JP7482579B2 - Electronic Key Terminal - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an electronic key terminal.

Electronic key terminals for vehicles are known that wirelessly communicate with a vehicle to lock or unlock the vehicle's doors or allow the vehicle's engine to start.

Patent Document 1 discloses a case seal structure that includes a case formed by joining the openings of an upper case and a lower case together into one unit, sealing rubber housed within the case and having a groove formed around the entire periphery of the inner wall, and a printed circuit board fitted into the groove of the inner wall of the sealing rubber, with the sealing rubber sandwiched between the outer periphery of the printed circuit board and the inner wall of the case.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-8474 International Publication No. 2018/158932 JP 2018-131868 A

The sealing rubber disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a protrusion around the entire inside circumference of the opening. Therefore, when assembling the board to the sealing rubber, it is necessary to spread the protrusion by hand while assembling the board to the sealing rubber, which is not easy to work with.

The present disclosure was devised in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an electronic key terminal that allows a circuit board to be easily attached to an elastic member, for example rubber.

The present disclosure relates to a first housing having a first planar portion arranged along a predetermined surface, a second housing having a second planar portion arranged along the predetermined surface, at least a portion of which contacts the first housing, a third planar portion at least a portion of which is arranged along the predetermined surface between the first planar portion and the second planar portion, and a wall portion protruding from the first planar portion to the second planar portion at least a portion of the periphery of the third planar portion, the elastic member having a predetermined elastic modulus, an electronic board housed by the first housing and the second housing, at least a portion of which is arranged along the predetermined surface between the third planar portion and the second planar portion, In a plan view from the first planar portion to the second planar portion, the third planar portion has a first side and a second side opposite the first side, at least a portion of the wall of the first side of the third planar portion has a first protrusion protruding from the first side toward the second side, at least a portion of the wall of the second side of the third planar portion has a second protrusion protruding from the second side toward the first side, a first portion of the electronic board is disposed between the third planar portion and the first protrusion, and a second portion of the electronic device is disposed between the third planar portion and the second protrusion.

This disclosure provides an electronic key terminal that allows the substrate to be easily attached to the elastic member.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a top view of an electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2 along the line A-A. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2 taken along line B-B. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2 taken along the line CC. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to a first embodiment, as viewed from below; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a structure of a mold set according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to a third embodiment; FIG. 13 is a top view of an electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to a third embodiment. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 11 along the line A-A. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle taken along line B-B in FIG. 11 . 12 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 11 along the line CC. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle taken along the line D-D shown in FIG. 11 . BB cross-sectional view of a seat portion according to a third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a case where an electronic board is attached to a sheet part according to the third embodiment; FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle electronic key terminal according to a third embodiment; FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to the third embodiment, as viewed from below. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless system according to a third embodiment.

Below, with reference to the drawings as appropriate, a detailed description will be given of an embodiment in which an electronic key terminal is specifically disclosed in this disclosure. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of already well-known matters and duplicate descriptions of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following description becoming unnecessarily redundant and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the attached drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand this disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

(Embodiment 1)
<Background to the First Embodiment>
2. Description of the Related Art Electronic key terminals for vehicles are known that wirelessly communicate with a vehicle to lock or unlock the doors of the vehicle or permit the engine of the vehicle to be started.

Patent document WO 2016/157792 discloses an electronic key for a vehicle that includes an upper case part that forms the upper side of the key housing, a lower case part that forms the lower side of the key housing, a wireless communication function part housed within the key housing, and an operating part that is disposed on the surface of the upper case part and can be pushed, and that can wirelessly lock and unlock the vehicle doors and open the vehicle trunk by pushing the operating part.

There is a demand for reducing the manufacturing costs of electronic key terminals for vehicles. One method for reducing manufacturing costs is to reduce the number of parts that make up the electronic key terminal for vehicles.

Therefore, in the following first embodiment, we will explain an electronic key terminal for a vehicle that aims to reduce the number of components.

<Configuration of vehicle electronic key terminal>
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a top view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along A-A of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along B-B of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along C-C of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 shows an exploded perspective view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to the first embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 7 shows an exploded perspective view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to the first embodiment as viewed from below.

The electronic key terminal 1 for a vehicle transmits electromagnetic waves including a predetermined radio signal, and as the electromagnetic waves propagate to the vehicle, the behavior of the vehicle changes. The vehicle may be a motorcycle. However, a motorcycle is only one example, and the vehicle may also be a one-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, a four-wheeled vehicle, or a car with five or more wheels. The electronic key terminal 1 may also be interpreted as other terms such as a smart key or a key fob.

For example, if a vehicle receives a specified wireless signal from an electronic key terminal 1 that is present within a specified range from the vehicle's location, it will allow the vehicle's steering wheel to be unlocked and the engine to be started. This allows the driver of the vehicle to unlock the vehicle's steering wheel and start the engine simply by approaching the vehicle while holding the electronic key terminal 1, without having to insert a physical key into the vehicle. Note that if the vehicle does not receive a specified wireless signal from the electronic key terminal 1, it may automatically lock the steering wheel and not allow the engine to be started.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic key terminal 1 has a flattened, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape. However, the shape of the electronic key terminal 1 is not limited to an approximately rectangular parallelepiped, and may be, for example, an approximately cube or an approximately ellipsoid.

For ease of explanation, as shown in the drawings, the axis extending in the short direction of the electronic key terminal 1 is the X-axis, the axis perpendicular to the X-axis and extending in the longitudinal direction of the electronic key terminal 1 is the Y-axis, and the axis perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis is the Z-axis. For ease of explanation, the positive direction of the Z-axis may be referred to as "up", the negative direction of the Z-axis as "down", the positive direction of the X-axis as "right", the negative direction of the X-axis as "left", the negative direction of the Y-axis as "rear", and the positive direction of the Y-axis as "front". These directional expressions are used for ease of explanation and are not intended to limit the position of the structure during actual use.

