Switch device and watch

Abstract

To provide a switch device that can prevent damage to a lock mechanism due to impacts, and a watch having the same.SOLUTION: A switch device includes: a cylindrical member 10 at least part of which is inserted into a through-hole 8 of a watch case 1; an operation member 11 which is arranged so as to extend from the interior of the cylindrical member 10 to the exterior of the cylindrical member 10; and a lock mechanism 27 which locks the operation member 11 to the cylindrical member 10. The lock mechanism 27 comprises: a lock member 28 which is locked to the cylindrical member 10 with rotation operation of the operation member 11; and a rotation transmission member 29 which is a separate member from the lock member 28 and rotates the lock member 28 in response to the rotation operation of the operation member 11. When the operation member 11 experiences an external impact in a state where the lock member 28 is locked to the cylindrical member 10, since the rotation transmission member 29 can slide in the axial direction relative to the lock member 28, damage to the lock mechanism 27 due to the impact can be prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a switch device used in an electronic device such as a wristwatch, and to a timepiece equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in a switch device for a wristwatch, as described in Patent Document 1, a structure is known in which a fixed pipe is attached to a through hole in the watch case, and an operating member is attached to this fixed pipe so that it can rotate and slide axially. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 52979-52

[0004] This type of wristwatch switch device is equipped with a locking mechanism that locks the operating member to a fixed pipe to prevent the operating member from being pushed into the wristwatch case and damaging the watch module inside the wristwatch case when the operating member receives an external impact.

[0005] The locking mechanism of such a switch device comprises a male threaded portion provided on the outer periphery of a fixed pipe protruding outside the watch case, and a female threaded portion provided on the inner surface of an operating head provided at the outer end of the operating member, which screws into the male threaded portion of the fixed pipe.

[0006] As a result, the locking mechanism is configured to lock the operating member to the fixed pipe by pushing the operating member toward the inside of the watch case and pressing the operating head against the fixed pipe, and then rotating the operating head to screw the female threaded portion of the operating head into the male threaded portion of the fixed pipe. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, with this type of wristwatch switch device, when the operating member is locked to the fixed pipe by the locking mechanism and the operating head receives an external impact, the male threaded portion of the fixed pipe and the female threaded portion of the operating head, which are screwed together, may be damaged by the impact.

[0008] The problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a switch device capable of preventing damage to a locking mechanism due to impact, and a timepiece equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] This invention is a switch device comprising: a case having a through hole; a cylindrical member at least a portion of which is inserted into the through hole of the case; an operating member arranged from the inside of the tubular member to the outside of the tubular member; and a locking mechanism for locking the operating member to the tubular member, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a locking member that is locked to the tubular member by a rotational operation of the operating member, and a rotation transmission member that is a separate member from the locking member and rotates the locking member in response to the rotational operation of the operating member. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to this invention, damage to the locking mechanism due to an external impact can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is an enlarged front view showing an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wristwatch. [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the wristwatch shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line AA. [Diagram 3] 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of the switch device shown in FIG. 2 in a state where an operating member is unlocked by a lock mechanism. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is an exploded perspective view of the switch device shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the outside of the watch case. [Diagram 5] 6 is an exploded perspective view of the switch device shown in FIG. 5, as viewed from the inside of the watch case. [Figure 6] 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the switch device shown in FIG. 2 when an external impact is applied in a locked state of an operating member. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a wristwatch will now be described with reference to Figs. As shown in Fig. 1, this wristwatch has a wristwatch case 1. On the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock sides of this wristwatch case 1, there are provided band attachment sections 2 to which a watch band (not shown) is attached.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, push button switches 3 are provided at the 2 o'clock, 4 o'clock, 8 o'clock, and 10 o'clock sides of wristwatch case 1. A switch device 4 is provided at the 3 o'clock side of wristwatch case 1. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a watch crystal 5 is provided at the upper opening of wristwatch case 1 via a glass packing 5a. A back cover 6 is attached to the bottom of wristwatch case 1 via a waterproof packing 6a.

[0014] Furthermore, a clock module 7 is provided inside this wristwatch case 1, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Although not shown, this clock module 7 is equipped with various parts necessary for the clock function, such as a clock movement that moves hands to indicate and display the time, a flat display device that electro-optically displays information such as the time, date, and day of the week, and a circuit section for driving and controlling these.

[0015] In this case, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the wristwatch case 1 includes a case body 1a, a first exterior member 1b arranged on the outer periphery of the case body 1a, and a second exterior member 1c located above the first exterior member 1b and arranged on the upper outer periphery of the case body 1a. The case body 1a is made of metal or synthetic resin with high rigidity. The first exterior member 1b is made of soft synthetic resin such as urethane resin. The second exterior member 1c is made of metal or synthetic resin.

[0016] Meanwhile, switch device 4 provided on the 3 o'clock side of wristwatch case 1 is a switch for selecting and setting functions such as time adjustment and mode switching, as shown in Figures 1 to 3. This switch device 4 includes a cylindrical member 10 attached to a through hole 8 provided in case body 1a of wristwatch case 1, an operating member 11 attached to this cylindrical member 10 so as to be slidable and rotatable, and a locking mechanism 27 that locks this operating member 11 to the cylindrical member 10.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cylindrical member 10 is made of a highly rigid metal such as stainless steel and is formed into a substantially pipe-like shape. This cylindrical member 10 includes a small-diameter cylindrical section 12 that is inserted into the through-hole 8 of the case body 1a of the wristwatch case 1, and a large-diameter cylindrical section 13 that is disposed so as to protrude to the outside of the case body 1a. The small-diameter cylindrical section 12 is formed so that its outer diameter is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the through-hole 8 of the case body 1a. The small-diameter cylindrical section 12 is also formed so that its inner diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through-hole 8. As a result, the small-diameter cylindrical section 12 is formed in the shape of a thin-walled pipe.

[0018] 2 and 3, the small diameter cylindrical portion 12 is formed so that its axial length is slightly longer than the axial length of the through hole 8. As a result, the small diameter cylindrical portion 12 is configured so that the inner end of the small diameter cylindrical portion 12 protrudes into the inside of the case body 1a when the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is placed in contact with the outer surface of the case body 1a of the wristwatch case 1. In this case, the cylindrical member 10 is configured so that the outer periphery at the inner end of the small diameter cylindrical portion 12 protruding into the inside of the wristwatch case 1 and the edge of the inner end of the through hole 8 of the case body 1a are fixed to each other around the entire circumference of the through hole 8 of the case body 1a by welding such as laser welding.

