NFC antenna integrated circuit board for water meter
By integrating NFC antennas into the edge of the water meter circuit board and increasing the coverage area, the problem of high external and welding costs of NFC antennas in existing water meters is solved, and a longer communication distance and more stable communication are achieved, improving the user experience.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421927283.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-08-09
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-16
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-08-09
AI Technical Summary
The general-purpose NFC antenna used in existing water meters is external and requires manual welding, resulting in high usage costs, failed identification and unstable communication, affecting the user experience.
An NFC antenna integrated circuit board for water meter is designed. By straightening and integrating the NFC antenna at the edge of the circuit board, the antenna length and coverage area are increased, the communication distance is extended, and a waterproof and sealed structure is formed through a transparent upper end cover.
It achieves the extension of the communication distance to more than 8cm without external components, ensuring stable communication in complex environments, reducing raw material and labor costs, and enhancing user experience.
Smart Images
Figure CN222883849U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of circuit design of water meters, in particular to an NFC antenna integrated circuit board for water meters. Background Art
[0002] NFC (Near Field Communication) technology is a short-range high-frequency radio wave transmission technology that operates at a frequency of 13.56MHz. It allows devices to exchange data within a distance of a few centimeters.
[0003] Applying NFC technology to water meters has the following advantages:
[0004] Intelligent management: Through the integration of NFC technology, users' water usage can be managed intelligently and conveniently;
[0005] Convenience: Users can quickly read water meter readings or pay water bills using NFC-enabled mobile phones or other devices;
[0006] Security: Compared with contact IC cards, NFC provides a higher level of security measures to prevent illegal access or tampering of data;
[0007] Real-time update: Since real-time data interaction can be achieved, water consumption information can be updated in real time and fed back to users or water supply companies in a timely manner;
[0008] Reduced labor costs: Automated meter reading reduces the need for on-site staff, thereby reducing operating costs;
[0009] Enhanced user experience: Users can obtain their own water usage information and make payments through simple operations.
[0010] However, some challenges and potential problems also need to be considered during design and implementation. For example, water meters are usually installed in dark and humid conditions, underground, and in complex electromagnetic environments. In practical applications, the design of NFC antennas is crucial to user experience. Maintaining the integrity of signal transmission and the stability and reliability of wireless communication are basic requirements for product design.
[0011] Most products on the market now use universal NFC antennas, which are externally mounted on the circuit board and can be placed anywhere according to the product shape. They are flexible to use and have a recognition distance of about 3 cm. However, they are expensive to use and require manual welding. Mass production increases raw material and labor costs for companies. NFC antennas with unstable welding positions mean that when devices are identified, it is easy to fail to identify or cause unstable communication due to incorrect positions or inappropriate distances, affecting user experience. Summary of the invention
[0012] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the utility model provides an NFC antenna integrated circuit board for a water meter. The NFC antenna is straightened and integrated around the edge of the water meter product circuit board, thereby increasing the antenna length and coverage area, extending the communication distance, and fully meeting the requirements of the on-site use environment of the water meter product, facilitating identification, ensuring stable communication, and improving the user experience.
[0013] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is:
[0014] An NFC antenna integrated circuit board for a water meter comprises a circuit board body of a water meter product, wherein the circuit board body is provided with a variety of radio frequency chips, an Internet of Things module antenna, a Bluetooth antenna and an NFC antenna, the NFC antenna is straightened and integrated on the circuit board body, the PCB routing of the NFC antenna on the circuit board body is arranged to go around the edge of the circuit board, the length is set to 1048mm, the antenna impedance is matched to 50Ω, a transparent upper end cover adapted to the size of the circuit board body is arranged on the upper part of the circuit board body, the circuit board body is installed on the upper part of a water meter plastic shell assembly, the transparent upper end cover and the water meter plastic shell assembly are combined to form a waterproof and sealed structure for protecting an electronic metering circuit, and after installation, the NFC antenna covers the water meter plastic shell assembly for a circle, and the communication distance is 8cm or more.
[0015] The bottom size of the transparent upper end cover is set to accommodate the circuit board body and adapt to the water meter plastic shell assembly, and the upper space of the transparent upper end cover is set to only accommodate the Internet of Things module antenna on the circuit board body.
[0016] The waterproof level of the transparent upper end cover and the water meter plastic shell assembly reaches IP68.
