Electronic device

Abstract

To provide an electronic device which can inhibit a solar battery from absorbing electric waves.SOLUTION: An electronic device 1 includes: a housing 10; a solar battery 40 attached to an outer surface of the housing 10 and having a light reception surface 41; an antenna 30 attached to the housing 10; and a reflection member 70 which is electrically independent, located between the antenna 30 and the light reception surface 41, and reflects electric waves having light permeability.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Digital picking systems are used in factories, logistics warehouses, and the like to efficiently pick parts to be used in product assembly, items to be transported, and the like. Digital picking systems include electronic devices that are attached to storage shelves that store the parts or items, and a control device that sends instructions to each electronic device regarding the parts or items to be picked. Workers go to pick up the parts or items following the instructions from the electronic device. The electronic device includes a display unit that issues picking instructions, a control circuit board that controls the display of the display unit, an antenna for wireless communication with the control device, and a solar cell that supplies power to the antenna and the board.

[0003] In electronic devices equipped with an antenna and a solar cell, the antenna and the solar cell must be arranged so as not to affect each other in order to suppress attenuation of communication radio waves and coupling between the antenna and the solar cell. For example, in Patent Document 1, in a solar cell unit consisting of an antenna, a solar cell, and a control circuit board, the antenna and the solar cell are arranged on the front and back surfaces of the control circuit board so as not to overlap when viewed from the front, and the antenna part is arranged on a non-conductor part of the board. This suppresses attenuation of radio waves emitted by the antenna by the solar cell. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6975859 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, there is a risk that the gain of the antenna will decrease if the solar cell absorbs part of the radio waves radiated from the antenna.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an electronic device that can suppress absorption of radio waves by a solar cell. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an electronic device comprises a housing, a solar cell attached to an outer surface of the housing and having a light receiving surface, an antenna attached to the housing, and a radio wave reflective member that is electrically independent, located between the antenna and the light receiving surface, and has optical transparency. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress absorption of radio waves by a solar cell. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view showing the electronic device of FIG. 1 with a front panel, a top panel, and a display unit removed. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a schematic cross section of the electronic device of FIG. 1 taken along line III-III. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a verification result of the electronic device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 13 is a side view of a main part of an electronic device according to a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a side view of a main part of an electronic device according to another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0011] In this embodiment, the electronic device is used as a display device that indicates a part or article to be picked in a digital picking system. Note that the use of the electronic device is not limited to the digital picking system.

[0012] An embodiment of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a state in which the front panel 11, the top panel 13, and the LED 51 are removed. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view that typically shows the III-III cross section of the electronic device 1 in Fig. 1. In Fig. 3, connection lines that electrically connect the components of the electronic device 1 are omitted. In the following description, the vertical direction when the electronic device 1 is placed in a generally used state is defined as the up-down direction. Also, the front-rear direction is defined with the side of the electronic device 1 on which the display unit 50 is provided as the front side. Also, the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is defined as the left-right direction.

[0013] 1 to 3, the electronic device 1 includes a housing 10, a control circuit board 20, an antenna 30, a solar cell 40, and a reflecting member 70. The electronic device 1 may further include a display unit 50 and a battery 60. The housing 10, the control circuit board 20, the antenna 30, the solar cell 40, the display unit 50, the battery 60, and the reflecting member 70 included in the electronic device 1 are components of the electronic device 1.

[0014] The housing 10 is a hollow member composed of a front panel 11, a rear panel 12, a top panel 13, a bottom panel 14, and a pair of side panels 15. The housing 10 has a size similar to that of a display housing of a known digital picking system. The material of the housing 10 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a synthetic resin.

[0015] The front panel 11 has openings 111 for attaching the display units 50. The openings 111 have substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the display units 50. The openings 111 are formed in the same number as the display units 50 to be attached.

[0016] 3, the upper panel 13 has an opening 131 for mounting the solar cell 40. The opening 131 has a shape substantially similar to the outer shape of the solar cell 40. The upper panel 13 is also inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that the rear end is positioned higher than the front end. The angle of inclination is preferably substantially similar to the angle of inclination of the solar cell 40, which will be described later.

[0017] A microcomputer (not shown) and a memory (not shown) are mounted on the control circuit board 20. The microcomputer mounted on the control circuit board 20 controls the supply of power to the antenna 30 and the display unit 50, and the display on the display unit 50. The control circuit board 20 operates using power from a solar cell 40 and / or a battery 60. The control circuit board 20 is housed in the housing 10, and is disposed close to and facing the front panel 11.

