Switching device, clock, and method for manufacturing a switching device

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 the case of 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 the fixed pipe to prevent the operating member from being pushed into the watch case and damaging the watch module inside the watch 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 rotating the operating head while the operating head is pressed against the fixed pipe, thereby screwing 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 such a 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 threaded together, can be damaged by the impact.

[0008] The problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a switch device that can prevent damage to the 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 tubular 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 that locks the operating member to the tubular member, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a locking member that is locked to the tubular member by rotating 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 rotating the operating member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to this invention, damage to the locking mechanism due to external impact can be prevented. [Brief explanation 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. [Figure 2] 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the wristwatch shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line AA. [Figure 3] 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the switch device shown in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the locking of the operating member by the locking mechanism is released. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is an exploded perspective view of the switch device shown in FIG. 2 as seen from the outside of the wristwatch case. [Figure 5] 6 is an exploded perspective view of the switch device shown in FIG. 5, seen from the inside of the wristwatch case. FIG. [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 the operating member. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[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 parts 2 to which a watch band (not shown) is attached.

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

[0014] 2 and 3, a clock module 7 is provided inside the wristwatch case 1. Although not shown, this clock module 7 is equipped with various components necessary for timekeeping functions, 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 circuitry for driving and controlling these components.

[0015] In this case, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the wristwatch case 1 comprises a case main body 1a, a first exterior member 1b arranged on the outer periphery of the case main 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 main body 1a. The case main body 1a is made of metal or a highly rigid synthetic resin. The first exterior member 1b is made of a soft synthetic resin such as urethane resin. The second exterior member 1c is made of metal or a synthetic resin.

[0016] Switch device 4, located on the 3 o'clock side of wristwatch case 1, is a switch for setting and selecting functions such as time adjustment and mode switching, as shown in Figures 1 to 3. This switch device 4 includes a cylindrical member 10 that is attached to a through-hole 8 provided in case body 1a of wristwatch case 1, an operating member 11 that is attached to this cylindrical member 10 so as to be able to slide and rotate, 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 formed into a substantially pipe-like shape from a highly rigid metal such as stainless steel. This cylindrical member 10 includes a small-diameter cylindrical portion 12 that is inserted into the through-hole 8 in the case body 1a of the wristwatch case 1, and a large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 that protrudes to the outside of the case body 1a. The small-diameter cylindrical portion 12 has an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the through-hole 8 in the case body 1a. The small-diameter cylindrical portion 12 also has an inner diameter that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through-hole 8. As a result, the small-diameter cylindrical portion 12 is formed into a thin-walled pipe shape.

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

[0019] 2 and 3, the outer diameter of large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 is larger than the inner diameter of through-hole 8 in case body 1a of wristwatch case 1, and smaller than the vertical length (height) of wristwatch case 1. In other words, large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 has an outer diameter that is approximately three times the inner diameter of through-hole 8, and approximately half the vertical length of wristwatch case 1. Furthermore, large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 has an inner diameter that 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 and outer diameters is sufficiently longer (thicker) than the length (wall thickness) between the inner and outer diameters of small-diameter cylindrical portion 12. Furthermore, large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 is formed with an axial length that is approximately the same as the axial length of through-hole 8 in case body 1a of wristwatch case 1.

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

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

[0023] 2 and 3, waterproof gasket 15 is formed in a ring shape from an elastic, hygroscopic material such as synthetic rubber or elastomer, such as nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). Waterproof gasket 15 is placed in waterproof groove 14 while being elastically compressed. Waterproof gasket 15 is thus configured to ensure 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 16 slidably and rotatably disposed within the cylindrical member 10 and protruding to the outside of the cylindrical member 10, and an operating head 17 slidably attached to the outer end of the operating shaft 16 protruding from the cylindrical member 10 in the axial direction, and covering the outer end of the operating shaft 16 and the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. The operating shaft 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 that is inserted into cylindrical member 10, and shaft operating portion 19 that is provided at the outer end of shaft main body 18 and protrudes 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 main body 18 is located at the outer end of tubular member 10, the inner end of shaft main body 18 is located on the inner end side of tubular member 10, and in this state shaft main body 18 is rotatably and slidably disposed within tubular member 10. Furthermore, a plurality of waterproof rings 20 are provided on the outer periphery of shaft main body 18, each in an annular shape along the outer periphery of shaft main body 18. These plurality of waterproof rings 20 are configured to achieve waterproofing between the outer circumferential surface of shaft main body 18 and the inner circumferential surface of tubular member 10.