The electronic key terminal 1 comprises a first housing 10, a second housing 20, an electronic board 30, a battery 40, a first battery contact 50, and a sheet portion 60.

The first housing 10 constitutes the upper part of the housing of the electronic key terminal 1. The first housing 10 has a first planar portion 11 that constitutes the main surface, and a first wall portion 12 that constitutes the side surface.

The second housing 20 constitutes the lower part of the housing of the electronic key terminal 1. The second housing 20 has a second planar portion 21 that constitutes the main surface and a second wall portion 22 that constitutes the side surface.

The first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are arranged so that the first planar portion 11 and the second planar portion 21 face each other.

The first wall 12 of the first housing 10 extends from the periphery of the first planar portion 11 toward the second housing 20 (i.e., downward). A first locking portion 14 is provided on the first end 13, which is near the bottom end of the first wall 12.

The second wall portion 22 of the second housing 20 extends from the periphery of the second planar portion 21 toward the first housing 10 (i.e., upward). A second locking portion 24 that locks with the first locking portion 14 is provided on a second end portion 23 near the upper end of the second wall portion 22.

By engaging the first locking portion 14 of the first wall portion 12 with the second locking portion 24 of the second wall portion 22, the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are engaged and assembled. That is, at least a portion of the first wall portion 12 of the first housing 10 contacts the second housing 20. In other words, at least a portion of the first wall portion 12 of the first housing 10 contacts at least a portion of the second wall portion 22 of the second housing 20. This makes it possible, for example, to separate the second housing 20 from the first housing 10 to replace the battery 40, and then engage and assemble the second housing 20 to the first housing 10 again.

The electronic board 30 has a generally rectangular flat plate shape and is housed in the first housing 10 and the second housing 20. The electronic board 30 has a front surface 31 (first surface) which is the surface facing the first planar portion 11, and a back surface 32 (second surface) which is the surface facing the second planar portion 21.

A switch 33 and an electronic circuit (not shown) are provided on the surface 31 of the electronic board 30. The switch 33 is connected to the electronic circuit.

An antenna 34 and a second battery contact 35 are provided on the back surface 32 of the electronic circuit. The antenna 34 and the second battery contact 35 are connected to the electronic circuit.

The first battery contact 50 is disposed along the back surface 32 of the electronic board 30. The first battery contact 50 is connected to the electronic circuit.

The battery 40 is, for example, a button battery, and is arranged along the rear surface 32 of the electronic board 30 so as to contact the first battery contact 50 and the second battery contact 35. However, the battery 40 may also be arranged along the front surface 31 of the electronic board 30. The battery 40 supplies power to the electronic circuit.

The electronic circuit operates using power supplied from the battery 40, and transmits electromagnetic waves from the antenna 34. The antenna 34 may also receive electromagnetic waves transmitted from the vehicle. Bluetooth (registered trademark) LE (Low Energy) may be used as the wireless signal transmitted and received between the electronic key terminal 1 and the vehicle. Hereinafter, Bluetooth LE will be referred to as "BLE." However, BLE is only an example, and LF (Low Frequency) signals or RF (Radio Frequency) signals may also be used as the wireless signal transmitted and received between the electronic key terminal 1 and the vehicle.

When the electronic circuit detects the pressing of the switch 33, it realizes a predetermined function assigned to the switch 33. For example, if the switch 33 is assigned a function of switching the power of the electronic key terminal 1 ON and OFF, when the electronic circuit detects the pressing of the switch 33, it switches the power of the electronic key terminal 1 to OFF if it is ON, and switches it to ON if it is OFF. By turning off the power of the electronic key terminal 1, wireless communication between the electronic key terminal 1 and the vehicle can be stopped. Also, for example, if the switch 33 is assigned an answerback function of the vehicle, when the electronic circuit detects the pressing of the switch 33, it transmits a wireless signal (electromagnetic wave) instructing the vehicle to answer back from the antenna 34. The vehicle that receives the wireless signal instructing the answerback from the electronic key terminal 1 performs an answerback operation. Examples of the answerback operation include blinking a lamp or sounding a sound. In addition, when the vehicle is an automobile equipped with doors, the switch 33 may be assigned a function of switching between locking and unlocking the doors of the vehicle. The details of the electronic circuit configuration will be described later (see Figure 8).

The sheet portion 60 has waterproof properties and is disposed between the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10 and the switch 33 of the electronic board 30. The sheet portion 60 may be disposed so as to cover the electronic board 30 from above. This makes it possible to prevent the electronic board 30 from getting wet even if the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10 is damaged in such a way that it penetrates the electronic board 30.

The first planar portion 11, the second planar portion 21, the electronic board 30, and at least a portion of the sheet portion 60 are arranged along a predetermined plane (e.g., the XY plane). For example, the first planar portion 11, the second planar portion 21, the electronic board 30, and at least a portion of the sheet portion 60 are arranged so as to be approximately parallel to each other.

The first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10 has an upper surface 15 (first surface) which is the surface opposite the electronic board 30, and a lower surface 16 (second surface) which is the surface facing the electronic board 30.

The second planar portion 21 of the second housing 20 has an upper surface 25 which is the surface on the electronic board 30 side, and a lower surface 26 which is the surface opposite the electronic board 30 side.

A protrusion 17 protruding toward the switch 33 of the electronic board 30 is provided on the underside 16 of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10. Note that the protrusion 17 may be interpreted as other terms such as a pusher or a pusher pin.

