Electronic key

Abstract

To provide an electronic key capable of preventing a lid for a battery from being easily removed by a child.SOLUTION: An electronic key includes a case 9 having a battery housing part for housing a battery. A lid 19 for opening and closing the battery housing portion is detachably attached to the case 9. The electronic key includes a lid fixing mechanism 24 for fixing the lid 19 to the case 9. The lid fixing mechanism 24 has a structure that requires a plurality of operations in different operation directions when the lid 19 is removed from the case 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic key that is authenticated by a communication partner through wireless communication. [Background technology]

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a portable device containing a battery is well known. The portable device includes a main body having a storage compartment for storing the battery, and a lid for closing the storage compartment. When replacing the battery, the lid is removed from the main body. In the case of Patent Document 1, the lid can be removed from the main body by rotating the lid in a predetermined direction to release the claw-like engagement between the lid and the main body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5652885 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this type of portable device, if the cover is designed to be easily detachable from the main body, there is a risk that small children may open the cover and remove the battery. Therefore, a structure that makes it difficult for small children to remove the cover was required. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The electronic key that solves the above problem has a battery that serves as the power source when performing authentication via wireless communication with the communication partner and is housed in a battery storage compartment in the case, and the battery storage compartment is opened and closed by a lid.The electronic key is equipped with a lid fixing mechanism that fixes the lid to the case and requires multiple operations in different directions to remove the lid from the case. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present invention can make it difficult for children to remove the battery cover. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic key according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the case with the case waterproof part attached. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic key. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the battery holding portion of the case. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the case with the lid attached. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lid as seen from the front. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the lid as seen from the back side. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 9(a) and 9(b) are cross-sectional views taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 5, illustrating the operation of releasing the first lock of the lid fixing mechanism. [Figure 10] 10(a) to 10(c) are explanatory diagrams of the operation for releasing the second lock of the lid fixing mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. (Electronic key 1) As shown in Fig. 1, the electronic key 1 is authenticated by a communication partner 2 via wireless communication, and if authentication is successful, the operation of the communication partner 2 is permitted or executed. The wireless authentication communication may be performed automatically when the electronic key 1 enters the communication area of ​​the communication partner 2, or may be performed by transmitting authentication radio waves to the communication partner 2 when a button 3 on the electronic key 1 is operated. Examples of the communication partner 2 include a vehicle, a house, an accommodation facility, a parking facility, and a coin locker.

[0009] (Component of Electronic Key 1) As shown in Figure 3, the electronic key 1 includes a housing 5 that houses the components of the electronic key 1. The housing 5 includes an upper housing 6 and a lower housing 7 that are assembled together. The button 3 is exposed to the outside through an opening 8 formed in the upper housing 6.

[0010] The electronic key 1 includes a case 9 that houses the electronic components of the electronic key 1. The case 9 is, for example, an inner case that is housed inside the housing 5 and houses a circuit board 10 on which the electrical components are mounted. The case 9 is made of, for example, resin. A battery 11 that serves as the power source for the electronic key 1 is attached to the case 9. The battery 11 is, for example, a button battery. The battery 11 is disposed on a first surface 12, which is the outer surface of the case 9, and the circuit board 10 is disposed on a second surface 13 that is opposite the first surface 12 in the thickness direction (the Z-axis direction in FIG. 3 , etc.).

[0011] The board 10 is mounted with electrical components such as a control circuit, a communication circuit, and a communication antenna (all not shown). The control circuit is an IC that controls the operation of the electronic key 1. The communication antenna is, for example, a transmitting antenna that transmits radio waves to the communication partner 2, or a receiving antenna that receives radio waves from the communication partner 2. The control circuit controls the transmission and reception of radio waves from the communication antenna via the communication circuit.

[0012] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the electronic key 1 includes a case waterproof part 14 that waterproofs the second surface 13 of the case 9. The case waterproof part 14 is, for example, a generally flat, flexible rubber packing. The case waterproof part 14 waterproofs the second surface 13 of the case 9 along the periphery of the second surface 13 of the case 9, in which the circuit board 10 is housed (see Figure 2). The operating load of pressing the button 3 is transmitted to a switch 15 formed on the circuit board 10 by elastic deformation of the case waterproof part 14.