[0027] 2 to 5, shaft operating portion 19 is provided integrally with the outer end of shaft main body 18, which is located at the outer end of tubular member 10, and is configured to cause shaft main body 18 to slide and rotate. 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. A circular hollow recess 19b is provided inside shaft operating portion 19 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, i.e., slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the female thread portion 28a of the locking mechanism 27 described below.

[0029] 2 and 3, the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 is configured so that its inner end, i.e., the bottom portion 19a of the shaft operating portion 19, can approach and separate from the outer end, i.e., the outer end surface of the male thread portion 13a, of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. As a result, the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 is configured so that its inner end, i.e., the bottom portion 19a of the shaft operating portion 19, does not come into contact with the outer end surface of the female thread portion 28a of the locking member 28. In this case, when the operating head 17 is unlocked from the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13, the female thread portion 28a of the locking member 28 moves to the outer periphery of the small-diameter inner cylindrical portion 21 and is positioned there.

[0030] 2 to 5, the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22 has an outer diameter that is approximately 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 depicted small in FIGS. 2 and 3 because a first operation flat portion 23a of a first anti-idle portion 23, which will be described later, is provided corresponding to the outer diameter of the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22.

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

[0032] 2 and 3, the large-diameter outer cylindrical 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 anti-idle portion 23 for rotating the outer cylindrical portion 22 by the operating head 17 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22 and the inner peripheral surface of the operating head 17.

[0033] 2 to 5, the operating head 17 includes a cover 24 into which the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft 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 24 in a direction that pushes it outward from the watch case 1. The cover 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 cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10, and is formed in a substantially circular shape that is about two-thirds 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 16 is inserted, and a large-diameter cover portion 24b into which the large-diameter cylindrical 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 slippage prevention portion 23 comprises 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 of 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 are in corresponding contact with each other, 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, spring guide portion 26 is provided within cover portion 24. Spring guide portion 26 is for guiding spring member 25, and is formed in a round bar shape. Spring guide portion 26 is provided at approximately the center of the inner end surface of cover portion 24 along the axial direction of cover portion 24. In other words, spring guide portion 26 is formed so that its outer diameter is approximately the same as the outer diameter of shaft main 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 recessed part 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 positioned within the hollow recessed part 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 placed inside the hollow recessed portion 19b of the shaft operating part 19 while being placed on the outer periphery of the spring guide part 26. That is, the spring member 25 is formed so that its inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the spring guide part 26 and its outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow recessed portion 19b of the shaft operating part 19. Furthermore, one end of the spring member 25 abuts against the inner surface of the bottom part 19a inside the hollow recessed portion 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, as shown in Figures 2 to 5, spring member 25 biases cover portion 24 in a direction pushing it outward from watch case 1, and is configured 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, operating shaft 16 is configured so that a winding core (not shown) is inserted into connecting hole 18a provided at the inner end of shaft main body 18 to be connected. As a result, when operating shaft 16 slides and rotates due to operation of operating head 17, the winding core slides and rotates together with operating shaft 16.

[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. Furthermore, when the winding core is unlocked by the locking mechanism 27 and pulled out one stage, it is connected to the clock module 7, and in this state rotates in response to the rotation of the operating head 17 to perform function settings and selections such as time adjustment and mode switching.

[0043] That is, as shown in FIG. 2, when the shaft main body 18 is pushed into the interior 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 part 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 or mode switching are not performed.

[0044] Furthermore, when the shaft main body 18 of this operating shaft 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 inside the watch module 7, the winding core is connected to the watch module 7, and when the shaft operating unit 19 rotates in this state and the winding core rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the watch module 7, allowing function settings and selections such as time adjustment and mode switching to be 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 in a ring shape from a metal such as stainless steel.

