Conventionally, such EL illuminated display watches (1) as disclosed in Japanese Utility Models Laid-open No. 188633/1988, No. 45883/1989, and No. 80197/1994 are known.
Also, the EL illuminated display watches conventionally used include watches (2) of the types disclosed in Japanese Utility Models Laid-open No. 18986/1994 and No. 294668/1995.
In these watches, each whole time display can be uniformly illuminated.
However, the former (display watches (1)) aims at an EL illuminated display watch equipped with a digital display, whereas the latter (display watches (2)) aims at an EL illuminated display watch equipped with an analog display.
Because of this, it has been desired to realize a combination display timepiece equipped with EL illumination which is equipped with both an analog display and a digital display to be illuminated.
The watches shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 satisfy such a demand.
First, the combination display timepiece equipped with EL illumination shown in FIG. 7 will be illustrated with reference to the drawing.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the major portion of an internal mechanism (module) of a conventional combination display timepiece equipped with EL illumination, in which the casing for the watch, the inside of the movement, and the like are omitted.
In FIG. 7, the symbol 11 represents a hand shaft display portion for indicating time analogously, including hands 12 representing a long hour hand and a short minute hand and a hand shaft 13 as a driving shaft for the hands 12. The hands 12 are rotated by driving the movement 14 to indicate the time. The movement 14 consists of a step motor, a reduction train wheel, and the like, though these are not shown. By these measures, the driving force of the step motor is transferred to the hands 12 via the hand shaft 13.
The symbol 15 represents a liquid crystal display portion for indicating time digitally, including two glass substrates 16, 17 which are stacked in the vertical direction (axial direction of the hand shaft 13) and a liquid crystal (not shown) sealed between the glass substrates 16, 17. The time is displayed by the electro-optic effect of the liquid crystal, which is controlled by the voltage to be applied. A twisted nematic (hereinafter abbreviated as "TN") liquid crystal is used as the liquid crystal. A deflecting plate is used in this TN liquid crystal, though it is not shown.
The symbol 18 represents a liquid crystal display portion support frame for supporting the liquid crystal display portion 15. The liquid crystal display portion support frame 18 is disposed on a circuit substrate 19. An electroconductive rubber 20 is pressure-welded on the circuit substrate 19 by this support frame 18 via the upper glass substrate 16. The liquid crystal display portion support frame 18 includes a first penetration window 18a facing the liquid crystal
REFERENCES:
patent: 4312056 (1982-01-01), Nishimura
patent: 4413915 (1983-11-01), Besson
patent: 4775964 (1988-10-01), Alessio et al.
Kamei Yuichi
Nishimura Katsuo
Citizen Watch Co. Ltd.
Miska Vit
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