Antenna receiving device and electronic timepiece

Abstract

The invention provides an antenna receiving device and an electronic timepiece which can more suitably determine the receiving sensitivity at the receiving frequency of a product. The antenna receiving device includes: an antenna that receives radio waves; a substrate (21) having three or more connection pads (P1-P9); and a connection section that connects any two of the connection pads (P1-P9) to the antenna. The substrate (21) has at least one of two or more first electrodes connectable to a ground plane (G) and second electrodes connectable to a power supply point, has wirings having different first wiring distances from the first electrodes to the ground plane when the substrate (21) has the two or more first electrodes, and has different second wiring distances from the first electrodes to the ground plane when the substrate (21) has the two or more second electrodes. The second wiring distances of the signal lines extending from the second electrodes are different from each other.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the application with application number "202110283845.6", application date March 16, 2021, and invention name "Antenna receiving device and electronic clock".

[0002] Cross-reference to related applications

[0003] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-053628 (filed on March 25, 2020), the entire disclosure of which including detailed description, claims, drawings and abstract are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The invention relates to an antenna receiving device and an electronic clock. Background Art

[0005] Small portable terminal devices such as electronic watches have devices that receive radio waves in the GHz band, such as radio waves from positioning satellites. In such receiving devices, it is difficult to make the antenna protrude to the outside, and sometimes it is placed along the surface of the casing or around it.

[0006] Such an antenna is fixed and is restricted to a size corresponding to the size of the housing. In this case, the desired resonant frequency can be obtained by determining the power supply point and the grounding point on the antenna corresponding to the frequency of the receiving object and performing wiring connection. That is, in the product, when the internal structure, external design, etc. change, it is necessary to adjust the position of the wiring connection to make it move. In order to easily cope with such a situation, the patent publication No. 2019-086312 discloses a technology of preparing multiple electrodes in advance on a wiring substrate and being able to selectively connect any one of them.

[0007] However, if impedance matching and the like are taken into consideration, there is a problem that the receiving sensitivity at a desired frequency cannot be appropriately obtained simply by adjusting the connection position. Summary of the invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna receiving device and an electronic timepiece capable of more appropriately determining the receiving sensitivity at a receiving frequency of a product.

[0009] The antenna receiving device of the present invention comprises: an antenna for receiving radio waves; a substrate having three or more electrodes; and a connecting portion for connecting any two of the electrodes to the antenna, respectively, wherein the substrate has at least one of two or more first electrodes that can be connected to a ground plane and a second electrode that can be connected to a power supply point, and when there are two or more first electrodes, there are wirings with first wiring distances from the first electrodes to the ground plane that are different, and when there are two or more second electrodes, there are wirings with second wiring distances of signal lines extending from the second electrodes that are different.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, there is an effect that the antenna reception sensitivity of a product can be determined more appropriately. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing the appearance of the electronic timepiece.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the housing and the substrate.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing a part of a cross section of one connecting pin including the inner side of the housing.

[0015] Figure 4 It is a diagram for explaining the connection portion with the connection pin on the substrate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a plan view showing the appearance of the electronic timepiece 1 .

[0018] The upper surface of the electronic timepiece 1 has a display unit 11 in the center, and a bezel 13 is located around it. In addition, the electronic timepiece 1 includes: an outer member 14 covering a portion of the bezel 13; and a connecting portion 16 for connecting the band to the body. Push button switches B1 to B4 and a crown C1 are provided on the side of the electronic timepiece 1. The outer member 14 is fixed to the housing 12 (refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 ). Along with this, the bezel 13 is also fixed between the exterior member 14 and the case 12 .

[0019] The outer casing 14 protects the main body of the electronic timepiece 1 including the push-button switches B1 to B4 and the crown C1 by its projections and depressions, and also functions as a design decoration. The outer casing 14 may be made of, for example, resin.