[0019] 2 and 3, large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is formed so that its outer diameter is larger than the inner diameter of through hole 8 in case body 1a of watch case 1, and smaller than the vertical length (height) of watch case 1. In other words, large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is formed so that its outer diameter is approximately three times the inner diameter of through hole 8, and approximately half the vertical length of watch case 1. Furthermore, large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is formed so that its inner diameter is the same as the inner diameter of small diameter cylindrical portion 12.

[0020] 2 and 3, large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is formed into a pipe shape whose length (wall thickness) between its inner diameter and outer diameter is sufficiently longer (thicker) than the length (wall thickness) between the inner diameter and outer diameter of small diameter cylindrical portion 12. Moreover, large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is formed with an axial length that is approximately the same as the axial length of through hole 8 of case body 1a of wristwatch case 1.

[0021] 2 and 3, the outside diameter of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is formed so that the outside diameter of the outer portion of the watch case 1 is one step smaller than the outside diameter of the inner portion on the watch case 1 side. This large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is formed so that the axial lengths of the one-step larger inner portion on the watch case 1 side and the one-step smaller outer portion on the opposite side are approximately the same. The outer circumference of the one-step smaller outer portion of this large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is provided with a male thread portion 13a of a lock mechanism 27, which will be described later.

[0022] 2 and 3, a waterproof groove 14 that is recessed (deepened) in the axial direction of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 is provided in an annular shape along the outer periphery of the small diameter cylindrical portion 12 on the inner end surface of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 that corresponds to the outer surface of the wristwatch case 1. The waterproof groove 14 has a rectangular cross section. A waterproof packing 15, which is a waterproof member, is provided inside the waterproof groove 14.

[0023] 2 and 3, waterproof packing 15 is formed into a ring shape and made of an elastic and hygroscopic material such as synthetic rubber or elastomer, such as nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). Waterproof packing 15 is placed in waterproof groove 14 while being elastically crushed. In this way, waterproof packing 15 is configured to provide waterproofing between the inner end face of large diameter cylindrical portion 13 and the outer surface of watch case 1.

[0024] 2 to 5, the operating member 11 attached to the cylindrical member 10 includes an operating shaft portion 16 slidably and rotatably disposed within the cylindrical member 10 and protruding to the outside of the cylindrical member 10, and an operating head portion 17 attached to the outer end portion of the operating shaft portion 16 protruding from the cylindrical member 10 so as to be slidable in the axial direction thereof and covering the outer end portion of the operating shaft portion 16 and the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. The operating shaft portion 16 is formed from a metal such as stainless steel or a titanium alloy, or a hard synthetic resin.

[0025] 2 to 5, operating shaft portion 16 includes shaft main body 18 which is inserted into cylindrical member 10, and shaft operating portion 19 which is provided at the outer end of shaft main body 18 and protrudes to the outside of cylindrical member 10. Shaft main body 18 is formed so that its outer diameter is approximately the same as the inner diameter of cylindrical member 10. Furthermore, shaft main body 18 is formed so that its axial length is approximately the same as the axial length of cylindrical member 10.

[0026] 2 to 5, when the outer end of shaft body 18 is located at the outer end of tubular member 10, the inner end of shaft body 18 is located at the inner end side of tubular member 10, and in this state, shaft body 18 is rotatably and slidably disposed within tubular member 10. Also, a plurality of waterproof rings 20 are provided on the outer periphery of shaft body 18, each in an annular shape along the outer periphery of shaft body 18. These multiple waterproof rings 20 are configured to provide waterproofing between the outer periphery of shaft body 18 and the inner periphery of tubular member 10.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, shaft operating portion 19 is provided integrally with the outer end of shaft main body 18 located at the outer end of tubular member 10, and is configured to slide and rotate shaft main body 18. That is, shaft operating portion 19 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having bottom portion 19a provided at the outer end of shaft main body 18. Inside shaft operating portion 19, a circular hollow recess 19b is provided along the axial direction of operating member 11. The inner diameter of hollow recess 19b is formed to be the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of small-diameter cylindrical portion 12 of tubular member 10.

[0028] 2 and 3, the shaft operating portion 19 includes an inner cylindrical portion 21 having a small outer diameter, and an outer cylindrical portion 22 having a large outer diameter. The small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 has an outer diameter that is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the male thread portion 13a provided on the outer periphery of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10, that is, the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 is formed to have an outer diameter that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the female thread portion 28a of the locking mechanism 27 described later.

[0029] 2 and 3, the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 is configured such that its inner end, i.e., the bottom 19a of the shaft operating portion 19, approaches the outer end surface of the outer end, i.e., the male threaded portion 13a, of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 in a manner that allows it to come into contact with and separate from the outer end surface of the male threaded portion 13a. As a result, the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 is configured such that its inner end, i.e., the bottom 19a of the shaft operating portion 19, does not come into contact with the outer end surface of the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28. In this case, when the lock of the operating head 17 to the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 is released, the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28 moves to the outer periphery of the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 and is disposed there.

[0030] 2 to 5, the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22 has an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the larger inner portion of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13, is smaller than the outer diameter of the locking member 28, and is larger than the inner diameter of the female thread portion 28a of the locking member 28. As a result, the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22 is configured so that the outer end surface of the locking member 28 abuts against its inner end. In this case, the outer diameter of the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22 is drawn small because a first operation flat portion 23a of a first idling stopper 23 described later is provided corresponding to the outer diameter in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0031] 4 and 5, the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22 is originally formed to have an outer diameter sufficiently larger than that of the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21. As a result, when the locking mechanism 27 releases the lock on the operating head portion 17, the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22 is configured such that the female screw portion 28a of the locking member 28 moves to the outer periphery of the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21, and the outer end portion of the locking member 28 comes into contact with and separates from the inner end portion of the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22, as shown in FIG.

[0032] 2 and 3, the large-diameter outer tubular portion 22 is arranged inside the operating head 17 so as to be slidable in its axial direction and is configured to rotate together with the operating head 17. That is, a first idling stopper 23 for rotating the outer tubular portion 22 by the operating head 17 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the large-diameter outer tubular portion 22 and the inner circumferential surface of the operating head 17.

[0033] 2 to 5, the operating head 17 is equipped with a cover portion 24 into which the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16 is inserted to cover the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10, and a spring member 25 which is a biasing member that biases the cover portion 24 in a direction to push it outward from the watch case 1. The cover portion 24 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with its outer end sealed by a metal such as a titanium alloy.

