Housing with water droplet sensing module

Abstract

A housing for mounting an electronic device includes an outer shell, a water droplet sensing module, and a control device. The electronic device is disposed within the outer shell, and the outer surface of the outer shell has at least one sensing area. The water droplet sensing module is disposed on the inner surface of the outer shell corresponding to the at least one sensing area and is located within the outer shell. The water droplet sensing module includes at least one first water droplet sensor. When a water droplet contacts the at least one sensing area at a position corresponding to the at least one first water droplet sensor, the at least one first water droplet sensor outputs a first sensing signal. The control device is electrically connected to the at least one first water droplet sensor and the electronic device. The control device receives the first sensing signal and transmits a first notification signal to the electronic device based on the first sensing signal. The electronic device adjusts at least one device parameter based on the first notification signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to housings; in particular, it refers to a housing with a water droplet sensing module. Prior Technology

[0002] As technology has evolved, the Internet has become an indispensable part of people's daily lives. Network connection methods are divided into wired networks and wireless networks. Due to the diversification and popularization of mobile devices (such as mobile phones and laptops) and smart home devices (such as security systems and home appliances) with wireless network connection capabilities, the demand for wireless base stations is increasing.

[0003] Outdoor wireless base stations are subject to more environmental limitations than indoor wireless base stations. For example, the casing of outdoor wireless base stations needs to be waterproof and dustproof to cope with changes in the outdoor environment, such as rain. However, the wireless signals emitted by existing outdoor wireless base stations are usually affected by rain attenuation, that is, the attenuation of wireless signals caused by the absorption or scattering of raindrops, resulting in a decrease in wireless signal quality. Therefore, in order to cope with the decrease in wireless signal quality caused by rain attenuation, how to adjust the relevant parameters of wireless signals in response to rainfall is a technical issue that the industry is currently focusing on. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the object of the present invention is to provide a housing for sensing rainfall conditions and adjusting at least one device parameter of an electronic device accordingly.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a housing for mounting an electronic device, the electronic device having at least one device parameter. The housing includes an outer shell, a water droplet sensing module, and a control device, wherein the electronic device is disposed within the outer shell, and the outer surface of the outer shell has at least one sensing area; the water droplet sensing module is disposed on the inner surface of the outer shell corresponding to the at least one sensing area and located within the outer shell, the water droplet sensing module including at least one first water droplet sensor, when a water droplet contacts the at least one sensing area at a position corresponding to the at least one first water droplet sensor, the at least one first water droplet sensor outputs a first sensing signal accordingly; the control device is electrically connected to the at least one first water droplet sensor and the electronic device, the control device receives the first sensing signal, and transmits a first notification signal to the electronic device according to the first sensing signal, the electronic device adjusting the at least one device parameter according to the first notification signal.

[0006] The effect of this invention is that, through the structural design of the water droplet sensing module, the rainfall situation can be converted into a corresponding first sensing signal. The control device then receives the first sensing signal and transmits a first notification signal to the electronic device based on the first sensing signal. The electronic device then adjusts at least one device parameter according to the first notification signal, so as to appropriately adjust the at least one device parameter according to the rainfall situation, thereby improving the rain attenuation phenomenon of the electronic device. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the housing of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the housing of the preferred embodiment described above. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of some components of the preferred embodiment described above. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the first water droplet sensor of the above preferred embodiment. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of some components of the above preferred embodiment, showing the position of the water droplet corresponding to the first water droplet sensor in contact with the outer shell. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the second water droplet sensor of the above preferred embodiment. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of some components of the above preferred embodiment, showing the position of the water droplet corresponding to the second water droplet sensor in contact with the outer shell. Implementation

[0008] To more clearly illustrate the present invention, preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to Figures 1 to 3, a housing 100 of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The housing 100 is used to mount an electronic device 1 and includes a casing 20, a water droplet sensing module 40, and a control device 60. The electronic device 1 has at least one device parameter. In this embodiment, the electronic device 1 is an antenna module 12. The antenna module 12 includes an antenna control unit 122 and an antenna 124. The antenna control unit 122 is electrically connected to the antenna 124. The antenna 124 is used to transmit a wireless signal. The antenna 124 has the at least one device parameter corresponding to the wireless signal. The antenna control unit 122 is used to control the antenna 124 to adjust the at least one device parameter. In this embodiment, the at least one device parameter may be, for example, one of a transmission power, a transmission rate, a transmission interval, a packet size, or any combination of two or more, but is not limited thereto.

