Electronic devices

Abstract

To provide an electronic device capable of preventing dust accumulation and salt damage on an indoor circuit board stored inside a housing arranged on the indoor side with respect to a partition which separates outdoor and indoor.SOLUTION: With respect to a partition 1 which separates outdoor and indoor, a housing 2 arranged on the indoor side and an indoor circuit board 3 stored inside the housing 2 are provided. Between the inside and the outside of the housing 2, an outside air intrusion path is formed, through which the outdoor air is allowed to enter the inside of the housing 2 through a partition 1. The housing 2 has an exhaust port 15 opened to the indoor. An air passage 35 is provided inside the housing 2. The air passage 35 guides the air, which enters the inside of the housing 2 from the outside air intrusion path, to an exhaust port 15 and blocks aerosol particles in the air from the indoor circuit substrate 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device in which an indoor circuit board is housed inside a housing that is disposed on the indoor side of a partition that separates an indoor area from an outdoor area. [Background technology]

[0002] For doors such as the entrance to a home or office, electric locks are becoming common, in which an electronic key is used to lock and unlock the door under normal circumstances, and a mechanical key is used to operate a cylinder lock in an emergency, such as when the battery in the electronic key runs out (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] On the other hand, there is a tendency for buildings to be more airtight in order to save energy, keep indoor temperatures comfortable, and prevent a decline in insulation performance. In the case of highly airtight indoor spaces, it is increasingly necessary to run the ventilation fan 24 hours a day to expel water vapor, carbon dioxide, odorous components, etc. from the interior. In such a situation, multiple ventilation intakes are installed, and indoor air is exhausted from the ventilation fan and outside air is drawn in from the intake. If the combination of the intake and the ventilation fan is not appropriate, outdoor air can be drawn into the interior through a small gap such as the cylinder lock at the front door. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-231022 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in areas along roads, in industrial areas, in areas with a lot of yellow sand and pollen, and in areas near the coast, the air contains aerosol particles such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen compounds, dust, yellow sand, pollen, and sea salt particles. These aerosol particles can also enter indoors through gaps in cylinder locks, etc.

[0006] The electric lock of Patent Document 1 prevents water and dust from entering the keyhole by providing a cover that covers the head of the outdoor cylinder lock, but in a situation where ventilation is required, sealing the keyhole of the cylinder lock with a cover is not acceptable because in an emergency such as when the battery runs out or a power outage occurs, the unlocking operation after opening the sealed cover becomes complicated, and furthermore, after unlocking, it is necessary to take a sealing measure again, so it cannot be adopted. If it is simply covered with a non-sealing cover, it may be possible to block relatively large dust particles, but it is not possible to block fine particles such as PM2.5 because the suction flow rate is high. For this reason, there is a problem that the fine particles sucked into the indoors will adhere to the indoor circuit board and components of the electric lock, causing salt damage and causing malfunctions and breakdowns. In order to avoid breakdowns due to dust accumulation and salt damage, it is possible to apply a special coating to the indoor circuit board and connector parts, but this will leave problems in terms of cost and management.

[0007] In view of the above background, the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an electronic device that is capable of preventing dust accumulation and salt damage on an indoor circuit board housed inside a housing that is placed on the indoor side of a partition that separates the outdoors from the indoors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising a housing arranged on the indoor side of a partition separating an indoor space from an outdoor space, and an indoor circuit board housed inside the housing, and an outside air inflow path is formed between the inside of the housing and the outdoors via the partition, through which outdoor air can infiltrate into the inside of the housing. The housing has an exhaust port that is open to the indoor space, An air passage that guides air that has entered through an outside air inlet path to the exhaust port is provided inside the housing, and the air passage is configured to block aerosol particles in the air from reaching the indoor circuit board. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the above configuration, the air that has entered the inside of the housing from the outside air inflow path is guided to the exhaust port through the ventilation path and is discharged indoors, and aerosol particles contained in the air do not adhere to the indoor circuit board. Therefore, this invention makes it possible to prevent dust accumulation and salt damage on the indoor circuit board housed inside the housing that is located on the indoor side of the partition that separates the indoors from the outdoors, and as a result, it is possible to provide a low-cost electronic device without the need for special coatings on the indoor circuit board, connectors, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of a state in which an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a partition; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the housing of FIG. 1 in a disassembled state from the outdoor side. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the exploded state of the housing of FIG. 2 from the indoor side. [Figure 4] A cross-sectional view showing the outline of the pressing part and its surroundings in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] The electronic device shown in Fig. 1 includes a housing 2 arranged on the indoor side of a partition 1 separating the indoor area from the outdoors, an indoor circuit board 3 housed inside the housing 2, and an electric motor 4 as an electric actuator housed inside the housing 2. Note that the electric actuator is not limited to an electric motor, and may be appropriately selected from a solenoid, a plunger, or the like.