[0046] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, this locking member 28 has a female thread portion 28a formed on its inner circumferential surface. This female thread portion 28a is threadedly engaged with a male thread portion 13a formed on the outer periphery of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. The axial length of this locking member 28 is slightly longer than the axial length of the male thread portion 13a of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. As a result, when the female thread portion 28a of the locking member 28 is threadedly engaged with the male thread portion 13a, the outer end face of the locking member 28 protrudes further outward from the watch case 1 than the outer end face 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 operating head 17 and smaller than the inner diameter of large-diameter cover portion 24b. As a result, when locking member 28 is unlocked from large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of cylindrical member 10, cover portion 24 of operating 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 the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 is pushed outward from the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, the female thread portion 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 portion 19, and in this state the outer end of the locking member 28 abuts against the inner end surface of the large-diameter outer cylindrical portion 22.

[0049] 2 to 5, the rotation transmission member 29 is formed in 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 transmitting member 29 are configured to slide relative to each other and rotate integrally due to the second slip stopper 30. That is, the second slip 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 transmitting member 29 and pressed against the second lock flat portion 30a of the locking member 28.

[0052] As a result, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, 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, the second slippage prevention portion 30 is configured to allow the locking member 28 and the rotation transmission member 29 to rotate integrally without slipping, while allowing the locking member 28 and the rotation transmission member 29 to slide relatively along the axial direction.

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

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

[0055] 2 and 3, the outer diameter of the large-diameter contact portion 31a is depicted as being smaller than the second lock flat portion 30a of the second anti-slip portion 30. That is, the outer diameter of the large-diameter contact portion 31a is originally formed to be sufficiently larger than the inner diameter of the small-diameter contact portion 31b, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. As a result, the retaining portion 31 allows the inner end surface of the large-diameter contact portion 31a of the locking member 28 to come into and out of contact with 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 surface of the large diameter abutment portion 31a of the locking member 28 abuts against the outer end surface 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] 2 to 6, a buffer member 32 is provided inside the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover unit 24 of the operating head 17. This buffer member 32 is formed in a ring shape from a buffer material such as alpha gel or silicone rubber. That is, this buffer member 32 is disposed between the outer end surface of the lock mechanism 27 when the lock member 28 is disposed inside the rotation transmission member 29 and the outer end surface of the large diameter cover portion 24b of the cover unit 24 that corresponds to this in the axial direction, i.e., the step surface between the large diameter cover portion 24b and the small diameter cover portion 24a.

[0058] As a result, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, when the cover part 24 of the operating head part 17 receives an external impact while the operating head part 17 is locked by the locking mechanism 27, the buffer member 32 is sandwiched between the large diameter cover part 24b of the cover part 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 when the female threaded portion 28a of the locking member 28 of the locking mechanism 27 is threaded with 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 moves toward the watch case 1 together with the cover portion 24, preventing impact from being applied to the female threaded portion 28a and the male threaded portion 13a.

[0060] As shown in Figure 2, such a switch device 4 is configured so that when locking the operating head 17 to the tubular member 10 by the locking mechanism 27, if the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 is rotated while 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, the rotation transmission member 29 rotates together with the rotation of the cover portion 24, rotating the locking member 28 and threading the female thread 28a of this 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 come into corresponding contact, and rotation of the operating head 17 rotates the rotation transmission member 29, thereby rotating the locking member 28, and the female threaded portion 28a of this 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 cylindrical member 10, the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 is rotated in the opposite 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 cylindrical 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 Figure 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 locking mechanism 27 are pushed outwards from the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, the locking member 28 and rotation transmission member 29 move outwards 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 operating head 17 is unlocked from the tubular member 10 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 surface of the large diameter abutment portion 31a of the locking member 28 in the anti-pullout portion 31 abuts against the outer end surface 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 towards the outside of the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, the operating shaft portion 16 does not slide axially, and the female thread 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 of the locking member 28 is pressed against the inner end 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, and the operating head 17 is pulled out one step toward the outside of the watch case 1, 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 outward from the watch case 1 together with the locking mechanism 27 from the state shown in Figure 3, 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] Furthermore, when the switch device 4 slides 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, and the operating head 17 is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to the winding core via the operating shaft 16, and the rotation of the winding core is transmitted to the clock module 7, allowing function settings and selections such as time adjustment and mode switching to be performed.