A board support portion 27 that supports the electronic board 30 is provided on the upper surface 25 of the second planar portion 21 of the second housing 20. The board support portion 27 may be positioned to correspond to at least the position of the switch 33. For example, the switch 33 and the board support portion 27 may be positioned so as to be aligned in a line in the Z-axis direction.

The first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10 and at least a portion of the first wall portion 12 of the first housing 10 may be made of a uniform material. For example, the first housing 10 may be made of an elastic resin. At least a portion of the first housing 10 may be made of a metal.

The second housing 20 may be made of a resin that is harder than the first housing 10. At least a portion of the second housing 20 may be made of metal.

For example, the first housing 10 may be made of an elastomer. The second housing 20 may be made of an alloy material of polycarbonate and polyethylene terephthalate. The sheet portion 60 may be made of silicone rubber. That is, the elastic modulus of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10 may be smaller than that of the second housing 20 and larger than that of the sheet portion 60. For example, the first housing 10 may be about 10 times more flexible than the second housing 20. Also, the sheet portion 60 may be about 3 times softer than the first housing 10.

In addition, in the convex portion 17 of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10, the thickness between the upper surface 15 and the lower surface 16 of the first planar portion 11 may change continuously along a predetermined plane (e.g., the XY plane). For example, the convex portion 17 may be formed to have a smooth curve from the thickest portion at the top to the thinnest portion at the base.

In the first housing 10, the thickness of at least a portion of the first planar portion 11 may be thinner than the thickness of the first wall portion 12. For example, the thickness of the portion of the first planar portion 11 where the convex portion 17 is provided may be thinner than the thickness of the first wall portion 12. Hereinafter, the portion of the first planar portion 11 where the convex portion 17 is provided will be referred to as the button portion 18. In this manner, the button portion 18 and the convex portion 17 may be integrally configured as part of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10. This allows the number of parts to be reduced compared to when the button portion or the convex portion is configured as a separate body, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of the electronic key terminal 1.

<Operation of the vehicle electronic key terminal>
Next, an operation of the electronic key terminal 1 for a vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 when the button portion 18 is pressed will be described.

When a user presses the button portion 18 of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10, the thin portion around the button portion 18 bends, and the button portion 18 and the protrusion 17 are pressed downward. Although the portion around the button portion 18 is a part of the first planar portion 11, as described above, it is made of a material that is sufficiently flexible (i.e., has a small elastic modulus) and is sufficiently thin, so it is easily bent by the force of the user. On the other hand, as described above, the second housing 20 is made of a material that is sufficiently hard (i.e., has a large elastic modulus), so it does not bend easily by the force of the user. As a result, the second housing 20, which has a large elastic modulus, maintains the rigidity of the entire electronic key terminal 1, while the first housing 10, which has a small elastic modulus, allows the button portion 18 to be pressed. In addition, since the first housing 10 is made of a material that is sufficiently flexible, cracks are unlikely to occur in the first planar portion 11 even when the button portion 18 is repeatedly pressed.

The protrusion 17, which is pressed down together with the button portion 18, presses down the switch 33 via the sheet portion 60. Here, as described above, the thickness of the protrusion 17 changes continuously (smoothly) from the top to the base, so the stress that the protrusion 17 applies to the sheet portion 60 is dispersed. This makes it difficult for the part of the sheet portion 60 that the pressed-down protrusion 17 abuts to break, even when the button portion 18 is pressed down repeatedly. Also, as described above, the sheet portion 60 is made of a material that is sufficiently flexible, so it deforms in response to the pressing down of the protrusion 17, and is able to press down the switch 33.

The electronic circuit of the electronic board 30 may detect that the switch 33 has been pressed down and perform a predetermined function as described above.

In this way, according to the embodiment, the number of parts of the electronic key terminal 1 for a vehicle can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the electronic key terminal 1 can be reduced. In addition, the risk of damage to the waterproof sheet portion 60 can be reduced.

<Block configuration of wireless system>
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless system according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the wireless system 200 includes the electronic key terminal 1 described above and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 300 mounted in the vehicle.

The electronic key terminal 1 described above is registered in advance with the ECU 300 installed in the vehicle so as to be paired with the ECU 300. For example, Bluetooth LE (BLE) is used for communication between the electronic key terminal 1 and the ECU 300. The frequency used in BLE is the 2.4 GHz band, and the communication distance is approximately 100 m.

<<Electronic key terminal>>
8, the electronic key terminal 1 includes, as electronic circuits on an electronic board 30, an antenna 34, a front end unit 211, and a control circuit 212. In addition, the electronic key terminal 1 includes a battery 40 that supplies power to the electronic circuits.

The antenna 34 is, for example, a dipole antenna. Note that the antenna 34 is not limited to a dipole antenna and may be composed of multiple antenna elements.

The front-end unit 211 amplifies weak signals, converts high frequencies to low frequencies, and prevents the transmitted signal from leaking to the receiving unit.

The control circuit 212 includes an oscillator 221, a transmitter 222, a receiver 223, a memory 224, and a controller 225.

The oscillator 221 is a local oscillator that generates a carrier signal. The transmitter 222 generates radio waves from the IQ data (baseband signal) to be transmitted, and transmits the generated radio waves from the antenna 34 via the front-end unit 211. The receiver 223 acquires the radio waves received by the antenna 34 via the front-end unit 211, extracts the IQ data from the acquired radio waves, and detects the electric field strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indication).

The control unit 225 controls the transmission of radio waves via the transmission unit 222. The control unit 225 also detects the electric field strength of the radio waves received via the reception unit 223 and controls the storage of the detected electric field strength in the memory 224. The control unit 225 may determine the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 based on the electric field strength of the detected radio waves. The control unit 225 may notify the ECU 300 of the vehicle of the electric field strength of the detected radio waves. In this way, the ECU 300 of the vehicle can determine the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 using the electric field strength of the radio waves notified from the electronic key terminal 1.