[0034] 2 to 5, the cover portion 24 has an outer diameter that is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the large diameter cylinder portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10, and is formed in a substantially circular shape that is about 2 / 3 the vertical length of the wristwatch case 1. The cover portion 24 also includes a small diameter cover portion 24a into which the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16 is inserted, and a large diameter cover portion 24b into which the large diameter cylinder portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 and the locking mechanism 27 are inserted to cover them.

[0035] In this case, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5, the first anti-slip portion 23 includes a first operating flat portion 23a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tubular portion 22 of the shaft operating portion 19, and a first cover flat portion 23b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter cover portion 24a in the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 and pressed against the first operating flat portion 23a of the outer tubular portion 22.

[0036] As a result, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5, the first anti-slip portion 23 is configured so that when the first operating flat portion 23a of the outer tube portion 22 and the first cover flat portion 23b of the small diameter cover portion 24a correspond and abut, the large diameter outer tube portion 22 and the operating head 17 can slide relatively along the axial direction, and the outer tube portion 22 and the operating head 17 can rotate together without idling.

[0037] 2, 3 and 5, a spring guide portion 26 is provided within cover portion 24. This spring guide portion 26 is for guiding spring member 25, and is formed in a round bar shape and provided approximately at the center of the inner end face of cover portion 24 along the axial direction of cover portion 24. In other words, this spring guide portion 26 is formed so that its outer diameter is approximately the same as the outer diameter of shaft main body portion 18.

[0038] 2, 3 and 5, the spring guide part 26 is formed so that its axial length is shorter than the axial length of the hollow recess 19b of the shaft operating part 19. As a result, when the shaft operating part 19 is inserted into the cover part 24, the spring guide part 26 is disposed within the hollow recess 19b of the shaft operating part 19 without coming into contact with it.

[0039] 2 to 5, the spring member 25 is a coil spring, and is configured to be disposed in the hollow recess 19b of the shaft operating part 19 in a state in which it is disposed on the outer periphery of the spring guide part 26. That is, the spring member 25 is formed so that the inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the spring guide part 26 and the outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow recess 19b of the shaft operating part 19. Moreover, one end of the spring member 25 abuts against the inner surface of the bottom part 19a in the hollow recess 19b of the shaft operating part 19, and the other end abuts against the inner end surface located on the outer side of the cover part 24.

[0040] As a result, spring member 25 is configured to bias cover portion 24 in a direction pushing it outward from watch case 1, as shown in Figures 2 to 5, and to be compressed in the axial direction when cover portion 24 is locked by locking mechanism 27, and to be expanded in the axial direction when cover portion 24 is unlocked by locking mechanism 27.

[0041] 2 and 3, the operation shaft portion 16 is configured so that a winding core (not shown) is inserted into and connected to a connecting hole 18a provided at the inner end of the shaft main body portion 18. As a result, the winding core is configured to slide and rotate together with the operation shaft portion 16 when the operation shaft portion 16 slides and rotates due to the operation of the operating head portion 17.

[0042] In this case, although not shown, the winding core is configured to rotate freely relative to the clock module 7 when pushed into the clock module 7. In addition, this winding core is connected to the clock module 7 when pulled out one stage in a state where it is unlocked by the locking mechanism 27, and in this state it is configured to rotate in response to the rotation operation of the operating head 17 to perform function setting and selection such as time correction and mode switching.

[0043] That is, as shown in FIG. 2, when the shaft main body 18 is pushed into the inside of the watch case 1 and the winding core (not shown) is pushed into the watch module 7, the operating shaft 16 releases the connection of the winding core to the watch module 7, and even if the shaft operating unit 19 rotates in this state and the winding core rotates, the rotation is not transmitted to the watch module 7, and function settings or selections such as time adjustment and mode switching are not performed.

[0044] In addition, when the shaft main body 18 of this operating shaft portion 16 is pulled out from the state shown in Figure 3 to the outside of the watch case 1 and the winding core (not shown) slides in the direction of being pulled out from within the watch module 7, the winding core is connected to the watch module 7, and when the shaft operating portion 19 rotates in this state and the winding core rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the watch module 7, and function settings and selections such as time correction and mode switching are performed.

[0045] 2 to 5, the locking mechanism 27 includes a locking member 28 that is locked to the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 by a rotational operation, and a rotation transmission member 29 to which the locking member 28 is attached so as to be slidable in the axial direction and which rotates the locking member 28 in response to the rotational operation of the operating member 11. The locking member 28 is disposed on the inner peripheral surface side of the rotation transmission member 29. The locking member 28 is formed into a ring shape from a metal such as stainless steel.

[0046] 2 to 5, the locking member 28 has a female threaded portion 28a on its inner circumferential surface. The male threaded portion 13a provided on the outer periphery of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 is screwed into the female threaded portion 28a. The locking member 28 is formed so that its axial length is slightly longer than the axial length of the male threaded portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. As a result, when the female threaded portion 28a is screwed into the male threaded portion 13a, the outer end surface of the locking member 28 protrudes further outward from the wristwatch case 1 than the outer end surface of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13.

[0047] 2 to 5, the outer diameter of this locking member 28 is larger than the inner diameter of small diameter cover portion 24a of operation head 17 and smaller than the inner diameter of large diameter cover portion 24b. As a result, when locking member 28 is released from locking to large diameter cylinder portion 13 of tubular member 10, cover portion 24 of operation head 17 is pushed outward from watch case 1 by the spring force of spring member 25.

[0048] Therefore, as shown in Figures 2 to 5, when cover portion 24 of operating head 17 is pushed outward from watch case 1 by the spring force of spring member 25, female thread portion 28a of locking member 28 moves to correspond to the outer periphery of small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 of shaft operating portion 19, and in this state the outer end portion of locking member 28 abuts against the inner end surface of large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22.

[0049] 2 to 5, the rotation transmission member 29 is formed into a ring shape from a metal such as stainless steel. The inner diameter of this rotation transmission member 29 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the locking member 28, and the axial length is approximately the same as the axial length of the locking member 28. The outer diameter of this rotation transmission member 29 is formed to be the same as or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17.

[0050] 2 to 5, the rotation transmission member 29 is fixed by press-fitting into the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24 of the operation head 17 with the locking member 28 disposed therein. Therefore, the rotation transmission member 29 does not slide relative to the cover portion 24, but rotates integrally with the operation head 17, and transmits the rotation to the locking member 28, causing the locking member 28 to rotate.