[0069] Next, the assembly of such a wristwatch will be described. In this case, first, the watch 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, waterproof gasket 15 is placed in advance in waterproof groove 14 provided on the inner surface of large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of cylindrical member 10. In this state, small-diameter cylindrical portion 12 of cylindrical member 10 is inserted from the outside into through-hole 8 of case main body 1a of wristwatch case 1, and the inner surface of large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of cylindrical member 10 is pressed against the outer surface of case main body 1a. This causes waterproof gasket 15 to be elastically crushed and pushed into waterproof groove 14. This ensures waterproofing between the outer surface of cylindrical member 10 and the inner surface of through-hole 8.

[0071] In this case, the inner end of small diameter cylindrical portion 12 of cylindrical member 10 protrudes into the case main body 1a of wristwatch case 1. In this state, the outer periphery of the inner end of small diameter cylindrical portion 12 protruding into the case main body 1a is fixed to the edge of the inner end of through hole 8 in case main body 1a by welding, such as laser welding, around the entire circumference of through hole 8 in wristwatch case 1. This prevents cylindrical member 10 from slipping out of the wristwatch case 1, and firmly attaches it to through hole 8 in case main 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, multiple 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 member 19 of the operating shaft 16. At this time, the spring member 25 is previously placed on the outer periphery of the spring guide member 26 provided inside the cover member 24 of the operating head 17.

[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 anti-slip 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 arranged in a state where it can slide axially within the cover portion 24.

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

[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 that the locking member 28 does not slip out toward the watch case 1.

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

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

[0078] In this way, because the rotation transmission member 29 is press-fit into the cover portion 24, the cover portion 24 and the rotation transmission member 29 are integrally formed and cannot come apart. 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 positioned so that it corresponds to the step on the inner peripheral surface of the rotation transmission member 29, thereby restricting its position in the axial direction.

[0079] Then, the shaft body 18 of the operating shaft 16 is inserted into the interior of the cylindrical member 10 from the outside of the wristwatch 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 this state, the winding core is inserted into the cylindrical member 10 together with the operating shaft 16, and is then inserted into and attached to the watch module 7.

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

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

[0082] Next, the operation of the switch device 4 of such a wristwatch will be explained. 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 slippage prevention 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 threadably engage with the male thread 13a of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 and tighten.

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

[0085] At this time, bottom portion 19a, which is the inner end portion of shaft operating portion 19 of operating shaft portion 16, is approaching the outer end portion of large diameter cylindrical portion 13 with spring member 25 compressed, so the winding core (not shown), which is fitted into and connected to connecting hole 18a provided at the inner end portion of shaft main body portion 18 of operating shaft portion 16, is not pushed into timepiece module 7. Also, in this state, operating head portion 17 is locked to large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of cylindrical member 10, so operating member 11 does not rotate and therefore the winding core does not rotate within 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 of the large diameter cover part 24b, and the outer end 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 threaded together, no impact is applied to these female thread portion 28a and male thread portion 13a.

[0088] This prevents damage to the female thread portion 28a and the male thread portion 13a due to an impact. Furthermore, any 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 by an impact, which would damage the timepiece module 7.

[0089] On the other hand, when setting or selecting functions such as time adjustment or mode switching, first, the lock mechanism 27 is used to release the lock of the operating head 17 relative to the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10. At this time, the cover portion 24 of the operating head 17 is rotated in the opposite direction to rotate the rotation transmission member 29 of the lock mechanism 27. This rotation transmission member 29 rotates the lock member 28 in the same direction via the second idling stopper portion 30.

[0090] When the locking member 28 rotates, the internal threads 28a of the locking member 28 are disengaged from the external threads 13a of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13. The operating head 17 is then pushed outward from the watch case 1 by the spring force of the spring member 25, and the internal threads 28a of the locking member 28 move 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 internal threads 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 16.