[0018] The antenna 30 is a communication device for wireless communication and is attached to the housing 10. The antenna 30 is made of a conductor and has a linear shape. More specifically, the antenna 30 is made of a thin rod-shaped conductor. In this embodiment, the antenna 30 has both ends of a rod-shaped conductor bent in the same direction to have a roughly U-shape in plan view. The antenna 30 is preferably an antenna that can receive frequencies in the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band, which has high diffraction, and has both wide directivity and gain, and is preferably, for example, a half-wave dipole antenna. This makes it possible to achieve highly accurate communication even if there are many obstacles that affect communication in the area where the electronic device 1 is placed.

[0019] The antenna 30 extends left and right at a position spaced forward from the control circuit board 20 on the upper part of the control circuit board 20. Specifically, both ends of the antenna 30 are mounted on the front side of the control circuit board 20, and a portion of the antenna 30 that corresponds to the bottom of the U-shape extends left and right at a position spaced forward from the control circuit board 20. The antenna 30 is powered by the solar cell 40 and the battery 60 to operate.

[0020] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the solar cell 40 has a light-receiving surface 41 and is an electric power device that converts light into electric power by utilizing the photovoltaic effect. The solar cell 40 is, for example, a solar cell panel. The solar cell 40 is attached to the outer surface of the housing 10. The solar cell 40 generates electric power by receiving light at the light-receiving surface 41. The generated electric power is supplied to the control circuit board 20 from an electrode (not shown) provided on the solar cell 40 via a conductive member. This solar cell 40 has a size similar to that of a solar cell panel mounted on a known electronic device.

[0021] The solar cell 40 is disposed on the upper panel 13. Specifically, the solar cell 40 is disposed so that the light receiving surface 41 is exposed to the outside through the opening 131 of the upper panel 13. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the solar cell 40 is preferably disposed at a position where the front end 40a of the solar cell 40 is spaced a predetermined distance rearward from the front end 30a of the antenna 30. This makes it possible to prevent the antenna 30 and the solar cell 40 from bonding together. From this viewpoint, the distance between the front end 40a of the solar cell 40 and the front end 30a of the antenna 30 is preferably, for example, 9 mm or more.

[0022] Moreover, it is preferable that the solar cell 40 is disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane so that the light receiving surface 41 faces obliquely upward and forward. This allows the solar cell 40 to receive light efficiently. From this viewpoint, the inclination angle of the light receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably 20° to 45°.

[0023] The display unit 50 has an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 51 that lights up to indicate the part or item to be picked, and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 52 that displays the number of parts or items to be picked. An opening 111 for mounting the LED 51 and an opening 111 for mounting the LCD 52 are formed below the antenna 30 of the front panel 11. The LED 51 and the LCD 52 are mounted on the control circuit board 20 below the antenna 30, and are arranged exposed to the outside of the housing 10 through the opening 111.

[0024] The battery 60 is, for example, a primary battery such as a dry cell. The battery 60 is preferably a high-power density, large-capacity battery that does not require replacement during the expected product life of the electronic device 1. This eliminates the need for maintenance associated with replacing the battery 60 in the electronic device 1, and allows the electronic device 1 to be maintenance-free for a long period of time equivalent to that of an electronic device not equipped with the battery 60.

[0025] 3, the battery 60 is disposed behind the control circuit board 20 inside the housing 10. The battery 60 is electrically connected to the antenna 30 via the control circuit board 20 so as to supply power to the antenna 30.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the reflecting member 70 is a member that reflects radio waves, is electrically independent, and is located between the antenna 30 and the light-receiving surface 41. The reflecting member 70 also has light transmissibility. Therefore, absorption of radio waves by the light-receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 is suppressed, and the gain of the antenna 30 can be ensured. In detail, since the reflecting member 70 has light transmissibility, it can reflect at least a part of the radio waves emitted from the antenna 30 without inhibiting power generation by the solar cell 40. Therefore, absorption of radio waves by the light-receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 is suppressed.

[0027] Here, "between the antenna 30 and the light-receiving surface 41" includes the meaning of "on the propagation path from the antenna 30 to the light-receiving surface 41 among the propagation paths of the radio waves radiated from the antenna 30." Therefore, "between the antenna 30 and the light-receiving surface 41" is not limited to the area sandwiched between the antenna 30 and the light-receiving surface 41 in terms of the geometric relationship.

[0028] Moreover, the term "light transmitting property" means that light can pass through an object, and includes, for example, the following properties: The property of allowing light to pass through voids formed in the object The property that the object is made of a transparent material and allows light to pass through it Therefore, when covered with the reflecting member 70, the light receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 can receive light from the outside.

[0029] In the embodiment, the reflective member 70 is made of a mesh-shaped conductive material, so that the reflective member 70 can be realized with a simple structure.

[0030] The reflective member 70 includes a frame portion 71 and a mesh portion 72 . The frame portion 71 is a rectangular frame having long sides and short sides in a plan view. The reflecting member 70 is attached to the housing 10 by supporting the frame portion 71 which is a frame.