The control unit 225 has a processor (not shown), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a program for controlling the processor, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) used for the operation of the processor. The processor may be interpreted as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an integrated circuit, an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), a controller, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. The memory 224 may be either a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory (e.g., a flash memory).

<<ECU>>
In FIG. 8, an ECU 300 mounted on a vehicle includes an antenna 301 , a front end unit 302 , and a control circuit 303 .

The antenna 301 is, for example, a dipole antenna. Note that the antenna 301 is not limited to a dipole antenna, and may be composed of multiple antenna elements.

The front-end unit 302, like the front-end unit 211 of the electronic key terminal 1 described above, amplifies weak signals, converts high frequencies to low frequencies, and prevents the transmitted signal from leaking to the receiving unit.

The control circuit 303 includes an oscillator 321, a transmitter 322, a receiver 323, a memory 324, and a controller 325.

The oscillator 321 is a local oscillator that generates a carrier signal, similar to the oscillator 221 of the control circuit 212 of the electronic key terminal 1 described above. The transmitter 322 generates radio waves from the IQ data (baseband signal) to be transmitted, and controls the transmission of the generated radio waves from the antenna 301 via the front-end unit 302. The receiver 323 acquires the radio waves received by the antenna 301 via the front-end unit 302, extracts the IQ data from the acquired radio waves, and detects the electric field strength (RSSI).

The control unit 325 controls the transmission of radio waves via the transmission unit 322. The control unit 325 also detects the electric field strength of the radio waves received via the reception unit 323, and controls the storage of the detected electric field strength in the memory 324. The control unit 325 may determine the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 based on the electric field strength of the received radio waves.

After calculating the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1, the control unit 325 changes the behavior of the vehicle depending on the calculated distance. For example, the ECU 300 may not accept operation of the electronic key terminal 1 if the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and may accept operation of the electronic key terminal 1 if the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined value. The ECU 300 may or may not accept operation of the electronic key terminal 1 if the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

Like the control unit 225 of the electronic key terminal 1, the control unit 325 has a processor (not shown), a ROM that stores a program for controlling the processor, and a RAM used for the operation of the processor. The memory 324 may be either a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory (e.g., a flash memory).

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of a mold set 100 according to the second embodiment.

The mold set 100 according to the second embodiment is a set of molds for injection molding the first housing 10 described in the first embodiment. The mold set 100 includes an upper mold 101, a lower mold 102, and a mold piece 103.

The upper mold 101 is a mold having a shape for molding the top surface 15 of the first housing 10. Note that the upper mold 101 may also be read as the first mold.

The lower mold 102 is a mold having a shape for forming the lower surface 16 of the first housing 10, and also has a recess 104 for fitting a mold piece 103 into a portion corresponding to the protrusion 17 of the first housing 10. The lower mold 102 may also be read as the second mold.

The mold piece 103 is a mold that can be fitted into the recess 104 of the lower mold 102 and has a shape for molding the protrusion 17 of the first housing 10.

As shown in FIG. 9, a mold piece 103 may be prepared for each protrusion 17 that differs in at least one of size and shape. This allows the first housing 10 having protrusions 17 that differ in at least one of size and shape to be easily injection molded by replacing the mold piece 103 that is fitted into the recess 104.

For example, when manufacturing an electronic key terminal 1 for a user who prefers the button portion 18 to be pressed down relatively deeply, the first housing 10 is manufactured using a mold piece 103A in which the top of the protrusion 17 is formed relatively thin, as shown in FIG. 9(a). For example, when manufacturing an electronic key terminal 1 for a user who prefers the button portion 18 to be pressed down relatively shallowly, the first housing 10 is manufactured using a mold piece 103B in which the top of the protrusion 17 is formed relatively thick, as shown in FIG. 9(b).

In this way, according to this embodiment, electronic key terminals 1 for vehicles having different sizes and/or shapes of the protrusions 17 of the first housing 10 can be easily manufactured by simply replacing the mold piece 103.

(A-1)
a first housing having a first planar portion disposed along a predetermined surface;
a second housing having a second planar portion disposed along the predetermined surface, at least a portion of which contacts the first housing;
an electronic board arranged along the predetermined plane and housed in the first housing and the second housing, the electronic board having a first surface on the first planar portion side and a second surface on the second planar portion side;
a switch disposed on the first surface of the electronic board;
the first planar portion of the first housing includes a first surface opposite to the electronic board and a second surface on the electronic board side;
the second surface of the first planar portion of the first housing has a protrusion protruding toward the switch of the electronic board,
The elastic modulus of the first planar portion of the first housing is smaller than the elastic modulus of the second housing.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-2)
The electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to (A-1),
a sheet portion, at least a portion of which is disposed along the predetermined surface, between the first planar portion of the first housing and the switch of the electronic board;
The elastic modulus of the first planar portion of the first housing is smaller than the elastic modulus of the second housing and is larger than the elastic modulus of the sheet portion.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-3)
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to (A-1) or (A-2),
the first housing has a first wall portion extending toward the second housing around the first planar portion,
At least a portion of the first wall portion of the first housing is in contact with the second housing.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-4)
The electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to (A-3),
A thickness of at least a part of the first planar portion of the first housing is thinner than a thickness of the first wall portion of the first housing.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-5)
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to (A-3) or (A-4),
the second housing has a second wall portion extending toward the first housing around the second planar portion,
At least a portion of the first wall portion of the first housing is in contact with at least a portion of the second wall portion of the second housing.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-6)
The electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to (A-5),
At least a part of a first end of the first wall portion of the first housing abuts against a second end of the second wall portion of the second housing.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-7)
The electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to (A-6),
The first end of the first wall portion and the second end of the second wall portion have locking portions that lock with each other.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-8)
8. The electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to claim 3,
The first planar portion of the first housing and at least a portion of the first wall portion of the first housing are made of a uniform material.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-9)
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to any one of (A-1) to (A-8),
In the convex portion of the first planar portion of the first housing, a thickness between the first surface and the second surface of the first planar portion changes continuously along the predetermined surface.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-10)
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to any one of (A-1) to (A-9),
The second planar portion of the second housing includes a support portion that supports the electronic board.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-11)
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to any one of (A-1) to (A-10),
the electronic board includes an electronic circuit to which the switch is connected;
A battery that supplies power to the electronic circuit is disposed along the first surface and/or the second surface of the electronic board.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-12)
The electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to (A-11),
the electronic circuit comprises an antenna;
An electromagnetic wave is transmitted from the antenna in response to an operation of the switch.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-13)
The electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to (A-12),
The electromagnetic waves transmitted from the antenna can propagate to a vehicle.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(A-14)
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to any one of (A-1) to (A-13),
The first housing is injection molded,
At least one of a size and a shape of the convex portion of the second surface of the first planar portion of the first housing is changeable by replacing a mold piece having a different size and shape corresponding to the convex portion with a mold piece having a different size and shape corresponding to the convex portion in the injection molding.
An electronic key terminal for a vehicle.