[0020] The bezel 13 is a conductive member (usually a metal member) having a ring-shaped structure. The bezel 13 acts as an antenna in the electronic timepiece 1. Here, the antenna receives right-handed circularly polarized waves from positioning satellites (mainly satellites involved in the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite System)).

[0021] The push button switches B1 to B4 and the crown C1 penetrate the side surface of the case 12 and protrude outward, and can receive pressing operations of the push button switches B1 to B4 and pulling operations and rotating operations of the crown C1.

[0022] The display unit 11 includes a digital display monitor and performs digital display.

[0023] Figure 2 2 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the housing 12 and the substrate 21. Figure 1 This is also a picture looking down from above.

[0024] The housing 12 has an operating module including a substrate 21 and a battery 30 (see Figure 3 ) is a roughly cylindrical structure for protection. The side of the housing 12 is provided with each through hole of the above-mentioned connecting portion 16.

[0025] The nine through holes 121 are located near the inner edge of the housing 12. Connecting pins 241, 242 (connecting portion, collectively or either one is referred to as connecting pin 24) are inserted into any two of these through holes 121. As described later, the connecting pins 241, 242 are each electrically connected to the bezel 13 serving as an antenna and any one of the connecting pads P1 to P9 on the substrate 21. The connecting pins 241, 242 do not need to be joined (fixed) to the housing 12 or other parts. As described later, the connecting pin 241, whose end in contact with the bezel 13 serves as a power supply point, sends and receives signals from the other end to the receiving circuit connected via a signal line. The connecting pin 242 is connected to the ground plane G on the substrate 21 (reference Figure 4 ) are connected.

[0026] The housing 12 has an O-ring insertion groove 122 on the outer edge side of the through hole 121 , and is fixed to the bezel 13 and the exterior member 14 with the O-ring inserted, thereby providing a waterproof structure.

[0027] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing a part of a cross section of one of the connecting pins 24 including the inner side of the housing 12 .

[0028] On the upper side of the substrate 21, a display screen 111 and a light-transmitting (usually transparent) protective layer 112 (contact lens) covering the display screen are provided via a metal frame 23. On the lower side of the substrate 21, a battery 30 is provided, which is fixed and supported by the frame 22. The lowermost surface is covered by a back cover 17.

[0029] A portion of the circuit on the substrate 21, such as a radio wave receiving circuit, a control unit, a CPU that performs various control operations such as counting, displaying, and correcting the date and time, is covered by a protective shell 211. The protective shell 211 is used to protect the internal components from electromagnetic waves and static electricity, and is, for example, a box-shaped structure of a conductor. Other structures on the substrate 21, such as an oscillating circuit, a timing unit that counts the current date and time (current moment), a non-volatile memory, etc., can be located outside the protective shell 211.

[0030] A portion of a circuit 212 , which is a Bluetooth (registered trademark) transceiver circuit, may be provided on the lower surface of the substrate 21 .

[0031] The metal frame 23 has a conductive plate that protects the circuit on the substrate 21 from static electricity. The metal frame 23 is in contact with the protective case 211 through the leg-shaped portion 231, and is connected to the ground plane on the substrate 21 via the protective case 211. The metal frame 23 is located substantially inside the inner edge of the bezel 13.

[0032] The display screen 111 is, for example, a liquid crystal display screen, but is not limited thereto, and the type of liquid crystal is not critical. Various displays are performed on the display screen 111 based on a control signal from a control unit on the substrate 21 .

[0033] The connecting pin 24 inserted into the through hole 121 of the housing 12 may have a spring structure that can be extended and retracted in the extension direction. When the electronic timepiece 1 is assembled and sealed, the connecting pin 24 is in a state where the spring is compressed so that both ends are connected to the substrate 21 and the bezel 13, respectively. Thus, even if the electronic timepiece 1 is subjected to a certain amount of collision, the contact to both sides is maintained by the tension of the spring. In addition, the through hole 121 has a width of two stages, and the connecting pin 24 has a head shape that fits these, which can prevent position deviation in the left and right directions.