[0031] The mesh portion 72 is a net-like member configured to occupy the interior of the space surrounded by the frame body of the frame portion 71 .

[0032] The reflective member 70 is not electrically connected to the ground and surrounding structures. For example, the frame portion 71 and the mesh portion 72 may both be formed of conductive metal wires. In this case, it is preferable that the frame portion 71 is provided with an insulating coating. Instead of providing the frame portion 71 with an insulating coating, the frame portion 71 may be attached to the housing 10 via a support member (not shown) made of an insulating material. In these cases, the reflective member 70 is conductive, but insulation is ensured at the contact point with the housing 10, so that the reflective member 70 is not electrically connected to the ground and surrounding structures.

[0033] Also, the frame portion 71 may be made of an insulating material, and the mesh portion 72 may be made of a conductive material. In this case, the mesh portion 72 is conductive, but the frame portion 71 is not conductive, so that the entire reflective member 70 is not electrically connected to the ground or surrounding structures.

[0034] It is preferable that the mesh size of the mesh portion 72 is sufficiently smaller than the wavelength of the radio wave. For example, when using radio waves with a frequency of 925 MHz and a wavelength of 33 cm, it is preferable that the mesh spacing is 3 cm or less, which is 1 / 10 of the wavelength or less.

[0035] In the electronic device 1, when the reflecting member 70 receives part of the radio waves radiated from the antenna 30, a counter electromotive force is generated inside the reflecting member 70. At this time, since the reflecting member 70 is electrically independent, the generated counter electromotive force restricts the movement of charge to the outside, thereby reflecting part of the incident radio waves. This prevents part of the radio waves radiated from the antenna 30 from being incident on the light receiving surface 41 that is located beyond the reflecting member 70 with respect to the antenna 30 (i.e., absorption of the radio waves).

[0036] The reflecting member 70 is disposed so as to cover at least a portion of the light receiving surface 41. Therefore, a portion of the radio waves emitted from the antenna 30 toward the light receiving surface 41 can be reflected.

[0037] More preferably, the reflective member 70 is disposed so as to cover the entire light-receiving surface 41. Therefore, radio waves are reflected over a wider range compared to a configuration in which the reflective member 70 covers only a portion of the light-receiving surface 41. In the illustrated example, the reflective member 70 is disposed above the light-receiving surface 41 and occupies an area larger than that of the light-receiving surface 41.

[0038] Next, a description will be given of the results of verification of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment. In order to confirm the effects of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment, the following verification was carried out. Verification details: The antenna gain was evaluated for the two evaluation samples listed below. Evaluation sample 1: Electronic device 1 according to this embodiment Evaluation sample 2: an electronic device (reference example) having a configuration in which the reflective member 70 is removed from the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment

[0039] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the verification results of the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 shows the directivity of the antennas of the two evaluation samples. In Fig. 4, an azimuth angle of 0° points upward (an azimuth angle of 180° points downward), and an azimuth angle of 270° points forward (an azimuth angle of 90° points backward).

[0040] 4, it was confirmed that the antenna gain in evaluation sample 1 was greater than the antenna gain in evaluation sample 2. In other words, it was confirmed that the antenna 30 in evaluation sample 1 had a higher radio wave output intensity than the antenna in evaluation sample 2. For this reason, it was confirmed that the provision of the reflective member 70 suppresses absorption of radio waves by the solar cell 40 and ensures the gain of the antenna 30.

[0041] In addition, in the electronic device 1 of the present disclosure, the antenna 30 is disposed in front of the control circuit board 20 facing the front panel 11, and the solar cell 40 is disposed on the upper panel 13. As a result, the antenna 30, the solar cell 40, and the control circuit board 20 are disposed at a certain distance from each other, and the antenna 30 can be prevented from being affected by the solar cell 40 and the control circuit board 20. In addition, since the antenna 30 is disposed near the front panel 11 in the housing 10, the wireless communication performance of the antenna 30, which generally performs wireless communication with a device in front, is ensured. In addition, since the solar cell 40 is disposed on the upper panel 13 of the housing 10, there is generally no problem in receiving light irradiated from above and from the front. As a result, the functions and performance required by the antenna 30 and the solar cell 40 can be satisfied. In addition, by disposing the antenna 30 and the solar cell 40 in this way, the housing 10 can be made approximately the same size as a known housing, and the electronic device 1 does not become too large, and conventional miniaturization or space saving can be realized.

[0042] Furthermore, in the electronic device 1 of the present disclosure, since the antenna 30 is provided on the upper part of the control circuit board 20, the display unit 50 can be provided on the front panel 11 below the antenna 30. This allows the display unit 50, which displays instructions to the worker, to be disposed in an easily visible position on the front of the electronic device 1, and satisfies the required functionality and performance of the display unit 50. Furthermore, in the electronic device 1, since the display unit 50 can be disposed in the empty space below the antenna 30, miniaturization or space saving can be achieved.