[0013] (Battery compartment 17) As shown in FIG. 4, the case 9 has a battery housing portion 17 that houses the battery 11. In this example, the battery housing portion 17 is disposed on the first surface 12 of the case 9 and is formed in the shape of a hole into which the battery 11 is fitted. The battery 11 is, for example, attached to the battery housing portion 17 in the fitting direction (the direction of arrow A1 in FIG. 4), and then slid in a direction intersecting this fitting direction (the direction of arrow A2 in FIG. 4), thereby making electrical contact with the board 10. When housed in the battery housing portion 17, the battery 11 is electrically connected to a terminal (not shown) provided on the board 10.

[0014] (Lid 19) As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the electronic key 1 includes a lid 19 that opens and closes the opening of the battery housing portion 17. The lid 19 is detachable from the battery housing portion 17 of the case 9. Attaching and detaching the lid 19 includes, for example, rotating the lid 19 around the center of an axis L1 (see FIG. 5). In this example, the lid body 20 of the lid 19 is placed in a lid housing portion 18 that is formed with a larger diameter than the battery housing portion 17 at the upper end of the battery housing portion 17. The lid body 20 is formed, for example, in a substantially circular plate shape to match the shape of the opening of the lid housing portion 18. Note that the surface of the lid body 20 may be provided with a design or instructions showing, for example, how to remove the battery 11 from the battery housing portion 17.

[0015] The lid 19 has a grip portion 21 that is gripped by an operator when attaching or detaching the lid 19. The grip portion 21 is formed in a protruding shape that extends in the height direction of the lid 19. Two grip portions 21 are formed and arranged opposite each other. In this way, the lid 19 has a pair of grip portions 21. The grip portion 21 is gripped, for example, by the operator's fingers.

[0016] 4, the case 9 has a mounting portion 22 on which the peripheral edge of the lid main body 20 is placed at the opening of the lid accommodating portion 18. The mounting portion 22 is formed in a circumferential shape along the peripheral edge of the opening of the lid accommodating portion 18. When attaching or detaching the lid 19, the lid 19 is rotated with the peripheral edge of the lid 19 placed on the mounting portion 22.

[0017] (Lid fixing mechanism 24) As shown in FIG. 5 , the electronic key 1 includes a lid securing mechanism 24 that secures the lid 19 to the case 9. The lid securing mechanism 24 is designed to require the operator to perform multiple operations in different directions when removing the lid 19 from the case 9. The lid securing mechanism 24 includes a first lock 25 and a second lock 26, each of which has a different release direction. In this way, when removing the lid 19, an operation to release the first lock 25, which has a predetermined release direction, and an operation to release the second lock 26, which has a predetermined release direction different from that of the first lock 25, are required.

[0018] The first lock 25 has a lock piece 27 formed on the lid 19 so as to bend in a direction intersecting the rotational operation for attaching and detaching the lid 19. In this example, the lock piece 27 is housed inside a recess 28 formed in a part of the mounting portion 22 of the case 9 when the lid 19 is attached to the case 9. The recess 28 is formed so as to communicate with the lid housing portion 18, for example. The first lock 25 has a snap-fit ​​structure in which the lock piece 27 elastically deforms to fit into its mating member.

[0019] 6 and 7, the lock piece 27 has, for example, a generally U-shaped lock piece main body 30 whose base end is fixed to the lid main body 20, and a protrusion 31 formed in a protruding shape on the side of the lock piece main body 30. The protrusion 31 engages with an engagement portion 32 (see FIG. 4) formed on the side of the recess 28. The engagement portion 32 is, for example, a through engagement hole. In this way, the first lock 25 locks the lid 19 to the case 9 by engaging the lock piece 27 with the case 9.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 5, the second lock 26 locks the lid 19 to the case 9 by engaging an end piece 33 of the lid 19 with the case 9 in response to a rotational operation for attaching or detaching the lid 19. In this example, the end piece 33 is, for example, a protrusion formed in a shape that protrudes radially outward from the edge of the lid main body 20. A plurality of end pieces 33 (three in this example) are provided, and specifically, they are arranged at predetermined intervals around the axis L1 of the lid 19. The end pieces 33 engage with engaging protrusions 34 formed along the periphery of the lid accommodating portion 18 of the case 9, thereby restricting movement of the lid 19 in the thickness direction (the Z-axis direction in FIG. 5).

[0021] The multiple operations required to remove the lid 19 include an operation to remove the lock piece 27 from the case 9 to release the first lock 25, and an operation to rotate the lid 19 to remove the end piece 33 from the case 9 to release the second lock 26. In this way, removing the lid 19 requires a first operation of pulling the lock piece 27 toward the center of the lid 19 (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 5) to remove it from the engaging portion 32, and a second operation of rotating the lid 19 in the removal direction (the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 5) to remove the end piece 33 from the engaging projection 34.