[0034] The bezel 13 is located outside the housing 12 and functions as an antenna. The ring-shaped bezel 13 is connected to the circuit on the substrate 21 at two locations through the connection pins 241 and 242 as described above. One of them is connected to the ground plane, and the other is a power supply point. Thus, the bezel 13 and the ground plane on the substrate 21 form a pair and operate like a patch-shaped microstrip antenna.

[0035] The frame 22, at least a part of which is a conductive member, fixes and holds the battery 30 inside for protection, and contacts the grounding surface of the substrate 21 and the back cover 17 to extend the range of the grounding surface to the back cover 17. Figure 3 As shown, the frame 22 does not need to cover the entire side surface of the battery 30. In addition, the frame 22 and the back cover 17 are electrically connected more stably and with low resistance (low impedance) via the leaf spring 25 or the like made of a conductive member (metal or the like).

[0036] The storage battery 30 is connected to the power supply terminal of the substrate 21 to supply power to each circuit of the substrate 21. The storage battery 30 may be detachable and exchangeable, or may be fixed to the frame 22. In the latter case, the storage battery 30 may be charged with power generated by a solar panel (not shown) or with power supplied from the outside by connecting to an external connection terminal.

[0037] Figure 4 It is a diagram for explaining the connection portion with the connection pin 24 on the substrate 21 .

[0038] A plurality of (a given number greater than 3, here 9) connection pads P1 to P9 (electrodes) are located on the substrate 21 in accordance with the position of the through hole 121. The connection pads P2 to P8 are connected via a given lumped constant circuit D1 (cut-off portion) and wirings L1 to L12 (intermediate wirings). The lumped constant circuit D1 is an RLC (resistance, inductance, capacitance) circuit, and can selectively switch between an open state and a conducting state. The switching may be irreversible.

[0039] The lumped constant circuit D1 is not located on a straight line connecting adjacent connection pads connected by wiring, but is located at a deviated position. Accordingly, the wiring connecting the connection pads becomes a zigzag line. From the perspective of saving space, the distance between the connection pads is short, so by setting it as a zigzag line, the length of the wiring can be extended even if the straight line distance is short.

[0040] The wiring L21 connected to the connection pad P1 and the wiring L22 extending from the connection pads P2 and P3 are respectively included in the path of the signal line connected to the receiving circuit 214 (including the front end including LNA (Low Noise Amplifier), BPF (Band Pass Filter), etc., and the radio wave reception control driver (baseband circuit, etc. at the back end)) through the impedance matching circuit 213 and the wiring L23. On the other hand, the wiring L31 extending from the wirings L5 and L6, the wiring L32 extending from the wirings L11 and L12, and the wiring L33 extending from the connection pad P9 are respectively connected to the ground plane G via the connection parts S1 to S3.

[0041] That is, the connection pads P1 to P8 (at least two second electrodes) are electrodes that can be connected to the power supply point, and the signal line is connected to the impedance matching circuit 213 through a portion of the wiring L21, L22, L1 to L12 that is determined (can be set) corresponding to the selected connection pad. Furthermore, the signal line is connected to the receiving circuit 214 via the impedance matching circuit 213. In addition, the connection pads P2 to P9 (at least two first electrodes) can be connected to the ground plane G corresponding to a portion of the wiring L1 to L12, L31 to L33 that is determined corresponding to the selected connection pad and the connection parts S1 to S3. When the connection pin 241 is connected to any one of the connection pads P1 to P8, there must be at least one connection pad that can be connected to the connection pin 242. Similarly, when the connection pin 242 is connected to any one of the connection pads P2 to P9, there must be at least one connection pad that can be connected to the connection pin 241. In addition, the length of the wiring along the path to the impedance matching circuit 213 (the second wiring distance) and the length of the wiring along the path to the position of the ground plane G (the first wiring distance) are different, depending on the combination of the selected connection pads and the selection of the connection parts S1 to S3 to the ground plane G (that is, the number of connection pads). Figure 3 In the example shown, the connection pin 241 is connected to the connection pad P1 and is connected to the impedance matching circuit 213 only via the wiring L21. In addition, the connection pin 242 is connected to the connection pad P8 and is connected to the ground plane G via the wirings L12 and L32.