[0043] In addition, because the antenna 30 is made of a thin rod-like conductor and is formed in a generally U-shape in plan view, the antenna 30 can be mounted directly on the control circuit board 20 without using a cable or the like while being spaced apart from the control circuit board 20. This eliminates the need to secure storage space for cables or the like in the housing 10, thereby realizing miniaturization and space saving.

[0044] In addition, in the electronic device 1 of the present disclosure, the battery 60 is accommodated inside the housing 10. In addition, the solar cell 40 is provided in the housing 10. As a result, the control circuit board 20 and the antenna 30 operate with the power of the battery 60 and / or the solar cell 40. In addition, the light receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 is arranged at an angle from the horizontal plane. As a result, the angle between the light receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 and the light irradiation direction can be made close to 90°, the power generation efficiency of the solar cell 40 is improved, and large power can be obtained by the solar cell 40. As a result, a large amount of power can be stably supplied to the control circuit board 20 and the antenna 30. Therefore, the antenna 30 can wirelessly communicate by an active method. By adopting the active method of wireless communication, the communication distance of the wireless communication can be significantly extended, and the performance and stability of the wireless communication can be improved. In addition, by making the battery 60 a high-power density, large-capacity battery, maintenance associated with the replacement of the battery 60 is not required, and a long-term maintenance-free stable operation equivalent to that of an electronic device not equipped with a battery 60 can be realized.

[0045] (Modification) Next, an electronic device 1 according to a modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a main part of the electronic device 1 according to a modified example. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a main part of the electronic device 1 according to another modified example. Note that in these figures, illustration of configurations other than the main parts of the electronic device 1 is omitted.

[0046] 5, in the electronic device 1 according to the first modification, the reflective member 70 is configured to cover a plurality of outer surfaces of the solar cell 40. In the illustrated example, the reflective member 70 is configured to cover three surfaces of the solar cell 40: the light-receiving surface 41, a back surface facing away from the light-receiving surface 41, and a side surface of the solar cell 40 that connects the light-receiving surface 41 and the back surface and is located on the antenna 30 side.

[0047] As described above, in the electronic device 1 of the modified example, the reflective member 70 is configured to cover multiple outer surfaces of the solar cell 40, so that it can effectively reflect radio waves propagating from directions other than the light receiving direction of the light receiving surface 41.

[0048] The structure of the reflective member 70 is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 5. For example, as another modified example shown in Fig. 6, the reflective member 70 may be configured to cover two outer surfaces of the solar cell 40. In the illustrated example, the reflective member 70 is configured to cover two surfaces of the solar cell 40, the light receiving surface 41 and the side surface.

[0049] As described above, in the electronic device 1 according to the other modified example, the reflective member 70 is configured to cover the side surface of the solar cell 40 that faces the antenna 30, thereby effectively reflecting radio waves transmitted from the antenna 30 to the solar cell 40.

[0050] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all components shown in the embodiments. In addition, each component shown in the above embodiments is an example, and is not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the configuration of the present disclosure.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the reflective member 70 is configured to cover a part of the outer surface of the solar cell 40, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the reflective member 70 may be configured to cover the entire outer surface of the solar cell 40.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the reflective member 70 is formed of a mesh-shaped conductive material, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the reflective member 70 may be formed of a transparent electrode such as a liquid crystal panel having light transmission properties by being provided with light transmission properties such as a transparent electrode.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the solar cell 40 is arranged with the light receiving surface 41 inclined at a specific angle with respect to the horizontal plane, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the solar cell 40 may be configured to change the inclination angle of the light receiving surface 41 with respect to the horizontal plane. In the electronic device 1, the angle between the light receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 and the light irradiation direction often changes depending on the installation location. By changing the inclination angle of the light receiving surface 41, it is possible to change the angle of the light receiving surface 41 so that the maximum amount of light can be received according to the irradiation angle of the light when the electronic device 1 is installed. This can further improve the efficiency of the solar cell 40.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the antenna 30 is formed of a conductor, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the antenna 30 may be composed of an antenna substrate and a conductor pattern formed on the antenna substrate. [Industrial Applicability]

[0055] The present disclosure is applicable to the field of electronic devices used in digital picking systems and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1electronic equipment 10. Chassis 11 Front Panel 111 Opening 13 Top Panel 20 Control circuit board 30 Antenna 40 Solar Cells 41 Photosensitive surface 50 Display 60 batteries 70 Reflective material

Claims

1. A housing and a solar cell attached to an outer surface of the housing and having a light receiving surface; an antenna attached to the housing; an electrically independent radio wave reflective member located between the antenna and the light receiving surface and having optical transparency;

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective member covers at least a portion of the light receiving surface.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective member covers the entire light receiving surface.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the reflective member is made of a mesh-like conductive material.

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