[0091] At this time, because operating shaft 16 does not slide in the axial direction, the winding core (not shown) connected to connecting hole 18a of shaft main body 18 also does not slide. For this reason, the winding core remains disposed in an idling state within timepiece module 7. In other words, even if cover portion 24 of operating head 17 rotates, causing operating shaft 16 to rotate, and the winding core rotates in conjunction with the rotation of operating shaft 16, the rotation of the winding core is not transmitted to timepiece module 7, and therefore function settings or selections such as time adjustment or mode switching are not performed.

[0092] In this state, operating head 17 is pulled out toward the outside of watch case 1. At this time, the outer end of locking member 28 inside cover portion 24 abuts against the inner end of large-diameter outer tube portion 22 of shaft operating portion 19 of operating shaft portion 16, so that pulling out operating head 17 causes rotation transmission member 29 of locking mechanism 27 to pull out locking member 28 and shaft operating portion 19 together with spring member 25. Then, shaft main body 18 of operating shaft portion 16 slides in the axial direction and is pulled out one stage, and the winding core (not shown) connected to shaft main body 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 operating head 17 is rotated in this state, the rotation is transmitted to the operating shaft portion 16 by the first anti-idle portion 23, causing the shaft main body portion 18 of the operating shaft portion 16 to rotate. Then, the winding core rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the operating shaft portion 16, and this rotation is transmitted to the clock module 7, allowing function settings and selections such as time adjustment and mode switching to be performed.

[0094] Thus, the switch device 4 of this wristwatch 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 comprises a locking member 28 that is locked to the tubular 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 tubular member 10, the rotation transmission member 29 can slide axially relative to the locking member 28, so that the impact is not applied to the locking member 28 and the tubular member 10, preventing damage to the locking mechanism 27 due to the impact.

[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 is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of the cylindrical member 10, so that the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 can protrude to the outside of the wristwatch case 1 and be securely fixed to the through hole 8 of the wristwatch case 1, and the locking member 28 can be securely and well fixed to this large diameter cylindrical portion 13.

[0097] Furthermore, in the switch device 4 of this wristwatch, the operating member 11 comprises an operating shaft 16 that is arranged inside the tubular member 10, and an operating head 17 that is attached to the outside of this operating shaft 16 so that it can slide axially and cover the large diameter tubular portion 13 of the tubular member 10. Therefore, when the operating head 17 is locked to the large diameter tubular portion 13 by the locking mechanism 27 and receives an external impact, the operating head 17 can slide relative to the operating shaft 16 as the rotation transmission member 29 slides relative to the locking member 28. Therefore, even if the operating head 17 slides, the impact will not be transmitted to the operating shaft 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 outward. Therefore, when the operating head 17 is locked to the large diameter cylindrical portion 13 by the locking mechanism 27 and receives an external impact, 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 provided with a first idling stopper 23 that 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 slippage prevention portion 23 includes a first operation flat portion 23a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft operating portion 19 of the operating shaft portion 16, and a first cover flat portion 23b provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cover portion 24 of the operating head portion 17, so that the first operation flat portion 23a and the first cover flat portion 23b can be brought into contact with each other. This allows the operating head portion 17 to slide axially relative to the operating shaft portion 16, and also ensures that the rotation of the operating head portion 17 is transmitted to the operating shaft portion 16 reliably.

[0101] Furthermore, in switch device 4 of this wristwatch, rotation transmission member 29 of lock mechanism 27 is fixed by press fitting inside operating head 17 of operating member 11, which allows rotation transmission member 29 and operating head 17 to rotate together, and also allows rotation transmission member 29 and operating head 17 to move together in the axial direction. This means that rotation of operating head 17 rotates rotation transmission member 29, and axial movement of operating head 17 causes rotation transmission member 29 to move in the same direction.

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

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

[0104] That is, the second slip stopper 30 includes a second locking flat portion 30a provided on the outer peripheral surface of the locking member 28 and a second transmission flat portion 30b provided on the inner peripheral 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 way, 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, the switch device 4 of this wristwatch is provided with a retaining portion 31 that 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 retaining 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 cylindrical 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 securely and effectively locked to the cylindrical 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, which they axially face, so that when the operating head 17 receives an external impact, the impact can be buffered by the buffer member 32.