[0022] (lid mounting direction operation regulation part 36) 4 and 5, the lid fixing mechanism 24 has a lid mounting direction operation restricting portion 36 that restricts rotation of the lid 19 at a position where the first lock 25 and the second lock 26 are locked when the lid 19 is rotated in the direction in which the lid 19 is mounted (the direction of arrow C2 in FIG. 5). The lid mounting direction operation restricting portion 36 is one of a pair of wall surfaces in the rotation direction of the lid 19 in the recess 28 in which the locking piece 27 is disposed, and is located in the direction in which the lid 19 is mounted. When the locking piece 27 abuts against the lid mounting direction operation restricting portion 36, further rotation of the lid 19 in the direction in which the lid 19 is mounted is restricted. When the locking piece 27 abuts against the lid mounting direction operation restricting portion 36, the end piece 33 is positioned below the engaging protrusion 34, and the locking piece 27 is thereby positioned relative to the engaging protrusion 34.

[0023] (Cover removal direction operation regulation part 37) As shown in Figure 5, the lid fixing mechanism 24 has a lid removal direction operation restricting portion 37 that restricts rotation of the lid 19 at a position where the first lock 25 and the second lock 26 are released when the lid 19 is rotated in the direction of removal (the direction of arrow C1 in Figure 5). The lid removal direction operation restricting portion 37 is one of a pair of wall surfaces in the rotation direction of the lid 19 in the recess 28 in which the locking piece 27 is disposed, and is located in the direction in which the lid 19 is removed. When the locking piece 27 abuts against the lid removal direction operation restricting portion 37, further rotation of the lid 19 in the direction in which the lid 19 is removed is restricted. When the locking piece 27 abuts against the lid removal direction operation restricting portion 37, the end piece 33 disengages from the engaging projection 34.

[0024] (Lid waterproof part 39) As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the electronic key 1 includes a lid waterproof part 39 that provides waterproofing between the lid 19 and the battery housing part 17 when the lid 19 is closed over the battery housing part 17. The lid waterproof part 39 is formed in an annular shape along the periphery of the lid main body 20. The lid waterproof part 39 is preferably, for example, an annular rubber packing. The lid waterproof part 39 is fitted onto a rear surface protrusion 40 that protrudes in an annular shape from the rear surface of the lid main body 20. The lid waterproof part 39 may be formed in the lid 19 by insert molding, for example, or may be attached to the lid 19 later.

[0025] As shown in Figure 8, the waterproof lid part 39 is attached so as to abut against the side of the rear projection 40 and the rear surface of the periphery of the lid body 20. When the lid 19 is closed over the battery housing section 17, the waterproof lid part 39 rests on a step 41 located at the opening of the battery housing section 17. The waterproof lid part 39 has a lip shape at a position facing the bottom surface of the step 41. The waterproof lid part 39 elastically deforms and tightly adheres to an inner wall surface 42 of the step 41, thereby ensuring sealing on the side surface that comes into contact with this inner wall surface 42.

[0026] (Operation of the embodiment) Next, the operation of the electronic key 1 of this embodiment will be described. 9(a) and 9(b), when removing the lid 19 from the case 9, the operator first applies an operating load to the lock piece 27 in the tilting direction (the direction of arrow B in FIG. 9(b)), thereby elastically deforming the lock piece 27 and disengaging the protrusion 31 of the lock piece 27 from the engagement portion 32. In other words, when removing the lid 19 from the case 9, a "first operation" is first required to tilt the lock piece 27 toward the center of the lid 19 (the direction of axis L1). This releases the first lock 25 of the lid fixing mechanism 24.

[0027] 10(a) and 10(b), with the projection 31 of the locking piece 27 disengaged from the engagement portion 32 of the case 9, the lid 19 is rotated in the removal direction (the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 10(b)). That is, after the projection 31 of the locking piece 27 is disengaged from the engagement portion 32 of the case 9, a "second operation" is required in which the lid 19 is rotated in the removal direction. At this time, the rotation of the lid 19 in the removal direction is permitted until the locking piece 27 of the lid 19 comes into contact with the lid removal direction operation restricting portion 37 of the case 9.