(Embodiment 3)
<Background to the Third Embodiment>
2. Description of the Related Art Electronic key terminals for vehicles are known that wirelessly communicate with a vehicle to lock or unlock the doors of the vehicle or permit the engine of the vehicle to be started.

Patent Document 1 discloses a case seal structure that includes a case formed by joining the openings of an upper case and a lower case together into one unit, sealing rubber housed within the case and having a groove formed around the entire periphery of the inner wall, and a printed circuit board fitted into the groove of the inner wall of the sealing rubber, with the sealing rubber sandwiched between the outer periphery of the printed circuit board and the inner wall of the case.

The sealing rubber disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a protrusion around the entire inside circumference of the opening. Therefore, when assembling the board to the sealing rubber, it is necessary to spread the protrusion by hand while assembling the board to the sealing rubber, which is not easy to work with.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, we will explain an electronic key terminal that allows the circuit board to be easily attached to an elastic member, for example rubber.

<Configuration of electronic key terminal>
FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a top view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to the third embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 11 along line A-A. FIG. 13 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 11 along line B-B. FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 11 along line C-C. FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle shown in FIG. 11 along line D-D. FIG. 16 shows a cross-sectional view of the seat section according to the third embodiment along line B-B. FIG. 17 shows a view of an electronic board mounted on the seat section according to the third embodiment. FIG. 18 shows an exploded perspective view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to the third embodiment as viewed from above. FIG. 19 shows an exploded perspective view of the electronic key terminal for a vehicle according to the third embodiment as viewed from below.

The electronic key terminal 1 for a vehicle transmits electromagnetic waves including a predetermined radio signal, and as the electromagnetic waves propagate to the vehicle, the behavior of the vehicle changes. The vehicle may be a motorcycle. However, a motorcycle is only one example, and the vehicle may also be a one-wheeled motor vehicle, a three-wheeled motor vehicle, a four-wheeled motor vehicle, or a car with five or more wheels. The electronic key terminal 1 may also be interpreted as other terms such as a smart key or a key fob.

For example, if a vehicle receives a specified wireless signal from an electronic key terminal 1 that is present within a specified range from the vehicle's location, it will allow the vehicle's steering wheel to be unlocked and the engine to be started. This allows the driver of the vehicle to unlock the vehicle's steering wheel and start the engine simply by approaching the vehicle while holding the electronic key terminal 1, without having to insert a physical key into the vehicle. Note that if the vehicle does not receive a specified wireless signal from the electronic key terminal 1, it may automatically lock the steering wheel and not allow the engine to be started.

As shown in FIG. 10, the electronic key terminal 1 has a flattened, approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape. However, the shape of the electronic key terminal 1 is not limited to an approximately rectangular parallelepiped, and may be, for example, an approximately cube or an approximately ellipsoid.

For ease of explanation, as shown in the drawings, the axis extending in the short direction of the electronic key terminal 1 is the X-axis, the axis perpendicular to the X-axis and extending in the longitudinal direction of the electronic key terminal 1 is the Y-axis, and the axis perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis is the Z-axis. For ease of explanation, the positive direction of the Z-axis may be referred to as "up", the negative direction of the Z-axis as "down", the positive direction of the X-axis as "right", the negative direction of the X-axis as "left", the negative direction of the Y-axis as "rear", and the positive direction of the Y-axis as "front". These directional expressions are used for ease of explanation and are not intended to limit the position of the structure during actual use.

The electronic key terminal 1 comprises a first housing 10, a second housing 20, an electronic board 30, a battery 40, a first battery contact 50, and a sheet portion 60.

The first housing 10 constitutes the upper part of the housing of the electronic key terminal 1. The first housing 10 has a first planar portion 11 that constitutes the main surface and is arranged along a predetermined plane, and a first wall portion 12 that constitutes the side surface.

The second housing 20 constitutes the lower part of the housing of the electronic key terminal 1. The second housing 20 has a second planar portion 21 that constitutes the main surface and is arranged along a predetermined plane, and a second wall portion 22 that constitutes the side surface. At least a portion of the second housing 20 contacts the first housing 10.

The first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are arranged so that the first planar portion 11 and the second planar portion 21 face each other.

The first wall 12 of the first housing 10 extends from the periphery of the first planar portion 11 toward the second housing 20 (i.e., downward). A first locking portion 14 is provided on the first end 13, which is near the bottom end of the first wall 12.

