Table comprising an external part of a photovoltaic cell and a table comprising said external part

Abstract

Watch comprising an external component of a photovoltaic cell and watch comprising said external component. The invention relates to a watch comprising an external component (10) of a photovoltaic cell (20) comprising a basic solar cell (21) interposed between two electrodes, one of the two electrodes, called "upper electrode" (22), being arranged on a face of the basic solar cell (21) intended to be subjected to incident light radiation, the upper electrode (22) being formed by segments (220) arranged according to a predetermined pattern matching a graphical representation of a constellation, the photovoltaic cell (20) being intended to be electrically connected to an electronic watch movement (30).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of external components (composant d'habillage) of timepieces.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to an external component of a watch including a photovoltaic cell and a watch including said external component. Background Technology

[0003] In addition to a defined surface area typically of tens or a few square centimeters, a photovoltaic cell made of semiconductor material includes: an upper electrode in the form of a grid-like array of metal wires; and a lower electrode, the upper and lower electrodes being arranged on either side of a basic solar cell.

[0004] The top electrode is positioned on the surface of the photovoltaic cell that is exposed to incident light radiation and is designed to collect charge carriers generated by the basic solar cell. The arrangement of the top electrode on the surface of the solar cell stems from a trade-off between the degree of shading of the solar cell surface (on which the top electrode is deposited) and the light absorption of the basic solar cell.

[0005] For aesthetic reasons, in cases where photovoltaic cells are intended to be arranged on the dial of a watch, the upper electrode is often designed to be hidden from the user, so only the basic solar cell is visible. This significantly reduces the efficiency of the photovoltaic cell, especially under high illumination, because the resistance caused by the hidden electrode is not as optimal as that of the visible electrode.

[0006] To overcome this drawback, watches have been designed with a dial featuring a set of holes invisible to the naked eye or a translucent dial with photovoltaic cells superimposed on it. This method allows the electrodes arranged on the cells to be hidden.

[0007] Therefore, photovoltaic cells are invisible or nearly invisible to users, but these solutions are not satisfactory because the dial blocks a portion of the light radiation that may reach the photovoltaic cells, thus negatively affecting their efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention addresses the aforementioned disadvantages and relates to an external component of a watch for this purpose, the external component comprising a photovoltaic cell comprising a basic solar cell inserted between two electrodes, the electrode of which is referred to as the "upper electrode" being arranged on the surface of the basic solar cell intended to withstand incident light radiation and intended to be visible to the user.

[0009] The upper electrode is composed of segments connected together and arranged according to a predetermined pattern (motif), which matches, for example, a graphic representation of a constellation. The photovoltaic cell is intended to be electrically connected to the electronic watch movement. Advantageously, the external component includes a dial with an opening, to which the photovoltaic cell is configured to be arranged opposite. The external component also includes a movable display device inserted between the dial and the photovoltaic cell, and this movable display device is intended to be driven by the watch movement such that at least a portion of its travel is visible through the opening.

[0010] The upper electrode includes a peripheral portion disposed at the periphery of the surface of the basic solar cell intended to receive incident light radiation. The peripheral portion defines a region in which a segment extends and is connected to the peripheral portion.

[0011] Advantageously, the upper electrode can thus be decorated, while enabling photovoltaic cells to achieve increased yield without compromising the aesthetics of the components.

[0012] Due to the features of this invention, photovoltaic cells can be incorporated, for example, into a lunar phase module, and in particular, the basic solar cell can form a lunar phase background.

[0013] In certain embodiments, the invention may further include one or more of the following features, either individually or in any technically possible combination.

[0014] This feature helps increase photovoltaic cell yield by improving charge carrier collection and reducing the resistance of the top electrode.

[0015] According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a watch comprising an electronic watch movement and the aforementioned external components, wherein the photovoltaic cells are fixed without any degree of freedom to a support structure formed by the bridges or plates of the watch movement.

[0016] In a particular embodiment, the table includes external components, and the photovoltaic cells materialize the lunar phase background and represent the celestial dome; the portable display device includes at least one moon representation.

[0017] Due to the upper electrode section, the present invention allows for the generation of a constellation graphic representation, so as to generate decoration while increasing the yield of photovoltaic cells. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] - Figure 1 A schematic front view of a photovoltaic cell of an external component according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0020] - Figure 2A perspective view of a portion of an external component according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown schematically;

[0021] - Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an external component mounted on the watch movement is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Figure 1 An external component 10 of a watch according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The external component 10 includes a photovoltaic cell 20, which includes a basic solar cell 21 inserted between two electrodes. The photovoltaic cell 20 is intended to be electrically connected to the watch's electronic watch movement 30.

[0023] The watch movement 30 includes an energy storage component, such as a battery, which is designed to provide energy to at least one electric motor via electronic circuitry 32, which drives the hour and minute display devices to rotate via a gear train.

[0024] The electrode, referred to as the "upper electrode" 22, is intended to be visible to the user and is arranged on the surface of the basic solar cell 21 designed to withstand incident light radiation. For example, a lower electrode (not shown in the figure) in the form of a thin metal layer is arranged opposite to the upper electrode 22 on the basic solar cell 21.