[0051] 2 to 5, the locking member 28 and the rotation transmission member 29 are configured to slide relative to each other and rotate integrally due to the second slippage stopper 30. That is, the second slippage stopper 30 includes a second lock flat portion 30a provided on the outer circumferential surface of the locking member 28, and a second transmission flat portion 30b provided on the inner circumferential surface of the rotation transmission member 29 and pressed against the second lock flat portion 30a of the locking member 28.

[0052] As a result, when the second locking flat portion 30a of the locking member 28 and the second transmission flat portion 30b of the rotation transmission member 29 are in corresponding contact with each other, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the second slippage prevention portion 30 is configured to rotate the locking member 28 and the rotation transmission member 29 together in a state in which they are relatively slidable along the axial direction without slipping.

[0053] 2 to 6, the locking mechanism 27 is provided with a retaining portion 31 that prevents the locking member 28 from slipping out towards the watch case 1 side relative to the rotation transmission member 29. The retaining portion 31 is provided with a large diameter abutment portion 31a provided on the outer periphery of the locking member 28, and a small diameter abutment portion 31b provided on the inner periphery of the rotation transmission member 29. The large diameter abutment portion 31a is provided on the outer side of the outer periphery of the locking member 28. The small diameter abutment portion 31b is provided on the inner side of the inner periphery of the rotation transmission member 29.

[0054] 2 to 6, the large diameter abutment portion 31a of the locking member 28 is formed so that its outer diameter is the same as the inner diameter of the rotation transmission member 29 and is larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter abutment portion 31b of the rotation transmission member 29. The small diameter abutment portion 31b of the rotation transmission member 29 is formed so that its inner diameter is the same as the outer diameter of the locking member 28 and is smaller than the outer diameter of the large diameter abutment portion 31a of the locking member 28.

[0055] 2 and 3, the outer diameter of the large diameter contact portion 31a is drawn small because the second lock flat portion 30a of the second slippage prevention portion 30 is provided corresponding to the large diameter contact portion 31a. That is, the large diameter contact portion 31a is originally formed to have an outer diameter sufficiently larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter contact portion 31b, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. As a result, the retaining portion 31 is such that the inner end surface of the large diameter contact portion 31a of the locking member 28 is in contact with and releasably contacts the outer end surface of the small diameter contact portion 31b of the rotation transmitting member 29.

[0056] Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, when the rotation transmission member 29 moves toward the outside of the watch case 1 together with the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17, the inner end face of the large diameter abutment portion 31a of the locking member 28 abuts against the outer end face of the small diameter abutment portion 31b of the rotation transmission member 29, so that the locking member 28 moves together with the rotation transmission member 29 and does not slip out from the rotation transmission member 29 toward the watch case 1.

[0057] In this case, as shown in Fig. 2 to Fig. 6, a buffer member 32 is provided in the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24 of the operation head 17. The buffer member 32 is formed in a ring shape from a buffer material such as α-gel or silicone rubber. That is, the buffer member 32 is disposed between the outer end surface of the lock mechanism 27 in a state in which the lock member 28 is disposed in the rotation transmission member 29 and the outer end surface of the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24 that corresponds to the buffer member 32 in the axial direction, that is, the step surface between the large diameter cover portion 24b and the small diameter cover portion 24a.

[0058] As a result, when the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 receives an external impact while the operating head 17 is locked by the locking mechanism 27, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the buffer member 32 is sandwiched between the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24 and the locking member 28 of the locking mechanism 27 and compressed in the axial direction, thereby buffering the external impact.

[0059] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, even if the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28 of the locking mechanism 27 is screwed into the male threaded portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13, when the buffer member 32 is compressed in the axial direction due to an external impact, the rotation transmission member 29 is moved toward the watch case 1 together with the cover portion 24, so that no impact is applied to the female threaded portion 28a and the male threaded portion 13a.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 2, such a switch device 4 is configured such that, when the operating head 17 is locked to the tubular member 10 by the locking mechanism 27, the operating head 17 is pressed against the spring force of the spring member 25 toward the large-diameter tubular portion 13 of the tubular member 10 and the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 is rotated, whereby the rotation transmission member 29 rotates together with the rotation of the cover portion 24, rotating the locking member 28 and screwing the female thread 28a of the locking member 28 into the male thread 13a of the large-diameter tubular portion 13 of the tubular member 10.

[0061] That is, as shown in FIG. 2, this switch device 4 is configured so that when the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28 screws into the male threaded portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the tubular member 10, the second locking flat portion 30a of the locking member 28 of the second slippage prevention portion 30 and the second transmission flat portion 30b of the rotation transmission member 29 correspond and abut against each other, so that by rotating the operating head 17, the rotation transmission member 29 rotates, thereby rotating the locking member 28, and the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28 screws into the male threaded portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the tubular member 10.

[0062] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, when unlocking the operating head 17 from the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the tubular member 10, the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 is rotated in the reverse direction to release the engagement between the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28 and the male threaded portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the tubular member 10, and the spring force of the spring member 25 pushes the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 together with the locking mechanism 27 towards the outside of the watch case 1.

[0063] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the operating head 17 is unlocked from the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 and the cover portion 24 and the locking mechanism 27 are pushed outwardly from the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, the locking member 28 and the rotation transmission member 29 move outwardly from the watch case 1 together with the cover portion 24 by the anti-pullout portion 31 of the locking mechanism 27.

[0064] That is, as shown in Figure 3, when the lock of the operating head 17 relative to the tubular member 10 is released and the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 and the locking mechanism 27 are pushed out towards the outside of the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, the inner end face of the large diameter abutment portion 31a of the locking member 28 in the anti-pullout portion 31 abuts against the outer end face of the small diameter abutment portion 31b of the rotation transmission member 29.

[0065] In this case, as shown in Figure 3, when the lock of the operating head 17 relative to the tubular member 10 is released and the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 and the locking mechanism 27 are pushed out toward the outside of the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, the operating shaft portion 16 does not slide in the axial direction, and the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28 moves together with the rotation transmission member 29 to the outer periphery of the small diameter inner tubular portion 21 in the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16 by the spring force of the spring member 25, and the outer end portion of the locking member 28 is pressed against the inner end portion of the large diameter outer tubular portion 22.