The second wall portion 22 of the second housing 20 extends from the periphery of the second planar portion 21 toward the first housing 10 (i.e., upward). A second locking portion 24 that locks with the first locking portion 14 is provided on a second end portion 23 near the upper end of the second wall portion 22.

By engaging the first locking portion 14 of the first wall portion 12 with the second locking portion 24 of the second wall portion 22, the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are in an engaged and assembled state. That is, at least a portion of the first wall portion 12 of the first housing 10 contacts the second housing 20. This makes it possible, for example, to separate the second housing 20 from the first housing 10 to replace the battery 40, and then engage and assemble the second housing 20 to the first housing 10 again.

The sheet portion 60 includes a third planar portion 110 (see Figs. 15 and 16), at least a portion of which is disposed along a predetermined plane between the first planar portion 11 and the second planar portion 21. The sheet portion 60 also includes third walls 111, 112, 137, 138 (see Figs. 15 and 16) protruding from the first planar portion 11 toward the second planar portion 21 at least a portion of the periphery of the third planar portion 110. The sheet portion 60 has a predetermined elastic modulus. Therefore, the sheet portion 60 may be read as an elastic member. Details of the shape of the sheet portion 60 will be described later.

The electronic board 30 has a generally rectangular flat plate shape and is housed in the first housing 10 and the second housing 20, with at least a portion of it being disposed along a predetermined plane (e.g., the XY plane) between the third planar portion 110 of the sheet portion 60 and the second planar portion 21 of the second housing 20. The electronic board 30 has a front surface 31 (first surface) which is the surface facing the first planar portion 11, and a back surface 32 (second surface) which is the surface facing the second planar portion 21. That is, the first planar portion 11, the second planar portion 21, the electronic board 30, and at least a portion of the sheet portion 60 may be disposed generally parallel to one another.

A switch 33 and an electronic circuit (not shown) are provided on the surface 31 of the electronic board 30. The switch 33 is connected to the electronic circuit.

An antenna 34 and a second battery contact 35 are provided on the back surface 32 of the electronic circuit. The antenna 34 and the second battery contact 35 are connected to the electronic circuit.

The first battery contact 50 is disposed along the back surface 32 of the electronic board 30. The first battery contact 50 is connected to the electronic circuit.

The battery 40 is, for example, a button battery, and is arranged along the rear surface 32 of the electronic board 30 so as to contact the first battery contact 50 and the second battery contact 35. However, the battery 40 may also be arranged along the front surface 31 of the electronic board 30. The battery 40 supplies power to the electronic circuit.

The electronic circuit operates using power supplied from the battery 40, and transmits electromagnetic waves from the antenna 34. The antenna 34 may also receive electromagnetic waves transmitted from the vehicle. Bluetooth (registered trademark) LE (Low Energy) may be used as the wireless signal transmitted and received between the electronic key terminal 1 and the vehicle. Hereinafter, Bluetooth LE will be referred to as "BLE." However, BLE is only an example, and LF (Low Frequency) signals or RF (Radio Frequency) signals may also be used as the wireless signal transmitted and received between the electronic key terminal 1 and the vehicle.

When the electronic circuit detects the pressing of the switch 33, it realizes a predetermined function assigned to the switch 33. For example, if the switch 33 is assigned a function of switching the power of the electronic key terminal 1 ON and OFF, when the electronic circuit detects the pressing of the switch 33, it switches the power of the electronic key terminal 1 to OFF if it is ON, and switches it to ON if it is OFF. By turning off the power of the electronic key terminal 1, wireless communication between the electronic key terminal 1 and the vehicle can be stopped. Also, for example, if the switch 33 is assigned an answerback function of the vehicle, when the electronic circuit detects the pressing of the switch 33, it transmits a wireless signal (electromagnetic wave) instructing the vehicle to answer back from the antenna 34. The vehicle that receives the wireless signal instructing the answerback from the electronic key terminal 1 performs the answerback operation. Examples of the answerback operation include blinking a lamp or sounding a sound. In addition, when the vehicle is an automobile equipped with doors, the switch 33 may be assigned a function of switching between locking and unlocking the doors of the vehicle. Details of the electronic circuit configuration will be described later (see Figure 20).

The first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10 has an upper surface 15 (first surface) which is the surface opposite the electronic board 30, and a lower surface 16 (second surface) which is the surface facing the electronic board 30.

The second planar portion 21 of the second housing 20 has an upper surface 25 which is the surface on the electronic board 30 side, and a lower surface 26 which is the surface opposite the electronic board 30 side.

A protrusion 17 protruding toward the switch 33 of the electronic board 30 is provided on the underside 16 of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10. Note that the protrusion 17 may be interpreted as other terms such as a pusher or a pusher pin.

The second housing 20 has a board support portion 27 that protrudes from the second planar portion 21 toward the first planar portion 11. The board support portion 27 may be positioned to correspond to at least the position of the switch 33. For example, the switch 33 and the board support portion 27 may be positioned to be aligned in a line in the Z-axis direction.

The first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10 and at least a portion of the first wall portion 12 of the first housing 10 may be made of a uniform material. For example, the first housing 10 may be made of an elastic resin. At least a portion of the first housing 10 may be made of a metal.

The second housing 20 may be made of a resin that is harder than the first housing 10. At least a portion of the second housing 20 may be made of metal.

For example, the first housing 10 may be made of an elastomer. The second housing 20 may be made of an alloy material of polycarbonate and polyethylene terephthalate. The sheet portion 60 may be made of silicone rubber. That is, the elastic modulus of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10 may be smaller than that of the second housing 20 and larger than that of the sheet portion 60. For example, the first housing 10 may be about 10 times more flexible than the second housing 20. Also, the sheet portion 60 may be about 3 times softer than the first housing 10.