[0025] The upper electrode 22 is formed by interconnected segments 220, which are made of a conductive material (e.g., a metallic material such as gold or silver). Figure 1 and 2 As shown, these segments 220 are arranged according to a predetermined pattern representing at least one constellation.

[0026] Therefore, the outer component 10 includes a star-shaped designation arranged at the junction between the two segments 220. The star-shaped designation may be made of the same material as the manufacturing segment 220.

[0027] More specifically, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the upper electrode 22 includes a peripheral portion 221 that is connected to the segment 220 and arranged at the periphery of the surface of the basic solar cell 21 intended to receive incident light radiation. In other words, the peripheral portion 221 forms a region in which the segment 220 extends from the peripheral portion 221.

[0028] The peripheral portion 221 is connected to a connecting piece 23, which is intended to be connected to the watch movement 30 to transmit the power collected by the basic solar cell 21 to the energy storage component. More specifically, the connecting piece 23 is intended to be connected to the electronic circuit 32, for example, via an anisotropic conductive thermal adhesive film, via a relaxed-fit connector, or via a flexible printed circuit portion fastened to the electronic circuit 32, for example, via anisotropic conductive adhesive.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the external component 10 includes a dial 11, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the dial has a hole 110, and the photovoltaic cell 20 is configured to be arranged opposite to the hole 110. Therefore, the user can see the photovoltaic cell 20 through the hole, and the photovoltaic cell 20 can withstand light radiation.

[0030] exist Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the photovoltaic cell 20 is intended to be rigidly fastened to the support structure 31, i.e., fastened to the support structure 31 without any degrees of freedom, for example, by adhesive. For example, such a support structure 31 can be made of... Figure 2 and 3 The bridge portion shown is formed, or it is formed by the plate of the watch movement 30.

[0031] Preferably, the external component 10 further includes a movable display device 12 inserted between the dial 11 and the photovoltaic cell 20. The movable display device 12 is designed to be driven by the watch movement 30 such that at least a portion of its travel is visible through the aperture 110.

[0032] Specifically, the movable display device 12 includes at least one moon representation and is designed to move opposite the aperture 110 such that its travel corresponds to the synodic month. Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the movable display device 12 includes at least one eccentric disk 120 representing the moon, which is secured to the end of a spindle 121 intended to be driven to rotate by a watch movement 30, such that the eccentric disk 120 moves along a circular path. Alternatively, the movable display device 12 may include a disk made of a transparent material on which at least one moon is eccentrically represented. The disk is arranged to be driven to rotate by movement about an axis passing through its center, thereby causing the representation of the moon to move along a circular path.

[0033] The moon may be represented by printing (such as pad printing), etching, or any other suitable means known to those skilled in the art.

[0034] The photovoltaic cell 20 materializes the lunar phase background and represents the celestial dome, with the same background color as the basic solar cell 21, and includes at least one constellation represented by the upper electrode 22.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the basic solar cell 21 includes at least one layer made of a semiconductor material (e.g., gallium arsenide or silicon) on which an anti-reflection layer is superimposed.

[0036] Advantageously, the upper electrode 22 of the photovoltaic cell 20 can be fabricated on a substrate including the basic solar cell 21 by photolithography.

[0037] Tests have shown that the present invention has a thickness of 0.3 cm. 2 The photovoltaic cell 20 of the basic solar cell 21 is able to provide sufficient power to the watch movement 30 to ensure that it operates at 1W / m 2 Illumination and such Figure 1 and Figure 2 The schematically illustrated upper electrode 22 operates in a sustainable manner.

[0038] More generally, it should be noted that the implementation methods and embodiments considered above have been described by way of non-limiting examples, and therefore other variations are possible.

[0039] In particular, in another embodiment of the invention, the photovoltaic cell 20 may be arranged on the dial 11 such that the upper electrode 22 represents a constellation on the intended visible surface of the dial 11.

Claims

1. An external component (10) of a watch, the external component (10) comprising a photovoltaic cell (20), the photovoltaic cell (20) comprising a basic solar cell (21) interposed between two electrodes, one of the two electrodes being referred to as an upper electrode (22) disposed on a surface of the basic solar cell (21) intended to withstand incident light radiation, the upper electrode (22) being formed of segments (220) connected together and arranged according to a predetermined pattern, the upper electrode (22) comprising a peripheral portion (221) disposed at the periphery of the surface of the basic solar cell (21), the segments (220) being defined by the peripheral portion (221). Extending within the area and connected to the peripheral portion (221), the photovoltaic cell (20) is intended to be electrically connected to the electronic clock movement (30). The external component (10) is characterized in that it includes a dial (11) with a hole (110), the photovoltaic cell (20) is configured to be arranged opposite to the hole, and the external component (10) also includes a movable display device (12) inserted between the dial (11) and the photovoltaic cell (20), and the movable display device (12) is intended to be driven by the clock movement (30) such that at least a portion of its travel is visible through the hole (110).

2. The external component (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The predetermined pattern matches the graphic representation of the constellation.

3. A watch comprising an electronic watch movement (30) and an external component (10) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein, The photovoltaic cell (20) is fixed to the support structure (31) formed by the bridge or plate of the watch movement (30) without any degree of freedom.

4. The table according to claim 3, comprising the external component (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The photovoltaic cell (20) materializes the lunar phase background and represents the celestial dome, and the portable display device (12) includes at least one moon representation.

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