[0066] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, when the operating head 17 is unlocked from the tubular member 10 and the cover portion 24 and locking mechanism 27 of the operating head 17 are pushed out toward the outside of the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, the outer end surface of the locking member 28 abuts against the inner end surface of the large-diameter outer tubular portion 22 of the shaft operating portion 19, so that the locking member 28 pulls the operating shaft portion 16 out toward the outside of the watch case 1.

[0067] In this case, this switch device 4 is configured so that when the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 pulls the operating shaft portion 16 together with the locking mechanism 27 from the state shown in Figure 3 towards the outside of the watch case 1, the winding core (not shown) connected to the connecting hole 18a of the shaft main body portion 18 slides in the direction of being pulled out from within the watch module 7, and the winding core is connected to the watch module 7.

[0068] In addition, when the switch device 4 is slid from the state shown in Figure 3 in the direction in which the winding core (not shown) is pulled out from within the clock module 7 and the winding core is connected to the clock module 7, when the operating head 17 is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to the winding core via the operating shaft portion 16, and the rotation of the winding core is transmitted to the clock module 7 to set or select functions such as time correction and mode switching.

[0069] Next, the assembly of such a wristwatch will be described. In this case, first, the crystal 5 is attached together with the crystal packing 5a to the upper opening of the watch case 1. In this state, the push button switches 3 are attached to the 2 o'clock, 4 o'clock, 8 o'clock, and 10 o'clock sides of the watch case 1, and the cylindrical member 10 of the switch device 4 is attached to the through hole 8 on the 3 o'clock side of the watch case 1.

[0070] In this case, a waterproof gasket 15 is placed in advance in a waterproof groove 14 provided on the inner surface of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. In this state, the small diameter cylindrical portion 12 of the cylindrical member 10 is inserted from the outside into the through hole 8 of the case body 1a of the wristwatch case 1, and the inner surface of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 is pressed against the outer surface of the case body 1a. Then, the waterproof gasket 15 is elastically crushed and pressed into the waterproof groove 14. This ensures waterproofing between the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member 10 and the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 8.

[0071] In this case, the inner end of small diameter cylindrical portion 12 of cylindrical member 10 protrudes into case body 1a of wristwatch case 1. In this state, the outer periphery at the inner end of small diameter cylindrical portion 12 protruding into case body 1a and the edge of the inner end of through hole 8 in case body 1a are fixed around the entire circumference of through hole 8 in wristwatch case 1 by welding such as laser welding. This prevents cylindrical member 10 from slipping out to the outside of wristwatch case 1, and allows it to be firmly attached to through hole 8 in case body 1a of wristwatch case 1.

[0072] Then, the watch module 7 is assembled into the wristwatch case 1, and the operating member 11 is attached to the cylindrical member 10 of the switch device 4. In this case, first, a plurality of waterproof rings 20 are attached to the outer periphery of the shaft body 18 of the operating shaft 16. In this state, the operating head 17 is attached to the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft 16. At this time, the spring member 25 is placed on the outer periphery of the spring guide portion 26 provided in the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 in advance.

[0073] Then, the spring guide portion 26 of the cover portion 24 is inserted together with the spring member 25 into the hollow recess 19b of the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16. At this time, the first operating flat portion 23a of the first slip stopper portion 23 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 22 of the shaft operating portion 19 is aligned with the first cover flat portion 23b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter cover portion 24a, and the shaft operating portion 19 is inserted into the small diameter cover portion 24a of the cover portion 24. As a result, the shaft operating portion 19 rotates integrally with the cover portion 24 and is disposed in a state in which it can slide axially within the cover portion 24.

[0074] In this state, the lock mechanism 27 is fitted into the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24. At this time, the lock mechanism 27 is assembled in advance. In this case, when the ring-shaped lock member 28 is inserted into the ring-shaped rotation transmission member 29, the second lock flat portion 30a of the second slip stopper 30 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the lock member 28 and the second transmission flat portion 30b provided on the inner circumferential surface of the rotation transmission member 29 are brought into correspondence with each other.

[0075] In this state, when the ring-shaped locking member 28 is inserted into the ring-shaped rotation transmission member 29, the locking member 28 rotates together with the rotation transmission member 29 while being slidable relative to the rotation transmission member 29. At this time, the outer end of the small diameter abutment portion 31b of the rotation transmission member 29 abuts against the inner end of the large diameter abutment portion 31a of the locking member 28, which serves as the retaining portion 31. In this way, the locking mechanism 27 is assembled so as to prevent the locking member 28 from slipping out towards the watch case 1 side.

[0076] When the thus assembled locking mechanism 27 is attached to the inside of the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17, the ring-shaped buffer member 32 is placed in advance inside the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24. In this state, the rotation transmission member 29 of the locking mechanism 27 is fitted into the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24 by press fitting, and the rotation transmission member 29 of the locking mechanism 27 is fixed to the inside of the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover portion 24.

[0077] 3, the spring force of the spring member 25 pushes the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 outward from the watch case 1. As a result, the female thread portion 28a of the locking member 28 of the locking mechanism 27 moves to the outer periphery of the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 of the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating member 11, and the outer end portion of the female thread portion 28a abuts against the inner end portion of the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22. As a result, the operating head 17 of the operating member 11 is attached to the shaft operating portion 19 without coming out of the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16.

[0078] In this way, because the rotation transmission member 29 is press-fitted into the cover portion 24, the cover portion 24 and the rotation transmission member 29 are integrated and do not come off each other. In addition, steps are formed on both the outer peripheral surface of the locking member 28 and the inner peripheral surface of the rotation transmission member 29, and the step on the outer peripheral surface of the locking member 28 is disposed so as to correspond to the step on the inner peripheral surface of the rotation transmission member 29, thereby restricting the position in the axial direction.

[0079] Then, the shaft body 18 of the operating shaft 16 is inserted into the inside of the cylindrical member 10 from the outside of the watch case 1. At this time, the outer end of the winding core (not shown) is fitted into and connected to the connecting hole 18a provided in the inner end of the shaft body 18 of the operating shaft 16 in advance. In this state, the winding core is inserted into the cylindrical member 10 together with the operating shaft 16, and then inserted into and attached to the watch module 7.

[0080] At this time, when the shaft body 18 of the operating shaft 16 is inserted into the small diameter cylindrical portion 12 of the cylindrical member 10, the plurality of waterproof packings 15 provide waterproofing between the small diameter cylindrical portion 12 and the shaft body 18. Also, at this time, with the locking mechanism 27 of the operating head 17 disposed close to the male thread portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10, the winding core is attached in a slidable and rotatable state within the timepiece module 7.