[0028] When the lid 19 is rotated in the removal direction, the end piece 33 of the lid 19 disengages from the engaging projection 34 of the case 9. This releases the second lock 26 of the lid fixing mechanism 24. In this example, the lid fixing mechanism 24 is unlocked by successively performing a first operation of disengaging the lock piece 27 of the lid 19 from the engaging portion 32 of the case 9, and a second operation of rotating the lid 19 to disengage the end piece 33 of the lid 19 from the engaging projection 34. In other words, the lid fixing mechanism 24 is unlocked by the first operation and the second operation, which are in different operating directions, thereby making the lid 19 removable.

[0029] As shown in Figure 10(c), after unlocking the lid fixing mechanism 24, the lid 19 is lifted forward (in the direction of arrow D in Figure 10(c)) to remove the lid 19 from the case 9. This opens the battery housing section 17, allowing the battery 11 to be removed from the battery housing section 17 and replaced.

[0030] As described above, in this example, removing lid 19 from case 9 requires a first operation in the direction of tilting lock piece 27 of lid 19, and a second operation in the direction of rotating lid 19 in the removal direction. Specifically, to remove lid 19 from case 9, it is necessary to rotate lid 19 while releasing the snap fit that serves as first lock 25. In this way, removing lid 19 from case 9 requires multiple operations (two operations in this example) each in a different direction. This makes it difficult for small children to remove lid 19 from case 9. This contributes to preventing small children from accidentally swallowing battery 11.

[0031] (Effects of the embodiment) The electronic key 1 of the above embodiment has the following advantages. (1) In the electronic key 1, the battery 11, which serves as the power source when performing authentication via wireless communication with the communication partner 2, is housed in a battery housing 17 of the case 9, and the battery housing 17 is opened and closed by a lid 19. The electronic key 1 is equipped with a lid fixing mechanism 24 that fixes the lid 19 to the case 9 and requires multiple operations in different directions to remove the lid 19 from the case 9.

[0032] According to this configuration, the operation of removing lid 19 of battery housing section 17 requires multiple operations in different directions, making it difficult for children such as infants to remove lid 19. Therefore, it is possible to prevent children from easily removing lid 19 for the battery.

[0033] (2) The operation of attaching or detaching the lid 19 includes a rotation operation of rotating the lid 19 about the center of the axis L1. The lid fixing mechanism 24 has a first lock 25 that locks the lid 19 to the case 9 by engaging with the case 9 a lock piece 27 formed on the lid 19 so as to bend in a direction intersecting the direction of the rotation operation of the lid 19, and a second lock 26 that locks the lid 19 to the case 9 by engaging an end piece 33 of the lid 19 with the case 9 in response to the rotation operation of the lid 19 for attachment or detachment. The multiple operations required to remove the lid 19 include an operation of disengaging the lock piece 27 from the case 9 to release the first lock 25, and an operation of disengaging the end piece 33 from the case 9 by rotating the lid 19 to release the second lock 26.

[0034] With this configuration, to remove the lid 19, it is necessary to tilt the locking piece 27 of the first lock 25 in a direction that intersects with the direction of rotation of the lid 19, and to rotate the lid 19. Therefore, since removing the lid 19 is a complicated operation for small children, this configuration further contributes to preventing children from removing the lid 19.

[0035] (3) The lid fixing mechanism 24 has a lid mounting direction operation restricting portion 36 that restricts the rotation of the lid 19 at a position where the first lock 25 and the second lock 26 are locked when the lid 19 is rotated in the direction in which the lid 19 is attached. With this configuration, when the lid 19 is rotated to attach to the battery housing portion 17, the rotation of the lid 19 can be stopped at a position where the first lock 25 and the second lock 26 of the lid fixing mechanism 24 are locked. Therefore, when attaching the lid 19 to the battery housing portion 17, the lid 19 can be easily positioned in an optimal position.

[0036] (4) The lid fixing mechanism 24 has a lid removal direction operation restricting portion 37 that restricts the rotation of the lid 19 at a position where the first lock 25 and the second lock 26 are released when the lid 19 is rotated in the direction to remove it. With this configuration, when the lid 19 is rotated to remove it from the battery housing portion 17, the rotation of the lid 19 can be stopped at a position where the first lock 25 and the second lock 26 of the lid fixing mechanism 24 are released. Therefore, the lid 19 can be easily positioned in an optimal position when it is removed from the battery housing portion 17.

[0037] (5) The electronic key 1 includes a lid waterproof section 39 that provides waterproofing between the lid 19 and the battery housing section 17 when the lid 19 is closed over the battery housing section 17. With this configuration, the lid waterproof section 39 provided between the battery housing section 17 and the lid 19 can protect the battery 11 from water intrusion.