In addition, in the convex portion 17 of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10, the thickness between the upper surface 15 and the lower surface 16 of the first planar portion 11 may change continuously along a predetermined plane (e.g., the XY plane). For example, the convex portion 17 may be formed to have a smooth curve from the thickest portion at the top to the thinnest portion at the base.

In the first housing 10, the thickness of at least a portion of the first planar portion 11 may be thinner than the thickness of the first wall portion 12. For example, the thickness of the portion of the first planar portion 11 where the convex portion 17 is provided may be thinner than the thickness of the first wall portion 12. Hereinafter, the portion of the first planar portion 11 where the convex portion 17 is provided will be referred to as the button portion 18. In this manner, the button portion 18 and the convex portion 17 may be integrally configured as part of the first planar portion 11 of the first housing 10. This allows the number of parts to be reduced compared to when the button portion or the convex portion is configured as a separate body, thereby reducing the manufacturing costs of the electronic key terminal 1.

<Seat details>
The third planar portion 110 of the sheet portion 60 has a first side 120 and a second side 121 facing the first side 120 in a plan view seen from the second planar portion 21 to the first planar portion 11. The third planar portion 110 has a third side 122 connecting one end 120a of the first side 120 to one end 121a of the second side 121, and a fourth side 123 connecting the other end 120b of the first side 120 to the other end 121b of the second side 121.

In the sheet portion 60, at least a portion of the third wall portion 111 of the first side 120 of the third planar portion 110 has a first protrusion 124 protruding from the first side 120 toward the second side 121. At least a portion of the third wall portion 112 of the second side 121 of the third planar portion 110 has a second protrusion 125 protruding from the second side 121 toward the first side 120. A first portion 113 of the electronic board 30 is disposed between the third planar portion 110 and the first protrusion 124, and a second portion 114 of the electronic board 30 is disposed between the third planar portion 110 and the second protrusion 125.

In the sheet portion 60, at least a portion of the third wall portion 137 of the third side 122 of the third planar portion 110 may have a third protrusion (not shown) that protrudes from the third side 122 toward the fourth side 123. At least a portion of the third wall portion 138 of the fourth side 123 of the third planar portion 110 may have a fourth protrusion (not shown) that protrudes from the fourth side 123 toward the third side 122.

The third protrusion length (not shown) of the third protrusion (not shown) may be shorter than the first protrusion length 139 of the first protrusion 124 and shorter than the second protrusion length 140 of the second protrusion 125. The length of the third protrusion length (not shown) may be 0 (zero) as shown in FIG. 17.

The fourth protrusion length (not shown) of the fourth protrusion (not shown) may be shorter than the first protrusion length 139 of the first protrusion 124 and shorter than the second protrusion length 140 of the second protrusion 125. The length of the fourth protrusion length (not shown) may be 0 (zero) as shown in FIG. 17.

The shape of the third planar portion 110 may be a rectangle. When the shape of the third planar portion 110 is a rectangle, the first side 120 is the first long side of the rectangle, and the second side 121 is the second long side of the rectangle. Note that the shape of the third planar portion 110 is not limited to a rectangle, and may be a perfect circle, an ellipse, a square, a trapezoid, or the like.

In the sheet portion 60, the first protrusion 124 and the second protrusion 125 may be arranged facing each other.

In the sheet portion 60, the first protrusion 124 may be disposed in a portion including the first midpoint 128 (see FIG. 17) of the first side 120. The position of the first midpoint 128 of the first side 120 is a position that divides the first side 120 in half, and the distance from one end 120a of the first side 120 to the first midpoint 128 may be equal to the distance from the other end 120b of the first side 120 to the first midpoint 128. The first protrusion 124 may be disposed across the first section 126 of the first side 120. The length of the first section 126 may be greater than or equal to one-quarter and less than or equal to three-quarters of the length of the first side 120. Note that the length of the first section 126 is merely an example and is not limited.

In the sheet portion 60, the second protrusion 125 may be disposed in a portion including the second midpoint 129 (see FIG. 17) of the second side 121. The position of the second midpoint 129 of the second side 121 is a position that divides the second side 121 in half, and the distance from one end 121a of the second side 121 to the second midpoint 129 may be equal to the distance from the other end 121b of the second side 121 to the second midpoint 129. The second protrusion 125 may be disposed across the second section 127 of the second side 121. The length of the second section 127 may be greater than or equal to one-quarter and less than or equal to three-quarters of the length of the second side 121. Note that the length of the second section 127 is merely an example and is not limited.

In the sheet portion 60, the first protrusion 124 has one end 124a (positive direction of the Y axis) and the other end 124b (negative direction of the Y axis) in a direction along the first side 120. The first protrusion length 139a of the one end 124a of the first protrusion 124 gradually decreases along the first side 120 as it approaches the one end 120a of the first side 120, and the first protrusion length 139b of the other end 124b of the first protrusion 124 gradually decreases along the first side 120 as it approaches the other end 120b of the first side 120.

In the sheet portion 60, the second protrusion 125 has one end 125a (positive direction of the Y axis) and the other end 125b (negative direction of the Y axis) in a direction along the second side 121. The second protrusion length 140a of the one end 125a of the second protrusion 125 gradually decreases along the second side 121 as it approaches the one end 121a of the second side 121, and the second protrusion length 140b of the other end 125b of the second protrusion 125 gradually decreases along the second side 121 as it approaches the other end 121b of the second side 121.