[0081] In this state, the winding core slides in response to the sliding movement of the operating shaft 16 inserted into the cylindrical member 10, and rotates in response to the rotating movement of the operating shaft 16. This completes the assembly of the switch device 4. After this, the back cover 6 is attached to the bottom of the wristwatch case 1 together with the waterproof packing 6a, and the wristwatch is assembled.

[0082] Next, the operation of the switch device 4 of such a wristwatch will be described. When wearing this wristwatch on the wrist, first, the operating head 17 of the switch device 4 is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 by the locking mechanism 27. At this time, the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 is moved toward the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 against the spring force of the spring member 25, and the inner end of the female thread portion 28a of the locking member 28 is pressed against the outer end of the male thread 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13.

[0083] In this state, when the cover portion 24 is rotated, the rotation transmission member 29 of the locking mechanism 27 rotates together with the cover portion 24, and the rotation of this rotation transmission member 29 is transmitted to the locking member 28 by the first anti-slip portion 23, causing the locking member 28 to rotate. This rotation of the locking member 28 causes the female thread 24a of the locking member 28 to screw into the male thread 13a of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 and tighten.

[0084] At this time, the operating shaft portion 16 is not pushed into the cylindrical member 10, and the bottom portion 19a, which is the inner end portion of the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16, receives the spring force of the spring member 25, compressing the spring member 25. Therefore, the bottom portion 19a of the shaft operating portion 19 maintains a state close to the outer end portion of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13, i.e., the outer end portion of the male thread 13a. As a result, the operating head portion 17 of the switch device 4 is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10.

[0085] At this time, the bottom 19a, which is the inner end of the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16, is approaching the outer end of the large diameter cylinder portion 13 by compressing the spring member 25, so the winding core (not shown) fitted into and connected to the connecting hole 18a provided at the inner end of the shaft main body portion 18 of the operating shaft portion 16 is not pushed into the timepiece module 7. Also, in this state, the operating head portion 17 is locked to the large diameter cylinder portion 13 of the tubular member 10, so the operating member 11 does not rotate and the winding core does not rotate within the timepiece module 7.

[0086] In this state, when the cover part 24 of the operating head 17 receives an external impact, the impact presses the outer end of the large diameter cover part 24b of the cover part 24, i.e., the step part between the large diameter cover part 24b and the small diameter cover part 24a, against the buffer member 32. At this time, the buffer member 32 is sandwiched and compressed between the step part, which is the outer end part of the large diameter cover part 24b, and the outer end part of the lock member 28 of the lock mechanism 27. As a result, the buffer member 32 absorbs the impact.

[0087] At this time, the rotation transmission member 29 of the locking mechanism 27 slides in the axial direction relative to the locking member 28 together with the impacted cover portion 24. Therefore, even if the female thread portion 28a of the locking member 28 and the male thread portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10 are screwed together, no impact is applied to the female thread portion 28a and the male thread portion 13a.

[0088] This prevents damage to the female thread portion 28a and the male thread portion 13a due to impact. Furthermore, the impact received by the cover portion 24 is also buffered by the spring member 25, so the operating shaft portion 16 is not subjected to the impact. This prevents the winding core (not shown) from being pushed into the timepiece module 7 due to the impact, which would damage the timepiece module 7.

[0089] On the other hand, when setting or selecting functions such as correcting the time or switching modes, first the locking mechanism 27 is used to release the lock of the operation head 17 relative to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. At this time, the cover portion 24 of the operation head 17 is rotated in the reverse direction to rotate the rotation transmission member 29 of the locking mechanism 27. This rotation transmission member 29 rotates the locking member 28 in the same direction by the second anti-slip portion 30.

[0090] When the locking member 28 rotates, the female thread 28a of the locking member 28 is released from the male thread 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13. Then, the operating head 17 is pushed outward from the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, and the female thread 28a of the locking member 28 moves to correspond to the outer periphery of the small diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 of the shaft operating part 19. In this state, the outer end of the locking member 28, i.e., the outer end of the female thread 28a, comes into contact with the inner end of the large diameter outer cylindrical portion 22 of the shaft operating part 19 of the operating shaft part 16.

[0091] At this time, because the operating shaft portion 16 does not slide in the axial direction, the winding core (not shown) connected to the connecting hole 18a of the shaft body portion 18 does not slide either. Therefore, the winding core maintains a state in which it is disposed in an idling state inside the clock module 7. In other words, even if the cover portion 24 of the operating head portion 17 rotates, causing the operating shaft portion 16 to rotate, and the winding core rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the operating shaft portion 16, the rotation of the winding core is not transmitted to the clock module 7, so no function settings or selections such as time adjustment or mode switching are performed.

[0092] In this state, the operating head 17 is pulled out towards the outside of the watch case 1. At this time, the outer end of the locking member 28 inside the cover portion 24 abuts against the inner end of the large-diameter outer tube portion 22 of the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16, so that the pulling out operation of the operating head 17 causes the rotation transmission member 29 of the locking mechanism 27 to pull out the shaft operating portion 19 together with the locking member 28 and the spring member 25. Then, the shaft main body portion 18 of the operating shaft portion 16 slides in the axial direction and is pulled out one step, and the winding core (not shown) connected to this shaft main body portion 18 is pulled out.

[0093] When the winding core is pulled out in this way, the rotation of the winding core is transmitted to the clock module 7. When the cover portion 24 of the operation head 17 is rotated in this state, the rotation is transmitted to the operation shaft portion 16 by the first anti-idling portion 23, causing the shaft main body portion 18 of the operation shaft portion 16 to rotate. Then, the winding core rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the operation shaft portion 16, and this rotation is transmitted to the clock module 7, allowing function settings and selections such as time correction and mode switching to be performed.

[0094] In this way, the wristwatch switch device 4 comprises a wristwatch case 1 having a through hole 8, a cylindrical member 10 at least a portion of which is inserted into the through hole 8 of the wristwatch case 1, an operating member 11 arranged from the inside of the cylindrical member 10 to the outside of the cylindrical member 10, and a locking mechanism 27 that locks the operating member 11 to the cylindrical member 10. The locking mechanism 27 comprises a locking member 28 that is locked to the cylindrical member 10 by the rotational operation of the operating member 11, and a rotation transmission member 29 that is a separate member from the locking member 28 and rotates the locking member 28 in response to the rotational operation of the operating member 11, thereby preventing damage to the locking mechanism 27 due to external impacts.