[0009] The antenna module 12 is disposed within the housing 20, which is formed by combining a first housing 22 and a second housing 24. The outer surface of the first housing 22 has at least one sensing area 222 and a transmitting surface 224. The wireless signal of the antenna 124 passes through the transmitting surface 224. The transmitting surface 224 and the at least one sensing area 222 are located on the same side of the housing 20. The at least one sensing area 222 includes at least one first sensing area 222a and at least one second sensing area 222b. The positions of the at least one first sensing area 222a and the at least one second sensing area 222b are different. The second housing 24 has a plurality of fins. 242, these fins 242 are used to dissipate heat from electronic components inside the housing 20, such as the water droplet sensing module 40, the control device 60 and the antenna module 12. In this embodiment, the first housing 22 is made of plastic to facilitate the transmission of wireless signals, and the second housing 24 is made of metal, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the at least one first sensing area 222a and the at least one second sensing area 222b can be disposed on more than two sides of the housing 20, as long as the material of the housing 20 corresponding to the at least one first sensing area 222a and the at least one second sensing area 222b is a non-conductive material such as plastic.

[0010] As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the water droplet sensing module 40 is disposed on the inner surface of the first housing 20 and located within the housing 20, corresponding to at least one sensing area 222. The water droplet sensing module 40 includes at least one first water droplet sensor 42 and at least one second water droplet sensor 44. In this embodiment, the at least one first water droplet sensor 42 is a self-capacitance sensor and includes a first sensing element 422 and a first circuit board 424. The first sensing element 422 is disposed on the first circuit board 424 and has a first capacitance change value. The position of the at least one first sensing element 422 corresponds to the at least one first sensing area 222a. When a water droplet 2 contacts the at least one first sensing area 222a at the position corresponding to the first sensing element 422 of the at least one first water droplet sensor 422, the water droplet 2 is released from the first sensing area 222a. When the first sensing area 222a is in contact with the first housing 22, the water droplet 2 acts as a conductor and forms a conductive path with the first housing 22 and the first sensing element 422, which is equivalent to a capacitance. This causes the capacitance value of the first sensing element 422 to change accordingly, thereby outputting a first sensing signal. The first sensing signal includes the first capacitance change value. In this embodiment, the number of the at least one first water droplet sensor 42 can be adjusted as needed, as long as the at least one first water droplet sensor 42 is set to correspond to the at least one first sensing area 222a. In this embodiment, the water droplet sensing module 40 is attached to the inner surface of the first housing 20. In other embodiments, the water droplet sensing module 40 can be attached to the inner surface of the first housing 20 by coating or embedding.

[0011] In this embodiment, the at least one second water droplet sensor 44 is a mutual capacitance sensor and includes a second sensing element 442, a third sensing element 444, and a second circuit board 446. The second sensing element 442 and the third sensing element 444 are disposed on the second circuit board 446. The positions of the at least one second sensing element 442 and the at least one third sensing element 444 correspond to the at least one second sensing area 222b. There is a second capacitance change value between the second sensing element 442 and the third sensing element 444. When the water droplet 2 contacts the at least one second sensing area 222b at the positions corresponding to the second sensing elements 442 and the third sensing element 444 of the at least one second water droplet sensor 44, the water droplet... 2. The coupling between the second sensing element 442 and the third sensing element 444 is changed accordingly to make the capacitance value between the second sensing element 442 and the third sensing element 444 change accordingly to change the second capacitance change value, so as to output a second sensing signal, which includes the second capacitance change value; In this embodiment, the number of the at least one second water droplet sensor 44 can be adjusted as needed, as long as the at least one second water droplet sensor 44 is set to correspond to the at least one second sensing area 222b, and the at least one second water droplet sensor 44 and the at least one second sensing area 222b can also be omitted as needed, and only the at least one first water droplet sensor 42 and the at least one first sensing area 222a are set.

