Terminal and range-finding terminal

Abstract

To provide a terminal that can be made smaller in size, as well as a range-finding terminal.SOLUTION: By sealing a component housing space in which at least a substrate 11 is disposed inside a terminal 4, the terminal 4 includes an elastic member 14 that has a waterproof function to waterproof the component housing space. The elastic member 14 has a shock suppression function to suppress the shock applied to an element 15 provided on a mounting surface 20 by a shape that covers only the mounting surface 20, which is one side of the substrate 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal that wirelessly communicates with a communication target, and a distance measuring terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an electronic key having an elastic material that waterproofs a substrate of a communication module is well known. The elastic material has, for example, a main body that covers a first surface of the communication module and a seal portion formed on an outer edge of the main body. The elastic material also has a shock absorbing portion that absorbs shock applied to the communication module. The shock absorbing portion extends from the main body of the elastic material so as to cover a second surface of the communication module. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-124081 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of Patent Document 1, the elastic material has a shape in which the shock absorbing part extends from a main body part disposed opposite the first surface of the communication module to a position opposite the second surface of the communication module. Therefore, even if the elastic material has a part (main body part and sealing part) that covers and seals the first surface of the communication module as an integral part, there is a concern that the size of the elastic material will be large because the shock absorbing part extends from the main body part so as to wrap around to the opposite side of the communication module. This has been an obstacle to miniaturizing the electronic key. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The terminal that solves the above problem is configured to wirelessly communicate with a communication target, and includes an elastic member having a waterproofing function that waterproofs the component housing space inside the terminal by sealing at least the component housing space in which a board is placed, and the elastic member has a shape that covers only one mounting surface of the board, and thus has an impact suppression function that suppresses impacts applied to elements provided on the mounting surface.

[0006] The ranging terminal that solves the above problem is configured to perform wireless communication to measure distance between the communication target, and is equipped with an elastic member having a waterproofing function that waterproofs the component housing space inside the ranging terminal by sealing the component housing space in which at least a substrate is placed, and the elastic member has an impact suppression function that suppresses impacts applied to elements provided on the mounting surface by being shaped to cover only one side of the mounting surface of the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present invention allows for a compact size. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a distance measuring system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the element and the battery. [Figure 6] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. (Range measurement system 1) 1, the ranging system 1 includes a communication device 3 that performs a ranging operation on a communication target 2. The ranging system 1 measures the distance from the terminal 4 to the communication target 2 through wireless communication between the communication device 3 and the terminal 4. The ranging system 1 measures, for example, the time required for transmitting and receiving radio waves between the communication device 3 and the terminal 4, and obtains the distance from this time. The ranging calculation may be performed by either the communication device 3 or the terminal 4.

[0010] Examples of the communication target 2 include vehicles, buildings, hourly parking lots, shelves with locked doors, etc. Examples of the vehicle include engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and hydrogen vehicles.

[0011] The terminal 4 may be either a distance measurement terminal 5 having only a distance measurement function, or a key having a distance measurement function. In this example, the terminal 4 is assumed to be a distance measurement terminal 5. The distance measurement system 1 uses, for example, radio waves in the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) band. The communication device 3, for example, transmits UWB radio waves to the terminal 4 and causes the terminal 4 to return the UWB radio waves. The communication device 3 then measures the time required to transmit and receive the UWB radio waves, and calculates the distance from this time. When UWB radio waves are used for distance measurement, it is possible to calculate the distance between the communication target 2 and the terminal 4 with high resolution (for example, at intervals of several tens of centimeters).

[0012] (Terminal 4) 2, the terminal 4 includes a housing 7 that constitutes an external frame of the terminal 4. The housing 7 includes a first housing 8 and a second housing 10 that closes an opening 9 of the first housing 8. The first housing 8 is, for example, a lower housing. The second housing 10 is, for example, an upper housing.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal 4 includes a substrate 11, a first inner case 12, a second inner case 13, and an elastic member 14. The substrate 11, the first inner case 12, the second inner case 13, and the elastic member 14 are accommodated inside the housing 7. An element 15 of the terminal 4 is mounted on the substrate 11. The first inner case 12 and the second inner case 13 protect the substrate 11 within the housing 7. Examples of materials for the elastic member 14 include rubber and resin. The elastic member 14 provides a waterproof function for the housing 7 and a shock suppression function for the element 15 of the substrate 11.