[0095] That is, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, the locking mechanism 27 is equipped with a locking member 28 that is locked to the cylindrical member 10 by the rotational operation of the operating member 11, and a rotation transmission member 29 that is a separate member from this locking member 28 and rotates the locking member 28 in response to the rotational operation of the operating member 11. Therefore, when the operating member 11 receives an external impact while the locking member 28 is locked to the cylindrical member 10, the rotation transmission member 29 can be slid in the axial direction relative to the locking member 28. Therefore, the impact is not applied to the locking member 28 and the cylindrical member 10, and damage to the locking mechanism 27 due to the impact can be prevented.

[0096] In this case, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, the cylindrical member 10 includes a small diameter cylindrical portion 12 that is inserted into the through hole 8 of the wristwatch case 1, and a large diameter cylindrical portion 13 that protrudes to the outside of the wristwatch case 1, and the locking member 28 is arranged on the inner surface side of the rotation transmission member 29 and locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the tubular member 10, so that the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 can be caused to protrude to the outside of the wristwatch case 1 and securely fixed to the through hole 8 of the wristwatch case 1, and the locking member 28 can be securely and satisfactorily fixed to this large diameter cylindrical portion 13.

[0097] In addition, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, the operating member 11 is equipped with an operating shaft portion 16 that is arranged within the cylindrical member 10, and an operating head portion 17 that is attached to the outside of this operating shaft portion 16 so as to be able to slide in the axial direction and cover the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10.Therefore, when the operating head portion 17 is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 by the locking mechanism 27 and receives an impact from the outside, the operating head portion 17 can be slid relative to the operating shaft portion 16 in conjunction with the sliding of the rotation transmission member 29 relative to the locking member 28.Therefore, even if the operating head head 17 slides, the impact is not transmitted to the operating shaft portion 16, thereby preventing damage to the watch module 7 inside the wristwatch case 1.

[0098] In this case, the switch device 4 of this wristwatch is equipped with a spring member 25, which is a biasing member that biases the operating head 17 towards the outside, so that when the operating head 17 is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 by the locking mechanism 27 and receives an impact from the outside, even if the operating head 17 slides relative to the operating shaft portion 16, the impact can be cushioned by the spring force of the spring member 25, thereby preventing the impact from being transmitted to the operating shaft portion 16, and therefore preventing damage to the watch module 7 inside the wristwatch case 1.

[0099] Furthermore, the switch device 4 of this wristwatch is equipped with a first idling stopper 23 which rotates the operating shaft 16 and the operating head 17 together while allowing the operating shaft 16 to slide axially relative to the operating head 17. This means that the first idling stopper 23 allows the operating head 17 to slide axially, and the rotation of the operating head 17 is reliably transmitted to the operating shaft 16, allowing the operating shaft 16 to rotate smoothly.

[0100] That is, the first idling stopper 23 includes a first operation flat surface 23a provided on the outer circumferential surface of the shaft operating part 19 of the operating shaft part 16 and a first cover flat surface 23b provided on the inner circumferential surface of the cover part 24 of the operating head 17, so that the first operation flat surface 23a and the first cover flat surface 23b can be brought into contact with each other. This makes it possible to slide the operating head 17 in the axial direction relative to the operating shaft part 16, and to reliably transmit the rotation of the operating head 17 to the operating shaft part 16.

[0101] Furthermore, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, the rotation transmission member 29 of the lock mechanism 27 is fixed by press fitting inside the operating head 17 of the operating member 11, so that the rotation transmission member 29 and the operating head 17 can be rotated together, and the rotation transmission member 29 and the operating head 17 can be moved together in the axial direction. This allows the rotation transmission member 29 to be rotated by rotating the operating head 17, and allows the rotation transmission member 29 to move in the same direction as the axial movement of the operating head 17.

[0102] In this case, the rotation transmission member 29 of the lock mechanism 27 is fixed by press-fitting into the inside of the operating head 17, so that with the shaft operating part 19 of the operating shaft part 16 disposed inside the operating head 17, the rotation transmission member 29 can be fitted and attached together with the lock member 28 into the inside of the operating head 17. Therefore, with the lock member 28 of the lock mechanism 27 slidable relative to the shaft operating part 19 of the operating shaft part 16, the operating shaft part 16 can be attached so as not to slip out of the inside of the operating head 17.

[0103] Furthermore, in switch device 4 of this wristwatch, locking mechanism 27 is equipped with second spin stopper portion 30 which rotates locking member 28 and rotation transmission member 29 together while locking member 28 is slidable relative to rotation transmission member 29. This allows second spin stopper portion 30 to slide rotation transmission member 29 in the axial direction relative to locking member 28 and ensures that rotation of rotation transmission member 29 is transmitted to locking member 28 reliably.

[0104] That is, the second idling stopper 30 includes a second locking flat portion 30a provided on the outer circumferential surface of the locking member 28 and a second transmission flat portion 30b provided on the inner circumferential surface of the rotation transmitting member 29, so that the second operation flat portion 30a and the second transmission flat portion 30b can be brought into corresponding contact with each other, thereby allowing the rotation transmitting member 29 to slide in the axial direction relative to the locking member 28 and ensuring that the rotation of the rotation transmitting member 29 is transmitted to the locking member 28. In this manner, the second locking flat portion 30a of the locking member 28 and the second transmission flat portion 30b of the rotation transmitting member 29 are in corresponding contact with each other, so that rotation in the planar direction can be restricted.

[0105] Furthermore, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, a fall-prevention portion 31 is provided which prevents the locking member 28 of the locking mechanism 27 from slipping out from the rotation transmission member 29 towards the wristwatch case 1. Therefore, when the lock of the operating member 11 relative to the tubular member 10 is released, the fall-prevention portion 31 allows the locking member 28 to move together with the rotation transmission member 29 towards the outside of the wristwatch case 1, thereby allowing for smooth switch operation.

[0106] In other words, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, when the locking member 28 of the locking mechanism 27 is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the tubular member 10 by rotating the operating head 17, the anti-pullout portion 31 allows the locking member 28 to be moved toward the wristwatch case 1 together with the rotation transmission member 29, thereby allowing the locking member 28 to be reliably and satisfactorily locked to the tubular member 10.