[0012] The control device 60 includes a controller 62 and a processor 64. The controller 62 is electrically connected to the at least one first water droplet sensor 42, the at least one second water droplet sensor 44, and the processor 64. The processor 64 is electrically connected to the antenna control unit 122. When the first sensing element 422 of the at least one first water droplet sensor 42 outputs the first sensing signal to the controller 62, and the controller 62 determines that the change in the first capacitance is greater than or equal to a preset value and lasts for a preset time, the controller 62 transmits the first sensing signal to the processor 64. The processor 64 transmits a first notification signal to the antenna control unit 122 based on the first sensing signal. The antenna control unit 122 controls the antenna 124 to adjust the parameters of the at least one device based on the first notification signal, such as increasing the transmission power, decreasing the transmission rate, or shortening the transmission interval. The packet size is reduced, but not limited to this. The controller 62 determines whether the change value of the first capacitor is greater than the preset value and lasts for the preset time to determine whether there is rain outside the casing 100. Then, the processor 64 controls the antenna module 12 to adjust the parameters of the at least one device to improve the rain attenuation of the wireless signal. In addition, with the preset time setting, misjudgment caused by other conditions other than rain can be avoided. In this embodiment, the controller 62 is a microcontroller and the processor 64 is a central processing unit, but not limited to this. The preset value and the preset time can be adjusted as needed. In other embodiments, the controller 62 can also be omitted and its functions can be integrated into the processor 64. The at least one first water droplet sensor 42 and the at least one second water droplet sensor 44 are then electrically connected to the processor 64.

[0013] When the second sensing element 442 outputs the second sensing signal to the controller 62, and the controller 62 determines that the change value of the second capacitance meets a first preset range and continues for the preset time, the controller 62 transmits the second sensing signal to the processor 64. The processor 64 transmits a second notification signal to the antenna control unit 122 based on the second sensing signal. The antenna control unit 122 controls the antenna 124 to adjust the change of the at least one device parameter by a first adjustment range based on the second notification signal. When the second sensing element 442 outputs the second sensing signal to the controller 62, and the controller 62 determines that the change value of the second capacitance meets a first preset range and continues for the preset time, the controller 62 transmits the second sensing signal to the processor 64. The processor 64 transmits a second notification signal to the antenna control unit 122 based on the second notification signal. When the device 62 determines that the change value of the second capacitance meets a second preset range and continues for the preset time, the controller 62 transmits the second sensing signal to the processor 64. The processor 64 transmits the second notification signal to the antenna control unit 122 according to the second sensing signal. The antenna control unit 122 controls the antenna 124 to adjust the change of the at least one device parameter by a second adjustment range according to the second notification signal. The value of the second preset range is greater than the value of the first preset range. The second adjustment range and the first adjustment range are absolute values, and the second adjustment range is greater than the first adjustment range.

[0014] Therefore, the controller 62 determines whether the change value of the second capacitance meets the first preset range or the second preset range and remains within the preset time to determine the intensity of the rainfall outside the casing 100. When the rainfall intensity is low, that is, the area of ​​the water droplet 2 contacting the at least one second sensing area 222b is small, and the change value of the second capacitance meets the first preset range, the processor 64 controls the antenna module 12 to adjust the at least one device parameter change by the first adjustment range, such as increasing the transmission power, reducing the transmission rate, shortening the transmission interval, and reducing the packet size. When the rainfall intensity is high, that is, the area of ​​the water droplet 2 contacting the at least one second sensing area 222b is large, and the change value of the second capacitance is greater than the first preset range but meets the second preset range, the processor 64 controls the antenna module 12 to adjust the at least one device parameter change by the second adjustment range. That is, it can make a relatively large adjustment to the first adjustment range for heavy rain to more accurately improve the rain attenuation phenomenon of the wireless signal.

[0015] In one embodiment, after the antenna control unit 122 controls the antenna 124 to adjust the at least one device parameter according to the first notification signal or the second notification signal, and the water droplet 2 does not contact the at least one first sensing area 222a or the at least one second sensing area 222b for a preset end time (i.e., during the preset end time, the controller 62 determines that the first capacitance change value is less than the preset value or the second capacitance change value is less than the first preset range, and the processor 64 does not receive the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal from the controller 62). At this time, the processor 64 sends an end notification signal to the antenna control unit 122. The antenna control unit 122 controls the antenna 124 to stop adjusting the at least one device parameter and restore it to the original at least one device parameter according to the end notification signal. Thus, when the rainfall ends, the processor 64 sends the end notification signal to the antenna control unit 122, so that the wireless signal is restored from the adjusted at least one device parameter to the original at least one device parameter, thereby causing the antenna module 12 to return to its original operating state.

[0016] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Any equivalent changes made by applying the present invention specification and the claims should be included within the patent scope of the present invention.