[0014] 4, the first housing 8 and the second housing 10 are assembled to each other by, for example, a structure in which claw shapes fit together. In this example, the first housing 8 and the second housing 10 are assembled to each other by a snap-fit ​​structure in which a protrusion 16 formed on the second housing 10 fits into a recess 17 formed on the first housing 8. The protrusion 16 is formed in an annular shape along the opening of the second housing 10.

[0015] For example, in the case of the distance measurement terminal 5, the terminal 4 is not provided with an operation button for operating the terminal 4. The terminal 4 executes communication with the communication target 2, for example, upon receiving radio waves from the communication target 2 or upon its own radio wave transmission. The terminal 4 in this example executes communication with the communication target 2 upon receiving radio waves from the communication target 2 (communication device 3).

[0016] (Substrate 11) 3, the substrate 11 has a mounting surface 20 (hereinafter referred to as a first mounting surface 21) on which the element 15 is mounted, and a second mounting surface 22 opposite to the first mounting surface 21. The first mounting surface 21 in this example is the back surface of the substrate 11. The second mounting surface 22 in this example is the front surface of the substrate 11. The second mounting surface 22 is provided with a terminal (not shown) that is electrically connected to a battery 23 that serves as the power source for the terminal 4.

[0017] (First inner case 12 and second inner case 13) 3, the first inner case 12 is, for example, a lower inner case that covers the first mounting surface 21 of the substrate 11. The first inner case 12 has a case body 25 disposed opposite the first mounting surface 21 and a plurality of side walls 26 protruding from the four sides of the periphery of the case body 25.

[0018] The first inner case 12 has a hole 27 that exposes a part of the elastic member 14 to the substrate 11. The hole 27 is formed, for example, in a rectangular shape when viewed from the axial direction of the hole 27. A plurality of engagement claws 28 that engage with the second inner case 13 are provided at the four corners of the first inner case 12.

[0019] The second inner case 13 is, for example, an upper inner case that covers the second mounting surface 22 of the substrate 11. The second inner case 13 has a case body 29 disposed opposite the second mounting surface 22 and a plurality of side walls 30 protruding from four sides of the periphery of the case body 29.

[0020] The second inner case 13 has a battery accommodating section 31 that accommodates the battery 23. The battery accommodating section 31 is formed in the second inner case 13 by providing a recess in part of the case body 29. The bottom surface and part of the side surface of the battery accommodating section 31 are penetrated to allow the terminal of the board 11 to abut against the battery 23. The bottom surface of the battery accommodating section 31 has a hole periphery formed as a stopper section 32 that supports the back surface of the battery 23.

[0021] 4, the first inner case 12 and the second inner case 13 sandwich and hold the substrate 11 by their respective peripheries. Specifically, the substrate 11 is sandwiched and held between a side wall 26 of the first inner case 12 and a side wall 30 of the second inner case 13. Thus, the substrate 11 is housed inside the first inner case 12 and the second inner case 13 with its periphery sandwiched between the first inner case 12 and the second inner case 13.

[0022] (Element 15) As shown in Fig. 5, the element 15 is, for example, an IC chip with electronic components mounted in a package. The element 15 is preferably, for example, a communication element 15a that executes predetermined communication with the communication target 2 (specifically, the communication device 3). The communication element 15a includes, for example, an antenna, and may further include a communication circuit, a control circuit, and the like. The antenna may be, for example, either a receiving antenna or a transmitting / receiving antenna. The predetermined communication is, for example, communication to confirm whether or not a terminal 4 is present around the communication device 3.

[0023] The communication element 15a includes, for example, an LF antenna capable of receiving radio waves in the LF (Low Frequency) band. The LF antenna receives narrow-band LF radio waves transmitted from the communication device 3 periodically or irregularly. In this manner, the LF antenna receives the LF radio waves transmitted by the communication device 3 to check whether the terminal 4 is present in the vicinity. The LF antenna is, for example, an antenna with a relatively large size. Therefore, when the terminal 4 is subjected to an impact due to being dropped, etc., the impact load on the LF antenna is large.

[0024] The element 15 is disposed so as to overlap only a portion of the battery 23 in the thickness direction of the substrate 11 (the Z-axis direction in FIG. 5). That is, the element 15 and the battery 23 do not overlap completely in the thickness direction of the substrate 11, but only partially. This is because, when the element 15 is, for example, an antenna, it is less susceptible to the influence of the battery 23, and communication performance is ensured.