[0107] Furthermore, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, a buffer member 32 is provided between the rotation transmission member 29 and lock member 28 of the lock mechanism 27 and the inner end face of the operating head 17 of the operating member 11 with which they face axially, so that when the operating head 17 receives an external impact, the impact can be buffered by the buffer member 32.

[0108] In other words, when absorbing an impact, the buffer member 32 is compressed in response to the impact, and therefore the rotation transmission member 29 of the locking mechanism 27 can be slid relative to the locking member 28 in response to the compression of the buffer member 32. This also makes it possible to prevent impact from being applied to the male threaded portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the tubular member 10 and the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28, thereby preventing damage to the male threaded portion 13a and the female threaded portion 28a due to impact.

[0109] Furthermore, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, the locking member 28 has a female threaded portion 28a that screws into the male threaded portion 13a provided on the outer periphery of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the tubular member 10. Therefore, when the operating head 17 of the operating member 11 is rotated to rotate the locking member 28, the female threaded portion 28a can be screwed into the male threaded portion 13a of the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 as the locking member 28 rotates, thereby securely locking the operating head 17 to the tubular member 10.

[0110] In the above-described embodiment, the locking mechanism 27 has a screw lock structure in which the operating head 17 is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 by screwing together the male threaded portion 13a and the female threaded portion 28a. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure, and a simplified locking mechanism in which an engagement protrusion is provided on the locking member 28 and an engagement groove portion for engaging the engagement protrusion is provided on the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 may also be used.

[0111] In other words, this simple locking mechanism is configured so that operating head 17 is pressed toward watch case 1, inserting the engagement projection of locking member 28 into the locking groove portion of large diameter cylindrical portion 13 through its opening, and then rotating operating head 17 in this state by a predetermined angle (for example, 90°) to rotate the engagement projection of locking member 28 by the predetermined angle within the locking groove portion of large diameter cylindrical portion 13 and move it away from the opening, thereby engaging the engagement projection of locking member 28 into the locking groove portion of large diameter cylindrical portion 13.

[0112] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the first rotation stop portion 23 is described as having the first operating flat portion 23a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the outer tubular portion 22 in the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16, and the first cover flat portion 23b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the corresponding small diameter cover portion 24a of the cover portion 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the outer peripheral surface of the outer tubular portion 22 and the inner peripheral surface of the corresponding small diameter cover portion 24a may be formed in a polygonal shape such as a rectangle or a pentagon, or a non-circular shape such as an ellipse.

[0113] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the second rotation stop portion 30 is provided with the second locking flat portion 30a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the locking member 28 and the corresponding second transmission flat portion 30b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the rotation transmission member 29. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the outer peripheral surface of the locking member 28 and the corresponding inner peripheral surface of the rotation transmission member 29 may be formed in a polygonal shape such as a rectangle or a pentagon, or a non-circular shape such as an ellipse.

[0114] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the switch device 4 is configured to pull out the winding core (not shown) inside the watch module 7 in one stage, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be configured to pull out the winding core in two or more stages, for example.

[0115] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to the switch device 4 on the 3 o'clock side, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to push button switches 3 on the 2 o'clock side, 4 o'clock side, 8 o'clock side, and 10 o'clock side.

[0116] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a wristwatch, but this invention does not necessarily have to be a wristwatch, and can be applied to various types of clocks, such as travel watches, alarm clocks, table clocks, wall clocks, etc. Also, this invention does not necessarily have to be a clock, and can be applied to electronic devices, such as mobile information terminals. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1 watch case 3 Push button switch 4 Switching device 5. Watch Glass 5a Glass packing 6 Back cover 6a Waterproof packing 7 Clock Module 8 Through holes 10 Cylindrical member 11 Operating member 12 Small diameter cylinder part 13 Large diameter cylinder 13a Male thread 14 Waterproof groove 15 Waterproof packing 16 Operation shaft section 17 Control head 18 Shaft body 18a Connection hole 19 Axis operation section 19a bottom 19b Cavity recess 20 Waterproof Ring 21 Inner cylinder part 22 Outer cylinder part 23 First slip stopper 23a 1st operation plane part 23b First cover flat portion 24 Cover part 24a Small diameter cover part 24b Large diameter cover part 25 Spring material 26 Spring guide part 27 Locking mechanism 28 Locking member 28a Female thread 29 Rotation transmission member 30 Second slip stopper 30a Second lock flat section 30b Second transmission flat portion 31 Stopper 31a Large diameter contact part 31b Small diameter contact part 32 Cushioning material

Claims

1. A case having a through hole; a cylindrical member at least a portion of which is inserted into the through hole of the case; an operating member disposed from the inside of the cylindrical member to the outside of the cylindrical member; a locking mechanism that locks the operating member to the cylindrical member; Equipped with The locking mechanism includes a locking member that is locked to the cylindrical member by a rotational operation of the operating member, and a rotation transmission member that is a separate member from the locking member and rotates the locking member in response to the rotational operation of the operating member. A switching device comprising:

2. 2. The switch device according to claim 1, the cylindrical member includes a small diameter cylindrical portion inserted into the through hole of the case and a large diameter cylindrical portion protruding to an outside of the case, The locking member is disposed on the inner peripheral surface side of the rotation transmission member and is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion of the cylindrical member. A switching device comprising:

3. 3. The switch device according to claim 2, The operating member includes an operating shaft portion disposed within the cylindrical member, and an operating head portion slidably attached to the outside of the operating shaft portion in the axial direction and covering the large diameter cylindrical portion of the cylindrical member. A switching device comprising:

4. 4. The switch device according to claim 3, The rotation transmission member is fixed by press fitting into the operation head of the operation member. A switching device comprising:

5. 2. The switch device according to claim 1, The locking mechanism includes an idling stopper that rotates the locking member and the rotation transmitting member together while allowing the locking member to slide relative to the rotation transmitting member. A switching device comprising:

6. 2. The switch device according to claim 1, The locking mechanism includes a retaining portion that prevents the locking member from coming out of the rotation transmission member toward the case. A switching device comprising:

7. 4. The switch device according to claim 3, A buffer member is provided between the rotation transmission member and the lock member of the lock mechanism and the operation head of the operation member which faces them in the axial direction. A switching device comprising:

8. 3. The switch device according to claim 2, A male thread is formed on the outer periphery of the large diameter cylindrical portion of the cylindrical member, The locking member has a female thread formed thereon to be screwed into the male thread of the cylindrical member. A switching device comprising:

9. A timepiece comprising the switch device according to claim 1.

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