[0013] The outdoor side further includes an outdoor unit 26 that accepts operations from outdoors. The outdoor unit 26 has an outdoor case 27 that is fixed to the outdoor side of the partition 1. Inside the outdoor case 27, an outdoor circuit board 28 is housed that communicates with the electronic key and transmits lock / unlock switching requests from the electronic key that have been successfully authenticated to the indoor circuit board 3.

[0014] The partition 1 is a door for opening and closing the entrance to the building. A mortise lock 7 is disposed in the internal space between an exterior door panel 5 of the partition 1 and an interior door panel 6 facing it.

[0015] Through holes 8, 9 are formed in the exterior door panel 5 and the interior door panel 6, respectively. The through hole 8 in the exterior door panel 5 is for transmitting the rotation of the cylinder lock 10 from the exterior side to the mortise lock 7. The through hole 9 in the interior door panel 6 is for transmitting the rotation of the electric motor 4 from the interior side to the mortise lock 7.

[0016] The housing 2 is attached to the partition 1 so as to cover the through hole 9 of the indoor door panel 5. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the housing 2 has a bracket plate 11 that contacts the indoor door panel 6, a cover 12 that is joined to cover the bracket plate 11, a partition 13 that is disposed inside the cover 12 so as to be located between the bracket plate 11 and the cover 12, and a lid 14 that is attached to and detached from the cover 12.

[0017] The bracket plate 11 is connected to the lock case of the mortise lock 7 shown in FIG. 1 and is installed at a predetermined position on the indoor side of the partition 1. The bracket plate 11 also has an outdoor circuit board 28 and A first wiring port 41 is provided for passing a cable 43 that electrically connects to the indoor circuit board 3.

[0018] 1 and 2, the cover 12 has upper, lower, left and right side walls and a front wall connecting the indoor sides of these side walls. An exhaust port 15 that faces downward and opens indoors is provided in the lower side wall of the cover 12.

[0019] The indoor circuit board 3 controls the electric motor 4 in response to a lock / unlock switching request using an electronic key (not shown). A drive shaft 16 that outputs forward and reverse rotation of the electric motor 4 protrudes from a motor case 17. The drive shaft 16 also outputs forward and reverse rotation of a thumb turn 18 disposed on the outside of the cover 12.

[0020] As shown by the dashed line P1 in FIG. 1, the cable 43 passes through the through holes 8 and 9 of the partition 1 to connect the outdoor circuit board 28 and the indoor circuit board 3. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the cable 43 is passed through the opening 46 to the indoor side. Here, the opening 46 is an opening area formed by overlapping the first wiring port 41 provided in the bracket plate 11 and the through hole 9 of the indoor door panel 6 when the panel surface of the indoor door panel 6, which is the housing mounting surface of the partition 1, is viewed from the front. Furthermore, the cable 43 is routed along the panel plane of the indoor door panel 6 and connected to the connector 21 of the indoor circuit board 3. A first sealant 36 is disposed so as to continuously cover from the opening 46 to a part of the cable 43 routed along the housing mounting surface. The first sealant 36 is made of a porous material having elasticity and a sheet shape (the detailed shape of the first sealant 36 will be described later). The cable 43 and the upper seal portion 39 of the first seal material 36 are pressed against the panel surface side of the interior door panel 6 on the partition 13. Holding part In this way, aerosol particles in the air are prevented from entering through the opening 46 through which the cable 43 passes from the outdoor side to the indoor side.

[0021] On the other hand, the indoor circuit board 3 and the electric motor 4 are arranged vertically between the partition 13 and the cover 12, and are connected by a cable 44 as shown by the dashed line P2 in FIG. 1 (see also FIG. 4). The partition 13 is screwed to the inside of the cover 12. After this screwing, the cover 12 is placed over a bracket plate 11 attached to the indoor door panel 6, and is further screwed to the bracket plate 11. As a result, the housing 2 is placed at a predetermined position on the indoor side of the partition 1. The partition 13 is formed with a second wiring port 42 penetrating the partition 13. The second wiring port 42 is used to pass cables 43, 44 connected to the connectors 20, 21 of the indoor circuit board 3, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0022] Between the front wall of the cover 12 and the lid 14, the indoor circuit board 3, the outdoor circuit board 28 and a battery 22 that serves as a power source for the electric motor 4 are housed.

[0023] The drive shaft 16 is inserted into a through hole 23 formed in the partition 13 and is connected to a shaft 24. The bracket plate 11 is formed with a shaft hole 25 for inserting the shaft 24. The shaft 24 transmits the rotation of the drive shaft 16 to the mortise lock 7.

[0024] The outdoor case 27 has a cylindrical portion 29 inserted into the through hole 8 of the outdoor door panel 5. The cylinder lock 10 is fitted into the cylindrical portion 29. A rotor 30 of the cylinder lock 10 is connected to the shaft 24.