[0042] Since the connection pads P2 to P8 can be connected to both the ground plane G and the impedance matching circuit 213 (serving as both the first electrode and the second electrode), the conduction can be cut off in the unnecessary lumped constant circuit D1 and the connection parts S1 to S3 according to the actually selected connection pads P2 to P8.

[0043] In addition, the distances from the connection pads P4, P5, P7, and P8 to the ground plane G are all the same, and by selecting any one of them, the distance between the two connection pins 241 and 242 in the bezel 13 (the angle between the two connection pins 241 and 242 and the center) can be changed. The resonant frequency can be adjusted according to the distance (angle).

[0044] As described above, by appropriately adjusting the positional relationship between the connection pins 241 and 242, the distance from the connection pin 241 to the impedance matching circuit 213, and the distance from the connection pin 242 to the ground plane G, the resonant frequency and phase difference of the radio waves received by the bezel 13 can be more appropriately adjusted. Since these also change according to the lumped constant circuit D1, the connection pin 24, etc., it is possible to appropriately adjust slight deviations from the product design.

[0045] Among the above-mentioned structures, the bezel 13, the connecting pins 24 and at least a part of the substrate 21 constitute the antenna receiving device of this embodiment.

[0046] As described above, the electronic timepiece 1 including the antenna receiving device of the present embodiment comprises: a bezel 13 for receiving radio waves; a substrate 21 having three or more connection pads P1 to P9; and a connection pin 24 for connecting any two of the connection pads P1 to P9 to the bezel 13. The substrate 21 comprises at least one of two or more first electrodes that can be connected to the ground plane G and a second electrode that can be connected to a power supply point, and when there are two or more first electrodes (here, the connection pads P2 to P9), there are wirings with different first wiring distances from the first electrodes to the ground plane G, and when there are two or more second electrodes (here, the connection pads P1 to P8), there are wirings with different second wiring distances of signal lines extending from the second electrodes.

[0047] With such a structure, only by adjusting and selecting the connection pads P1 to P9 connected to the connection pin 24, the reception frequency of the antenna and the resonance frequency and the impedance matching can be more appropriately performed in the electronic timepiece 1 (antenna receiving device), and the desired wavelength of radio waves can be received with better receiving sensitivity. Thus, even if the substrate 21 or the housing 12 is changed due to improvement, model change, etc., the radio wave reception condition can be easily maintained in a good state without making overall design changes. In addition, since small errors from the design value can be easily and appropriately adjusted, the desired radio waves can be received with more stable and appropriate sensitivity in the electronic timepiece 1.

[0048] That is, if impedance matching is taken into consideration, there is a problem that the receiving sensitivity at the desired frequency cannot be appropriately obtained by simply adjusting the connection position as disclosed in the prior art. However, according to this embodiment, the receiving sensitivity at the receiving frequency of the product can be more appropriately determined.

[0049] In particular, the substrate 21 has two or more first electrodes and one of the second electrodes, and has one or more electrodes (e.g., the first electrode) that can be connected to the other side of the connecting pin 24 (e.g., the connecting pin 242) when any one of the electrodes (e.g., the second electrode) is connected to one side of the connecting pin 24 (e.g., the connecting pin 241).

[0050] Therefore, in the electronic timepiece 1, the reception frequency and the resonance frequency of the bezel 13 can be appropriately matched according to the selected first electrode and second electrode, and impedance matching can be easily performed.

[0051] In addition, the connection pads P1 to P9 are arranged in a positional relationship that can change the distance between the connection positions of the two connection pins 24 in the bezel 13 (one of which is the power supply point) in accordance with the combination of the first electrode connecting the ground plane G and the bezel 13 through the connection pin 242 and the second electrode connecting the power supply side and the bezel 13 through the connection pin 241.