[0017] 100: Chassis 20: Outer shell 22: First shell 222: Sensing Area 222a: First sensing area 222b: Second sensing area 224: Launch surface 24: Second shell 242: Fins 40: Water droplet sensing module 42: First water droplet sensor 422: First sensing element 424: First Circuit Board 44: Second water droplet sensor 442: Second sensing element 444: Third sensing element 446: Second circuit board 60: Control device 62: Controller 64: Processor 1: Electronic devices 12: Antenna Module 122: Antenna Control Unit 124: Antenna 2: Water droplets

Claims

1. A housing for mounting an antenna module, the antenna module including an antenna control unit and an antenna, the antenna control unit being electrically connected to the antenna, the antenna having at least one device parameter, the housing comprising: a housing, the antenna module disposed within the housing, the outer surface of the housing having at least one sensing area; a water droplet sensing module disposed on the inner surface of the housing corresponding to the at least one sensing area and located within the housing, the water droplet sensing module including at least one first water droplet sensor, wherein when a water droplet contacts the at least one sensing area at a position corresponding to the at least one first water droplet sensor, the at least one first water droplet sensor outputs a first sensing signal accordingly; A control device is electrically connected to the at least one first water droplet sensor and the antenna control unit. The control device receives the first sensing signal and transmits a first notification signal to the antenna control unit according to the first sensing signal. The antenna control unit controls the antenna to adjust the at least one device parameter according to the first notification signal. The at least one device parameter is configured to increase a transmission power, decrease a transmission rate, shorten a transmission interval, or reduce a packet size, or any combination of two or more of these parameters.

2. The housing as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one first water droplet sensor is a self-capacitance sensor and includes a first sensing element, the first sensing element having a first capacitance change value, the first sensing signal including the first capacitance change value, and when the first sensing element outputs the first sensing signal to the control device, and the first capacitance change value is greater than a preset value, the control device transmits the first notification signal to the antenna control unit according to the first sensing signal.

3. The housing as described in claim 2, wherein when the first sensing element outputs the first sensing signal to the control device, and the change value of the first capacitance is greater than the preset value and lasts for a preset time, the control device transmits the first notification signal to the antenna control unit according to the first sensing signal.

4. The housing as described in claim 1, wherein the water droplet sensing module includes at least one second water droplet sensor electrically connected to the control device, the position of the at least one second water droplet sensor being different from the position of the at least one first water droplet sensor, when a water droplet contacts the at least one sensing area corresponding to the position of the at least one second water droplet sensor, the at least one second water droplet sensor outputs a second sensing signal to the control device, the control device receives the second sensing signal and transmits a second notification signal to the antenna control unit according to the second sensing signal, and the antenna control unit adjusts the parameters of the at least one device according to the second notification signal.

5. The housing as described in claim 4, wherein the at least one second water droplet sensor is a mutual capacitance sensor and includes a second sensing element and a third sensing element, the second sensing element and the third sensing element having a second capacitance change value, the second sensing signal including the second capacitance change value, when the second sensing element outputs the second sensing signal to the control device, and the second capacitance change value meets a first preset range, the control device transmits a second notification signal to the antenna control unit according to the second sensing signal, and the antenna control unit adjusts the at least one device parameter change by a first adjustment range according to the second notification signal; when the second sensing element outputs the second sensing signal to the control device, and the second capacitance change value meets a second preset range, the control device transmits the second notification signal to the antenna control unit according to the second sensing signal, and the antenna control unit adjusts the at least one device parameter change by a second adjustment range according to the second notification signal, the value of the second preset range being greater than the value of the first preset range, and the second adjustment range being greater than the first adjustment range.

6. The housing as described in claim 5, wherein when the second sensing element outputs the second sensing signal to the control device, and the second capacitance change value meets the first preset range and continues for a preset time, the control device transmits the first notification signal to the antenna control unit based on the second sensing signal; when the second sensing element outputs the second sensing signal to the control device, and the second capacitance change value meets the second preset range and continues for the preset time, the control device transmits the first notification signal to the antenna control unit based on the second sensing signal.

7. The housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the housing has a transmitting surface through which a wireless signal transmitted by the antenna passes, and the transmitting surface and the at least one sensing area are located on the same side of the housing.

8. The housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing has a plurality of fins located on different sides of the housing from the at least one sensing area.

9. The housing as described in claim 1, wherein after the antenna control unit adjusts the at least one device parameter, and the water droplet does not contact the at least one sensing area for a preset end time, the control device correspondingly sends an end notification signal to the antenna control unit, and the antenna control unit stops adjusting the at least one device parameter according to the end notification signal.

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