[0025] When the electronic key or thumb turn 18 is used to lock or unlock the door, the forward and reverse rotation of the drive shaft 16 by the electric motor 4 or thumb turn 18 is transmitted to the mortise lock 7 via the shaft 24, and the mortise lock 7 is operated by the transmitted force to switch between locking and unlocking. In an emergency such as when the battery of the electronic key runs out, a mechanical key can be used. When the cylinder lock 10 is operated from the outside side relative to the partition 1 to lock or unlock it, the rotation of the rotor 30 is transmitted to the mortise lock 7 via the shaft 24, and the transmission force activates the mortise lock 7 to switch between locked and unlocked states.

[0026] Normally, the cylinder lock 10 that is not in use is covered and hidden by a lock cover 31 that can be attached to and detached from the outdoor case 27. A small fitting gap 32 is generated between the lock cover 31 and the outdoor case 27. A small fitting gap 33 is also generated between the cylinder lock 10 and the tube portion 29. A gap 34 is also generated between the shaft 24 and the bracket plate 11. Note that these gaps 32 to 34 are exaggerated in FIG. 1.

[0027] Between the inside of the housing 2 and the outdoors, an outside air intrusion path is formed that leads the outdoor air to the inside of the housing 2 by passing through the fitting gap 32, the fitting gap 33, the internal space of the partition 1, and the gap 34 in this order.

[0028] An air passage 35 is provided inside the housing 2 to guide the air that has entered the inside of the housing 2 from a gap 34, which is the end of the outside air intrusion path, to the exhaust port 15.

[0029] The air passage 35 is formed by a bracket plate 11, a partition 13, a first sealing material 36 that seals the space between the bracket plate 11 and the partition 13 against the indoor circuit board 3, and a motor case 17 and a second sealing material 37 that seals the space between the partition 13 and the motor case 17 against the indoor circuit board 3.

[0030] 1 and 2, the first seal material 36 is formed in a gate shape having left and right seal portions 38 extending in the vertical direction and an upper seal portion 39 connecting the upper parts of the left and right seal portions 38. The upper seal portion 39 passes around the shaft 24 and the drive shaft 16 and at a position lower than the second wiring port 42 of the partition 13. The left and right seal portions 38, 38 are continuous from the lower wall of the cover 12 to the upper seal portion 39.

[0031] The second sealing material 37 is formed in a sheet shape surrounding the periphery of the drive shaft 16, as shown in FIGS.

[0032] 1 are formed of a sponge-like porous material having elasticity, which is a mixture of rubber-based materials such as urethane rubber (U), nitrile rubber (NBR), silicone rubber (Si,Q), fluororubber (FKM), ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM), chloroprene rubber (CR), butyl rubber (IIR), etc. Note that these seals 36 and 37 may be formed of any appropriate material capable of blocking aerosol particles in the air, and are not limited to the above materials.

[0033] The shape of the air passage 35 needs to be set taking into consideration the flow path resistance (pressure loss) ΔP. For example, if the flow path is a circular pipe with diameter d and pipe length L, ΔP is proportional to L / d. Actual electronic devices are not necessarily limited to a circular pipe shape and are often rectangular or other shapes. In such cases, the shape can be evaluated using the equivalent diameter De, expressed by the following formula, instead of the diameter d. The equivalent diameter De is a representative length that indicates how many circular pipes in diameter the flow path is equivalent to in terms of flow, and is expressed by the following formula. De=4Af / Wp Here, Af is the flow path cross-sectional area, and Wp is the wetted perimeter length (length of the wall surface in the cross section). Therefore, even if the cross-sectional area Af is large, if the wetted perimeter length Wp is large and the shape is flattened, the equivalent diameter De will be small and the flow path resistance ΔP will be large, making it impossible to efficiently exhaust the outside air mixed with the aerosol particles that have entered through the exhaust port. For electronic devices in a typical home, the equivalent diameter De should be 5 mm or more, and the flow path length L (for example, in the present embodiment) should be 10 mm or more. In this case, the distance De (corresponding to the distance from the drive shaft 16 to the exhaust port 15) may be set to 100 mm or less. More preferably, De is 7 mm or more and the flow path length L is 70 mm or less.