[0052] That is, by being able to adjust the distance between the connection pins 241 and 242 on the bezel 13 (antenna), the reception frequency of the radio wave and the resonance frequency can be appropriately matched.

[0053] In addition, the wiring includes wiring L1 to L12 (intermediate wiring) connecting the connection pads P2 to P8, and the path from the bezel 13 to the ground plane G via the plurality of connection pads P2 to P8 and the path of the signal line to the receiving circuit 214 can be set separately, and the first wiring distance and the second wiring distance vary according to the number of connection pads passed. That is, the long wiring on the substrate is shared with other wirings, and there is no need to form too many wirings on the substrate, which can save time and space.

[0054] In addition, the intermediate wiring connects the connection pads P2 to P8 with a broken line or a curved line. Since it is difficult to separate the distances between the connection pads P2 to P8 due to the size of the electronic timepiece 1, that is, the size of the substrate 21 and the accuracy of adjustment, a wiring distance longer than the distance can be obtained by not making the intermediate wiring straight. Therefore, the distance to the ground plane G and to the impedance matching circuit 213 can be adjusted over a wide range. In particular, in the case where it is difficult to obtain a length corresponding to the reception frequency only on the periphery due to miniaturization, etc., adjustment can be easily performed.

[0055] In addition, at least a portion of the connection pads P2 to P8 among the connection pads serves as both the first electrode and the second electrode. The wiring includes a lumped constant circuit D1, and the lumped constant circuit D1 can cut off any one of the paths from the portion of the connection pads P2 to P8 to the ground plane G and the path of the signal line to the receiving circuit 214. In this way, since the lumped constant circuit D1 can be matched with an appropriate impedance and is set so that the current does not flow in an unnecessary direction, the wiring to the ground plane G and the wiring to the power supply side can be formed in common to a certain extent, and the direction in which the response is required can be conducted. As a result, in the electronic timepiece 1, the number of wirings, space, and formation time can be further reduced.

[0056] In addition, the path of the signal line from the second electrode is connected to the radio wave reception control driver of the receiving circuit 214 via the impedance matching circuit 213. That is, since not only the length can be adjusted according to the resonant frequency, but also the impedance and phase difference can be appropriately matched to receive the signal, unnecessary loss can be prevented, and the desired radio wave can be received with better sensitivity.

[0057] In many portable terminal devices that have the display unit 11 at the center of the front, a loop-shaped antenna can be provided to efficiently receive radio waves using an antenna having a length corresponding to the wavelength of the received radio waves without interfering with other structures.

[0058] In addition, the electronic timepiece 1 of this embodiment includes: the structure of the antenna receiving device as described above; a timing unit for counting the current time; and a control unit for correcting the current time counted by the timing unit based on the radio wave received by the antenna receiving device. Therefore, in the electronic timepiece 1, it is possible to suppress the increase in weight, size, and power consumption and to more appropriately receive radio waves, thereby maintaining the correct counting of the current date and time or executing various functions.

[0059] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the bezel 13 is described as being used as an antenna, but other annular members may be used instead, or a member dedicated to the antenna may be provided alone.

[0060] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the distance from the connection pad connected to the connection pin 24 to the impedance matching circuit 213 and the ground plane G is variable by wiring connected between each connection pad P2 to P8, but the wiring pattern is not limited to this. For example, the connection pads P2 to P8 can be connected to only one of the impedance matching circuit 213 and the ground plane G, and only the distance of the one can be variable. In addition, it is sufficient as long as the length of the wiring can be made variable corresponding to the selected connection pad. For example, it is also possible to connect each connection pad P2 to P8 directly to the impedance matching circuit 213 and the ground plane G at different wiring distances without passing through other connection pads. In addition, although it is described that the wiring is a broken line shape bent at the part of the concentrated constant circuit D1 in the middle of the connection pads P2 to P8, it can also be bent into a curve shape in other parts, and it can also be connected to the concentrated constant circuit D1 in a structure that is asymptotic to a given straight line.