[0038] (6) The electronic key 1 includes a case waterproof part 14 that is attached to the second surface 13 of the case 9, which is located on the opposite side of the first surface 12 where the battery housing part 17 is formed, thereby waterproofing the second surface 13 of the case 9. With this configuration, the case waterproof part 14 is provided on the second surface 13 of the case 9, making it difficult for water or the like to penetrate the second surface 13 of the case 9. Therefore, when electrical components are housed inside the case 9, the case waterproof part 14 can protect the electrical components from water intrusion.

[0039] (7) The lid 19 has a gripping portion 21 that is gripped by an operator when attaching or detaching the lid 19. According to this configuration, the gripping portion 21 provided on the lid 19 makes it easier to hold the lid 19, thereby improving operability when attaching or detaching the lid 19.

[0040] (Other embodiments) This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0041] The locking piece 27 of the first lock 25 is not limited to being housed inside the recess 28 formed in the case 9, and may be arranged so as to be exposed on the surface of the case 9, for example, if the recess 28 is omitted from the case 9.

[0042] The engaging projection 34 of the second lock 26 may be shaped to protrude so as to overlap with the lid accommodating portion 18. In this case, it is preferable to form a slit in the lid 19 so that the engaging projection 34 does not interfere with the lid 19 when the lid 19 is attached to the lid accommodating portion 18.

[0043] The lid 19 is not limited to a configuration in which it is detachable from the case 9 , but may be detachable from the housing 5 . The case waterproof part 14 may be, for example, an annular packing.

[0044] The lid mounting direction operation restricting portion 36 and the lid removal direction operation restricting portion 37 are not limited to the inner wall surface of the recess 28, but may be, for example, the wall surface of a protrusion protruding from the case 9. The lid mounting direction operation restricting portion 36 and the lid removal direction operation restricting portion 37 are not limited to a configuration in which they abut against the lock piece 27 of the lid 19, but may abut against any part of the lid 19.

[0045] The grip portion 21 is not limited to a protruding shape, but may be a concave shape. The combination of operation directions for multiple operations may be any combination of directions as long as they are different from each other.

[0046] Multiple operations do not have to be simultaneous operations, but may be separate, independent operations. The electronic key 1 may be, for example, a fob key. The electronic key 1 may be, for example, a high-performance mobile phone with key functions.

[0047] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to those embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1...electronic key, 2...communication partner, 9...case, 11...battery, 12...first surface, 13...second surface, 14...case waterproof section, 17...battery storage section, 19...lid, 21...grip section, 24...lid fixing mechanism, 25...first lock, 26...second lock, 27...lock piece, 33...end piece, 36...lid attachment direction operation regulation section, 37...lid removal direction operation regulation section, 39...lid waterproof section, L1...axis

Claims

1. An electronic key in which a battery that serves as a power source when performing authentication via wireless communication with a communication partner is housed in a battery housing portion of a case, and the battery housing portion is opened and closed by a lid, The electronic key includes a lid fixing mechanism that fixes the lid to the case and requires multiple operations in different directions when removing the lid from the case.

2. the operation of attaching and detaching the lid includes a rotation operation of rotating the lid around the center of the axis, the lid fixing mechanism has a first lock that locks the lid to the case by engaging a lock piece formed on the lid so as to bend in a direction intersecting a direction of rotation of the lid with the case, and a second lock that locks the lid to the case by engaging an end piece of the lid with the case in response to a rotation operation of the lid for attachment or detachment, 2. The electronic key according to claim 1, wherein the multiple operations required to remove the lid include an operation of removing the locking piece from the case to release the first lock, and an operation of rotating the lid to remove the end piece from the case to release the second lock.

3. 3. The electronic key according to claim 2, wherein the lid fixing mechanism has a lid mounting direction operation regulating portion that regulates rotation of the lid at a position where the first lock and the second lock are locked when the lid is rotated in the mounting direction.

4. 3. The electronic key according to claim 2, wherein the lid fixing mechanism has a lid removal direction operation restriction portion that restricts rotation of the lid at a position where the first lock and the second lock are released when the lid is rotated in a direction to remove the lid.

5. The electronic key according to claim 1 , further comprising a lid waterproofing portion that provides waterproofing between the lid and the battery housing portion when the lid is closed over the battery housing portion.

6. 2. The electronic key according to claim 1, further comprising a case waterproofing part attached to a second surface of the case opposite to the first surface on which the battery housing part is formed, thereby waterproofing the second surface of the case.

7. The electronic key according to claim 1 , wherein the cover has a grip portion that is gripped by an operator when attaching or detaching the cover.

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