[0017] The utility model straightens the NFC antenna product according to the application characteristic that the NFC antenna increases the magnetic flux and makes the working distance farther, and routes it around the outer edge of the circuit board body of the water meter product through PCB integrated wiring, so that the length of the antenna integrated on the circuit board body reaches 1048mm, and then the antenna impedance is matched to 50Ω, so that the length and coverage area of the antenna are increased without any external components, and the communication distance is extended to more than 8cm. It is not affected by any space and environment, and accurate and stable data transmission can be achieved at any position within a distance of 5cm or more around the water meter antenna. The effect is far better than that of ordinary NFC antennas, and no welding process is required, which reduces the cost of raw materials and labor, enhances user experience, and is suitable for large-scale promotion and application in various water meter installation environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the utility model;
[0019] Figure 2 It is the installation diagram of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] The utility model is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:
[0021] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the NFC antenna integrated circuit board for the water meter includes a circuit board body 2 of a water meter product, on which are arranged a variety of radio frequency chips, an Internet of Things module antenna 21, a Bluetooth antenna 22 and an NFC antenna 23, the NFC antenna 23 is straightened and integrated on the circuit board body 2, the PCB routing of the NFC antenna 23 on the circuit board body 2 is set to go around the edge of the circuit board, the length is set to 1048mm, the antenna impedance matching is 50Ω, and a transparent upper end cover 1 matching the size of the circuit board body 2 is provided on the upper part of the circuit board body 2, the circuit board body 2 is installed on the upper part of the water meter plastic shell assembly 3, the transparent upper end cover 1 and the water meter plastic shell assembly 3 are combined to form a waterproof and sealed structure for protecting the electronic metering circuit, after installation, the NFC antenna 23 covers the water meter plastic shell assembly 3 for a week, and the communication distance is 8cm and above, of course, according to the characteristics of short-distance high-frequency radio wave transmission of the NFC antenna, the communication distance cannot greatly exceed 8cm, but it can be slightly exceeded 8cm).
[0022] As a preferred method, in this embodiment, the bottom size of the transparent upper end cover 1 is set to be able to accommodate the circuit board body 2 and be compatible with the water meter plastic shell assembly 3, and the upper space of the transparent upper end cover 1 is set to only accommodate the Internet of Things module antenna 21 on the circuit board body 2.
[0023] As a preferred embodiment, in this embodiment, the waterproof level of the transparent upper end cover 1 and the water meter plastic shell assembly 3 reaches IP68.
[0024] According to physical theory, in principle, increasing the number of turns and coil area of the antenna can increase the magnetic flux and extend the working distance, which is also in line with Thomson's formula. , at a fixed resonant frequency point, that is, the larger the antenna size, the greater the inductance of the coil, and the relative tuning and matching capacitance needs to be reduced. Therefore, the equivalent inductance value of the antenna is designed to be around 3uH.
[0025] When designing the integrated circuit board, the utility model calculates the length of the NFC antenna 23 around the outer edge of the circuit board body 2 as 1048mm. According to the calculation formula (common knowledge), the antenna impedance is matched to 50Ω by adjusting the resonant capacitor to achieve the best performance. Limited by the cost control and size space control of the water meter product, even if there are a large number of metal components, copper cladding, and wiring near and inside the antenna in the design, the communication distance can still reach 8cm, which is far superior to the effect of ordinary NFC antennas.
[0026] After the NFC antenna 23 is integrated on the circuit board body 2, a transparent upper end cover 1 is installed on the upper part thereof, and the water meter plastic shell assembly 3 is glued before leaving the factory. The water meter plastic shell assembly 3 includes a switch valve actuator and a battery compartment for replaceable batteries. The circuit board body 2 is installed on the upper part of the water meter plastic shell assembly 3, and forms a waterproof and sealed structure with the transparent upper end cover 1, which can reach the IP68 level to protect the electronic metering circuit part, and the plastic material does not affect the signal strength quality at all. Then the water meter mechanical metering mechanism 4 and the copper case 5 are installed in sequence. In this way, the NFC antenna 23 is equivalent to covering the water meter plastic shell assembly 3 for one week, increasing the length and coverage area of the antenna, which can generate a larger magnetic flux and a longer communication distance. Because the antenna covers the surroundings, smooth communication can be achieved within at least 5 cm on the sides of the water meter, which not only adapts to various complex working conditions of water meter installation, but also realizes the convenience and stability and reliability of the use of NFC technology in water meters, and solves another technical problem for the application of NFC technology in the field of water meters.
[0027] Of course, the above description is not a limitation of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above examples. Changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by technicians in this technical field within the essential scope of the present invention should also fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An NFC antenna integrated circuit board for a water meter, characterized in that: A circuit board body (2) of a water meter product is provided on the circuit board body. A plurality of radio frequency chips, an Internet of Things module antenna (21), a Bluetooth antenna (22) and an NFC antenna (23) are provided on the circuit board body. The NFC antenna (23) is straightened and integrated on the circuit board body (2). The PCB routing of the NFC antenna (23) on the circuit board body (2) is arranged to go around the edge of the circuit board. The length is set to 1048 mm. The antenna impedance matching is 50Ω. A transparent upper end cover (1) matching the size of the circuit board body (2) is provided on the upper part of the circuit board body (2). The circuit board body (2) is installed on the upper part of a water meter plastic shell component (3). The transparent upper end cover (1) and the water meter plastic shell component (3) are combined to form a waterproof and sealed structure for protecting an electronic metering circuit. After installation, the NFC antenna (23) covers the water meter plastic shell component (3) for a circle. The communication distance is 8 cm or more.
2. The NFC antenna integrated circuit board for a water meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom size of the transparent upper end cover (1) is configured to accommodate the circuit board body (2) and to be compatible with the water meter plastic shell component (3), and the upper space of the transparent upper end cover (1) is configured to only accommodate the Internet of Things module antenna (21) on the circuit board body (2).
3. The NFC antenna integrated circuit board for a water meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The waterproof level of the transparent upper end cover (1) and the water meter plastic shell assembly (3) reaches IP68.