[0034] Most of the air that has entered the inside of the housing 2 through the gap 34 between the shaft 24 and the bracket plate 11 flows downward through the space in the ventilation path 35 that is surrounded by the first sealant 36, the partition 13, and the bracket plate 11, and then flows out downward through the exhaust port 15. Some of the air that has entered also flows into the gap 40 between the through hole 23 in the partition 13 and the drive shaft 16 in the ventilation path 35, but collides with the second sealant 37 (see also FIG. 3) and the motor case 17 of the electric motor 4 (see also FIG. 2), and is eventually returned to the space surrounded by the first sealant 36, the partition 13, and the bracket plate 11, flows downward through this space, and then flows out downward through the exhaust port 15. Aerosol particles such as sea salt particles and dust contained in the air flowing through the air passage 35 cannot leak from between the partition 13 and the bracket plate 11 or between the partition 13 and the motor case 17 due to the first seal material 36 that adheres to the partition 13 and the bracket plate 11 and the second seal material 37 that adheres to the partition 13 and the motor case 17, and cannot pass through the first seal material 36 and the second seal material 37 and cannot reach the indoor circuit board 3. In this way, the air passage 35 is provided to block aerosol particles in the air that have entered the inside of the housing 2 with respect to the indoor circuit board 3.

[0035] 1 to 4, as described above, the housing 2 has the exhaust port 15 open to the indoors, and the air passage 35 that guides the air that has entered from the outside air inflow path to the exhaust port 15 is provided inside the housing 2, and the air passage 35 is provided so as to block aerosol particles in the air from the indoor circuit board 3, so that the air that has entered the inside of the housing 2 from the outside air inflow path is guided to the exhaust port 15 by the air passage 35 and flows out indoors, and the aerosol particles contained in the air do not adhere to the indoor circuit board 3. Therefore, the illustrated electronic device can prevent dust accumulation and salt damage on the indoor circuit board 3 housed inside the housing 2 that is arranged on the indoor side of the partition 1 that separates the indoors from the outdoors.

[0036] In addition, in the illustrated electronic device, the exhaust port 15 of the housing 2 is open in a direction away from the indoor circuit board 3 on the housing, which reduces the probability that aerosol particles in the air flowing out from the exhaust port 15 will re-enter the inside of the housing 2 through gaps in the cover 12, and in particular, because it is open downward, it is possible to prevent the aerosol particles from floating up into the air indoors.

[0037] In addition, in the electronic device shown in the figure, the partition 1 is a door that can be locked and unlocked from the outside by a cylinder lock 10, an electric motor 4 for switching between locking and unlocking is housed inside the housing 2, a shaft 24 that transmits the output of the electric motor 4 is inserted inside the partition 1, an outside air intrusion path communicates with the inside of the housing 2 through the gap 34 between the housing 2 and the shaft 24, and an air passage 35 communicates with the gap 34 between the housing 2 and the shaft 24 to the exhaust port 15. Therefore, even in an environment where a ventilation fan is turned on 24 hours a day in a highly sealed building such as a house, condominium, or hotel, air is allowed to be drawn indoors through the outside air intrusion path associated with the installation of the cylinder lock 10 and the electric motor 4 through the air passage 35 and the exhaust port 15, while preventing the accumulation of dust and salt in electrical circuits such as the indoor circuit board 3 in the housing 2 and the wiring connected to the connectors 20 and 21 associated with the installation of the electric motor 4, thereby preventing failure of the electronic device.

[0038] The electronic device shown in the figure is an electric lock to be installed on a door, but this invention is not limited to electric locks and can be used in electronic devices that have a path for outside air to enter that connects from the outdoors to the inside of the housing through a partition, such as intercoms, door phones, and surveillance cameras.

[0039] It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Divider 2. Chassis 3 Indoor circuit board 4 Electric motor (electric actuator) 5 Exterior door panel 6 Indoor door panel 8,9 Through holes 10 Cylinder Lock 11 Bracket plate 13 Partition 15 Exhaust port 24 Axis 32,33 Fitting gap 34 Gap 35 Ventilation passage 36 First sealing material 37 Second sealing material 41 1st wiring port 42 2nd wiring port

Claims

1. The device includes a housing arranged on the indoor side of a partition separating an indoor area from an outdoor area, and an indoor circuit board accommodated inside the housing, In the electronic device, an outside air inflow path is formed between the inside of the housing and the outside via the partition, through which outdoor air can infiltrate into the inside of the housing, an exhaust port that opens downward indoors, an air passage that guides air that has entered from the outside air intrusion path to the exhaust port is provided inside the housing, an equivalent diameter of the air passage, expressed by the following equation 1, is 5 mm or more, a flow path length of the air passage is 100 mm or less, and the exhaust port side of the air passage is provided inside the housing facing away from the indoor circuit board. Equivalent diameter = 4 x cross-sectional area of ​​air passage / wetted perimeter length of cross-section of air passage ... Equation 1

2. The partition is a door that can be locked and unlocked from the outside using a cylinder lock, An electric actuator for switching between locking and unlocking is housed inside the housing, A shaft that transmits the output of the electric actuator is inserted inside the partition, the outside air intrusion path communicates with the inside of the housing through a gap between the housing and the shaft, The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the air passage communicates from a gap between the housing and the shaft to the exhaust port.

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