[0025] (Risting element 33) As shown in FIG. 3 etc., a ranging element 33 is mounted on the substrate 11 in addition to the element 15 (communication element 15a). The ranging element 33 is, for example, an antenna, a communication circuit, a control circuit, or an electronic component combining two or more of these. The antenna may be, for example, a transmitting antenna, a receiving antenna, or a transmitting / receiving antenna. In the case of the ranging terminal 5, the ranging element 33 is preferably a ranging element. The antenna of the ranging element 33 includes, for example, a UWB antenna. The ranging element 33 is smaller than the communication element 15a.

[0026] In this example, when terminal 4 approaches communication device 3, element 15 receives the LF radio waves transmitted from communication device 3. When terminal 4 receives the LF radio waves from communication device 3 at element 15, it executes distance measurement communication using distance measurement element 33. That is, upon receiving the LF radio waves, terminal 4 executes transmission and reception of UWB radio waves with communication device 3, and causes communication device 3 to measure the distance between communication device 3 and terminal 4. Then, if the distance is sufficiently close, use of communication target 2 is permitted, and if the distance is far, use of communication target 2 is not permitted.

[0027] (Elastic member 14) 3, the elastic member 14 includes a main body portion 35 that covers the mounting surface 20, and a waterproof portion 36 that waterproofs the boundary between the first housing 8 and the second housing 10. The waterproof portions 36 are formed on each side of the periphery of the main body portion 35. The main body portion 35 has an impact suppression portion 37 that is disposed opposite the element 15 to suppress impact to the element 15. In this way, the elastic member 14 has two functions, a waterproof function and an impact suppression function, in one component. The elastic member 14 is disposed on the outside of the first inner case 12.

[0028] 4, the waterproof function of the waterproof section 36 is a function of waterproofing the component accommodating space 38 in which at least the board 11 is arranged inside the terminal 4 by sealing the component accommodating space 38. The component accommodating space 38 is formed of an area surrounded by the second housing 10 that closes the opening 9 of the first housing 8, and the elastic member 14. The component accommodating space 38 in this example accommodates the board 11, the first inner case 12, the second inner case 13, the element 15, and the battery 23.

[0029] The waterproof part 36 is formed, for example, in a circumferential shape so as to surround the main body part 35. The waterproof part 36 has, for example, a protrusion 36a having a pointed shape toward the tip. When the waterproof part 36 is assembled, the protrusion 36a comes into contact with the second housing 10 and is elastically deformed. In this example, the protrusion 36a comes into contact with the protrusion 16 of the second housing 10.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 3, the impact suppression function of the impact suppression section 37 is a function of suppressing an impact applied to the element 15 by covering the element 15 arranged on the mounting surface 20 (first mounting surface 21 in this example) of the substrate 11 that faces the elastic member 14. The impact suppression section 37 is formed, for example, by raising a part of the main body section 35 by a predetermined amount. The impact suppression section 37 is formed in a quadrangular shape when viewed from above. The impact suppression section 37 is disposed opposite the element 15 from a hole 27 formed in the first inner case 12, thereby suppressing an impact on the element 15.

[0031] Positioning protrusions 40 for positioning the elastic member 14 within the housing 7 are formed on the inner surface of the housing 7. A plurality of positioning protrusions 40 (two in this example) are formed on the inner surface of the first housing 8. In this example, the positioning protrusions 40 are arranged, for example, at diagonal corner positions inside the substantially square first housing 8. The elastic member 14 is positioned within the housing 7 by fitting the positioning protrusions 40 into protrusion fitting portions 41. The protrusion fitting portions 41 are fitted into fitting recesses 42 provided in the first inner case 12 during assembly.

[0032] (Operation of the embodiment) Next, the operation of the terminal 4 (distance measuring terminal 5) of this embodiment will be described. 6, when water droplets adhere to the boundary between the first housing 8 and the second housing 10, there is a possibility that the water droplets will enter the inside through the gap between the first housing 8 and the second housing 10. However, in the present embodiment, the waterproof portion 36 of the elastic member 14 can prevent the water droplets from entering the component accommodating space 38. This makes it possible to make it difficult for water droplets to adhere to electronic components such as the board 11 and the elements 15.

[0033] Furthermore, when the terminal 4 is dropped on the ground, an external force F may be applied to the element 15 via the housing 7. The external force F may be, for example, an impact load. However, in this example, the impact suppression portion 37 of the elastic member 14 makes it difficult for the external force F to reach the element 15. Therefore, it is possible to protect the element 15 from the impact.

[0034] In this example, one elastic member 14 has both a waterproof function and a shock suppression function. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts compared to the case where a part is provided for each of the waterproof function and the shock suppression function. This also contributes to reducing the cost of parts required for the terminal 4. Furthermore, if it is possible to reduce the number of parts in the terminal 4, it also contributes to reducing the work time when assembling the terminal 4.