[0108] That is, when absorbing an impact, buffer member 32 is compressed in response to the impact, and therefore rotation transmission member 29 of locking mechanism 27 can be slid relative to locking member 28 in response to the compression of buffer member 32. This also prevents impact from being applied to male thread portion 13a of large diameter cylindrical portion 13 of tubular member 10 and female thread portion 28a of locking member 28, thereby preventing damage to male thread portion 13a and female thread 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 cylindrical 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 cylindrical 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 the male screw portion 13a into the female screw portion 28a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a simple locking mechanism in which an engaging protrusion is provided on the locking member 28 and an engaging groove portion for engaging the engaging protrusion is provided on the large-diameter cylindrical portion 13 is also possible.

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

[0112] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first rotation prevention portion 23 is described as comprising 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 in a non-circular shape such as an ellipse.

[0113] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the second rotation preventing 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 transmitting 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 transmitting member 29 may be formed in a polygonal shape such as a rectangle or a pentagon, or in a non-circular shape such as an ellipse.

[0114] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the switch device 4 is described as having a structure that pulls out the winding core (not shown) inside the watch module 7 by one stage, but the present invention is not limited to this and may have a structure that allows it to be pulled out by two or more stages, for example.

[0115] Furthermore, 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 this 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, although the above-described embodiment has been described as being applied to a wristwatch, the present 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. Furthermore, the present invention does not necessarily have to be a clock, and can also be applied to electronic devices such as personal digital assistants. [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 idle stopper 23a 1st operation plane part 23b First cover flat portion 24 Cover part 24a Small diameter cover 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 idle stopper 30a Second locking plane 30b Second transmission flat portion 31 Stopper 31a Large diameter contact part 31b Small diameter contact part 32 Cushioning material

Claims

1. Cases with through holes, At least a portion of the cylindrical member is inserted into the through hole of the case, An operating member having an operating shaft portion disposed on the cylindrical member and an operating head portion attached to the outer end of the operating shaft portion, A locking mechanism for locking the aforementioned operating member to the cylindrical member, Equipped with, The locking mechanism comprises a locking member that is locked to the cylindrical member by the rotational operation of the operating member, and a rotational transmission member which is a separate member from the locking member, is axially slidable relative to the locking member, and rotates the locking member in response to the rotational operation of the operating member. The locking member has a retaining portion that prevents the locking member from coming out of the rotation transmission member, and is mounted inside the rotation transmission member. The rotation transmission member is fixed inside the operating head. A switch device characterized by the following features.

2. In the switch device according to claim 1, The rotation transmission member is fixed inside the operating head of the operating member by press-fitting. A switch device characterized by the following features.

3. In the switch device according to claim 1, The locking mechanism includes a free-rotation prevention part that allows the locking member to slide relative to the rotation transmission member and rotates the locking member and the rotation transmission member together. A switch device characterized by the following features.

4. In the switch device according to claim 1, The retaining portion prevents the locking member from coming out of the rotation transmission member toward the case side. A switch device characterized by the following features.

5. In the switch device according to claim 1, A buffer member is provided between the rotation transmission member and / or the locking member of the locking mechanism and the operating head of the operating member that faces them in the axial direction. A switch device characterized by the following features.

6. In the switch device according to Claim 1, The retaining portion comprises a large-diameter contact portion provided on the outer circumference of the locking member and a small-diameter contact portion provided on the inner circumference of the rotation transmission member. A switch device characterized by the following features.

7. A clock characterized by comprising the switch device described in claim 1.

8. A step of inserting at least a portion of a cylindrical member into a case provided with a through hole, A step of attaching an operating member, which has an operating shaft portion disposed on the cylindrical member and an operating head portion attached to the outer end of the operating shaft portion, to the cylindrical member, A step of assembling a locking mechanism that locks the operating member to the cylindrical member by rotating the operating member, wherein the locking member, which is locked to the cylindrical member by the rotational operation of the operating member, is mounted in a rotation transmission member that is separate from the locking member, is slidable in the axial direction relative to the locking member, and rotates the locking member in accordance with the rotational operation of the operating member. The step includes fixing the rotation transmission member inside the operating head, The locking member has a retaining portion that prevents it from coming off the rotation transmission member. A method for manufacturing a switch, characterized by the following:

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