[0061] In addition, in the above embodiment, although the connection pads P1 and P9 are described as being connected exclusively to the impedance matching circuit 213 and the ground plane G, respectively, wiring may not be performed to set up such dedicated parts. On the contrary, a connection pad connected only to the impedance matching circuit 213 and a connection pad connected only to the ground plane G may be provided separately, and at least one of them may be multiple. In addition, the number of connection pads may be arbitrarily changed according to the required accuracy, adjustment width, and configurable width (angle range) of the connection pads. In addition, the connection pads P2 to P7 do not need to be arranged in a straight line, for example, they may be arranged in an arc shape along the circumference.

[0062] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, it is described that the connecting pin 24 connects the bezel 13 and the connecting pads P1 to P9 at the same position when viewed from above, but as long as the positional relationship between the position on the bezel 13 and the connecting pads P1 to P9 is appropriately maintained, it is not limited to the case where the same positions when viewed from above are connected.

[0063] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the circular connection pads P1 to P9 and the linear wiring are described as having clearly different structures, but as long as the connection position with the connection pin 24 can be appropriately maintained and the lumped constant circuit D1 can be appropriately configured, the connection pad part and the wiring part can also be provided continuously.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the through hole 121 is provided in the housing 12, but it may be provided in a plate surface mounted on the housing 12. Furthermore, as long as the connection position between the connection pads P1 to P9 and the bezel 13 can be appropriately maintained without much effort, the structure may have the same number of through holes as the number of connection pads.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the ring-shaped bezel 13 is described as an antenna. However, the above structure can be applied even to an antenna having a similar structure for adjusting the resonance frequency corresponding to the ground point and the power supply point, such as a planar microstrip antenna.

[0066] In addition, in the above embodiment, it is described that the electronic timepiece 1 receives radio waves from a positioning satellite, but it is not limited to this. The above disclosed technical content can be applied when a small and portable electronic terminal that is difficult to protrude the antenna is equipped with an antenna that receives microwaves corresponding to the size of the electronic terminal, especially radio waves in the GHz frequency band. In addition, even if it is an electronic timepiece, it is not necessarily used to correct the current date and time. It can also be used only in the positioning action of an electronic timepiece with a positioning function.

[0067] Furthermore, the specific configurations, contents of processing operations, and programs, etc. shown in the above-described embodiments can be appropriately modified within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0068] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto.

Claims

1. An antenna receiving device, characterized in that: have: Antenna, which receives radio waves; The first electrode has both a first wiring for connecting to a ground plane and a second wiring for connecting to a given circuit; A substrate having a plurality of electrodes including two or more of the first electrodes; and a connecting portion capable of connecting the first electrode and the antenna, At least one of the first wiring and the second wiring included in the first electrode is an intermediate wiring connecting the first electrodes. When the connection portion is connected to one of the first electrodes, a path to the ground plane or a path to the predetermined circuit is set from the antenna via the plurality of first electrodes and the intermediate wiring.

2. The antenna receiving device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate further comprises: a second electrode having the first wiring instead of the second wiring; and The third electrode does not have the first wiring but has the second wiring.

3. The antenna receiving device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The connecting portion has: a first connection portion connecting the electrode having the first wiring and the antenna; and The second connection portion connects the electrode having the second wiring and the antenna.

4. The antenna receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first electrodes are connected to each other via a cutoff portion, and the cutoff portion is capable of cutting off any one of a path from the first electrode to the ground plane and a path from the first electrode to the given circuit.

5. The antenna receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The given circuit is an impedance matching circuit and / or an electric wave receiving circuit.

6. An electronic clock, characterized in that: have: The antenna receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; A timing unit for counting the current time; and The control unit corrects the current time counted by the timekeeping unit based on the radio wave received by the antenna receiving device.

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