[0035] Particularly in this embodiment, the elastic member 14 suppresses the impact applied to the element 15 by having a shape that covers only the mounting surface 20 on one side of the substrate 11. Therefore, the elastic member 14 only needs to have a simple shape that covers only the mounting surface 20 on one side of the substrate 11, which allows for miniaturization. Therefore, the terminal 4 can be made smaller.

[0036] (Effects of the embodiment) According to the configuration of the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The terminal 4 that wirelessly communicates with the communication target 2 includes an elastic member 14 that has a waterproofing function of waterproofing the component housing space 38 by sealing at least the component housing space 38 in which the substrate 11 is arranged inside the terminal 4. The elastic member 14 has a shape that covers only the mounting surface 20 on one side of the substrate 11, and thus has an impact suppression function of suppressing impacts applied to the element 15 provided on the mounting surface 20.

[0037] According to this configuration, since the elastic member 14 has both a waterproof function and a shock suppression function, it is possible to reduce the number of parts compared to the case where a part is provided for each of these functions. Furthermore, the elastic member 14 suppresses the shock applied to the element 15 by its shape that covers only the mounting surface 20 on one side of the substrate 11. In this way, the elastic member 14 can be made compact because it only needs to have a simple shape that covers only the mounting surface 20 on one side of the substrate 11. As described above, since the elastic member 14 has both a waterproof function and a shock suppression function and furthermore the elastic member 14 can be made compact, the size of the terminal 4 can be reduced.

[0038] (2) The elastic member 14 includes a main body 35 that covers the mounting surface 20, and a waterproof portion 36 that is formed on the periphery of the main body 35 and waterproofs the boundary between the first housing 8 and the second housing 10 that constitute the housing 7 of the terminal 4. The main body 35 has an impact suppression portion 37 that is disposed opposite the element 15 to suppress impact to the element 15. With this configuration, the waterproof portion 36 of the elastic member 14 can waterproof the entire boundary between the first housing 8 and the second housing 10. In addition, the impact suppression portion 37 disposed opposite the element 15 can appropriately protect the element 15 from impact.

[0039] (3) In the substrate 11, the battery 23 is disposed on the second mounting surface 22 opposite to the first mounting surface 21 serving as the mounting surface 20 on which the element 15 is mounted. The element 15 is disposed so as to overlap only partially with the battery 23 in the thickness direction of the substrate 11. With this configuration, the overlapping portion between the element 15 and the battery 23 is limited, so that the effect of the battery 23 on the element 15 can be kept small.

[0040] (4) The terminal 4 includes a first inner case 12 that covers the first mounting surface 21 as the mounting surface 20 in the component housing space 38, and a second inner case 13 that covers the second mounting surface 22 on the opposite side of the first mounting surface 21 of the substrate 11 in the component housing space 38. The elastic member 14 is disposed on the outside of the first inner case 12. The elastic member 14 has an impact suppression portion 37 that suppresses an impact on the element 15 by being disposed facing the element 15 through a hole 27 formed in the first inner case 12. According to this configuration, since the substrate 11 is accommodated inside the first inner case 12 and the second inner case 13, the substrate 11 can be protected by the first inner case 12 and the second inner case 13. Even in a structure in which the substrate 11 is accommodated inside the first inner case 12 and the second inner case 13, the substrate 11 can be protected by the impact suppression portion 37 by forming the hole 27 in the first inner case 12 and facing the element 15.

[0041] (5) The waterproof function waterproofs the boundary between the first housing 8 and the second housing 10 that constitute the housing 7 of the terminal 4. The component accommodating space 38 is formed from an area surrounded by the second housing 10 that closes the opening 9 of the first housing 8 and the elastic member 14. With this configuration, one side of the component accommodating space 38 is formed by the elastic member 14, which contributes to improving the airtightness of the component accommodating space 38.

[0042] (6) The terminal 4 is not provided with an operation button for operating the terminal 4, and executes communication with the communication target 2 upon receiving radio waves from the communication target 2 or upon transmitting radio waves from the terminal 4 itself. With this configuration, the absence of an operation button on the terminal 4 further contributes to miniaturization of the size.

[0043] (7) When the terminal 4 receives radio waves from the communication target 2 using the communication element 15a as the element 15, the terminal 4 executes distance measurement communication with the communication target 2 via the distance measurement element 33 provided on the substrate 11. This configuration allows the terminal 4 to execute distance measurement communication only when necessary. This allows the power consumption of the battery 23 of the terminal 4 to be reduced.

[0044] (8) Since the positioning protrusions 40 are formed on the inner surface of the housing 7, the elastic member 14 can be attached in the correct position by the positioning protrusions 40. When the housing 7 and the elastic member 14 are substantially square, it is conceivable that the elastic member 14 may be erroneously assembled in a state rotated, for example, by 90 degrees, 180 degrees, or 270 degrees. However, in the case of this example, the positioning protrusions 40 are disposed at diagonal corner positions inside the first housing 8, so that the above-mentioned erroneous assembly can be prevented.

[0045] (Other embodiments) This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

[0046] The waterproof portion 36 may be in contact with any part of the first housing 8 and the second housing 10 as long as it can seal the inside of the first housing 8 and the second housing 10 . The element 15 may be arranged on the second mounting surface 22, and the battery 23 may be arranged on the first mounting surface 21. In this case, the impact suppression portion 37 is provided so as to face the element 15 arranged on the second mounting surface 22.

[0047] The elastic member 14 may have, for example, a shape in which an arm portion extends from a ring-shaped waterproof portion 36 and a shock-absorbing portion 37 is provided at the tip of the arm portion. The terminal 4 may be configured such that the first inner case 12 and the second inner case 13 are omitted.

[0048] The communication element 15a is not limited to an element that communicates LF radio waves, and may be an element that communicates radio waves of other frequencies. The distance measurement element 33 is not limited to an element that measures distance using UWB radio waves, and may be an element that uses other radio waves.

[0049] The terminal 4 is not limited to the distance measurement terminal 5, but may be a communication terminal having other functions. The terminal 4 may be, for example, a communication terminal having an operation button. An example of this communication terminal is an electronic key that can remotely control the communication target 2.

[0050] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiment, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment or structure. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within the scope of equivalents. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and concept of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 2...communication target, 4...terminal, 5...distance measurement terminal, 7...housing, 8...first housing, 9...opening, 10...second housing, 11...board, 12...first inner case, 13...second inner case, 14...elastic member, 15...element, 15a...communication element, 20...mounting surface, 21...first mounting surface, 22...second mounting surface, 23...battery, 27...hole, 33...distance measurement element, 35...main body, 36...waterproof part, 37...shock suppression part, 38...component accommodating space.

Claims

1. A terminal that wirelessly communicates with a communication target, a waterproofing elastic member having a waterproofing function for waterproofing a component accommodating space in which at least a substrate is disposed inside the terminal by sealing the component accommodating space, A terminal in which the elastic member has a shape that covers only one mounting surface of the substrate, and thus has an impact suppression function that suppresses impact applied to an element provided on the mounting surface.

2. The elastic member is A main body portion covering the mounting surface; a waterproof portion formed on a periphery of the main body portion and waterproofing a boundary between a first housing and a second housing that constitute a housing of the terminal, The terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the main body portion has an impact suppression portion disposed opposite the element to suppress an impact on the element.

3. the substrate has a second mounting surface opposite to a first mounting surface on which the element is mounted, and a battery is disposed on the second mounting surface; The terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the element is arranged so as to overlap only a portion of the battery in a thickness direction of the substrate.

4. a first inner case that covers a first mounting surface as the mounting surface within the component housing space; a second inner case that covers a second mounting surface of the board opposite to the first mounting surface in the component accommodating space, the elastic member is disposed on the outside of the first inner case, The terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic member has an impact suppressing portion that is disposed opposite the element through a hole formed in the first inner case to suppress an impact on the element.

5. The waterproof function waterproofs a boundary between a first housing and a second housing that constitute a housing of the terminal, The terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the component housing space is defined by an area surrounded by the second housing that closes the opening of the first housing and the elastic member.

6. The terminal according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is not provided with an operation button for operating the terminal, and communication with the communication target is initiated upon receiving radio waves from the communication target or upon transmitting radio waves from the terminal itself.

7. A terminal as described in claim 1, which does not have an operation button for operating the terminal, and when a communication element as the element receives radio waves from the communication target, performs distance measurement communication with the communication target via a distance measurement element provided on the substrate.

8. A distance measuring terminal that performs wireless communication to measure a distance between a communication target, a waterproofing elastic member having a waterproofing function for waterproofing a component housing space in which at least a substrate is disposed inside the distance measuring terminal by sealing the component housing space, The elastic member has a shape that covers only one mounting surface of the substrate, and thus has an impact suppression function that suppresses impact applied to elements provided on the mounting surface.

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