In the sheet portion 60, the first protruding portion 124 has a first protruding surface 133 protruding from the first side 120 toward the second side 121. The first protruding portion 124 connects the first protruding surface 133 to at least a part of the third wall portion 111 of the first side 120, and has a first protruding side surface 115 on the third planar portion 110 side. The first protruding portion 124 connects the first protruding surface 133 to at least a part of the third wall portion 111 of the first side 120, and has a second protruding side surface 131 arranged opposite the third planar portion 110 with respect to the first protruding side surface 115. The second protruding side surface 131 of the first protruding portion 124 is arranged obliquely between the first protruding surface 133 of the first protruding portion 124 and at least a part of the third wall portion 111 of the first side 120. For example, the second protruding side surface 131 has a tapered shape that widens downward in the ZX cross section, as shown in FIG. 16.

In the sheet portion 60, the second protruding portion 125 has a first protruding surface 134 protruding from the second side 121 toward the first side 120. The second protruding portion 125 connects the first protruding surface 134 and at least a part of the third wall portion 112 of the second side 121, and has a first protruding side surface 116 on the third planar portion 110 side. The second protruding portion 125 connects the first protruding surface 134 and at least a part of the third wall portion 112 of the second side 121, and has a second protruding side surface 132 arranged opposite the third planar portion 110 with respect to the first protruding side surface 116. The second protruding side surface 132 of the second protruding portion 125 is arranged obliquely between the first protruding surface 134 of the second protruding portion 125 and at least a part of the third wall portion 112 of the second side 121. For example, the second protruding side surface 132 has a tapered shape that widens downward in the ZX cross section, as shown in FIG. 16.

In the sheet portion 60, the third planar portion 110 has a first support portion 117 at the base of at least a portion of the third wall portion 111 of the first edge 120, the first support portion 117 having a first abutment surface 135 that can abut against the electronic board 30.

In the sheet portion 60, the third planar portion 110 has a second support portion 118 at the base of at least a portion of the third wall portion 112 of the second side 121, the second support portion 118 having a second abutment surface 136 that can abut against the electronic board 30.

In the sheet portion 60, the distance between the first protruding side surface 115 of the first protruding portion 124 and the first abutment surface 135 of the first support portion 117 is longer than the thickness of the electronic board 30.

In the sheet portion 60, the distance between the first protruding side surface 116 of the second protruding portion 125 and the second abutment surface 136 of the second support portion 118 is longer than the thickness of the electronic board 30.

The electronic board 30 is supported by at least the first abutment surface 135 of the first support portion 117 of the sheet portion 60, the second abutment surface 136 of the second support portion 118 of the sheet portion 60, and the board support portion 27 of the second housing 20.

As shown in FIG. 15, the first housing 10 has a fourth locking portion 141 at least partially near the bottom end of the first wall portion 12 on the positive side of the Y axis, and a fourth locking portion 142 at least partially near the bottom end of the first wall portion 12 on the negative side of the Y axis. The second housing 20 has a fifth locking portion 143 at least partially near the top end of the second wall portion 22 on the positive side of the Y axis. The sheet portion 60 has a third locking portion 28 at least partially near the bottom end of the third wall portion 137 on the positive side of the Y axis, and a third locking portion 29 at least partially near the bottom end of the third wall portion 138 on the negative side of the Y axis.

The fourth locking portion 141 and the fourth locking portion 142 of the first wall portion 12 in the first housing 10 are engaged with the third locking portion 28 of the third wall portion 137 in the seat portion 60 and the third locking portion 29 of the third wall portion 138 in the seat portion 60, respectively, thereby bringing the seat portion 60 and the first housing 10 into an assembled state. Then, the first locking portion 14 and the fourth locking portion 141 of the first wall portion 12 in the first housing 10 are engaged with the second locking portion 24 and the fifth locking portion 143 of the second wall portion 22 in the second housing 20, respectively, thereby bringing the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 into an engaged assembled state. At this time, at least a part of the third wall 111 of the first side 120, at least a part of the third wall 112 of the second side 121, at least a part of the third wall 137 of the third side 122, and at least a part of the third wall 138 of the fourth side 123 of the sheet portion 60 are in close contact with the upper surface 25 of the second planar portion 21 of the second housing 20. As a result, the electronic board 30 is sealed by the sheet portion 60, thereby realizing a waterproof function for the electronic board 30.

The elastic modulus of the sheet portion 60 may be smaller than the elastic modulus of the first housing 10 and smaller than the elastic modulus of the second housing 20.

<Method of assembling electronic boards to the seat>
A method of assembling the electronic board 30 to the sheet portion 60 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 shows the state after the electronic board 30 has been assembled to the sheet portion 60. The worker assembles the electronic board 30 to the sheet portion 60, for example, by following the steps 1 to 4 below.

(Step 1) The worker places the sheet portion 60 on the workbench with the third planar portion 110 facing down (i.e., with the opening of the sheet portion 60 facing up). In other words, the worker places the sheet portion 60 shown in FIG. 16 upside down.

(Step 2) The worker temporarily places the electronic board 30 in the opening of the sheet portion 60. In other words, the worker temporarily places the electronic board 30 so that the longitudinal side of the electronic board 30 contacts the second protruding side surfaces 131, 132 of the sheet portion 60.

(Step 3) The worker presses the electronic board 30 downward (i.e., in the direction toward the third planar portion 110). As a result, the electronic board 30 approaches the third planar portion 110 while pushing the slope of the second protruding side surface 131 of the first protruding portion 124 in the negative direction of the X-axis and the slope of the second protruding side surface 132 of the second protruding portion 125 in the positive direction of the X-axis (i.e., while elastically deforming the first protruding portion 124 and the second protruding portion 125 (third wall portions 111, 112)). At this time, because the second protruding side surfaces 131, 132 are sloped, the worker can smoothly press the electronic board 30 in the direction toward the third planar portion 110.

(Step 4) The worker presses the electronic board 30 further downward. This causes the electronic board 30 to pass the first protruding surfaces 133, 134 and move downward below the first protruding side surfaces 115, 116 (i.e., in a direction closer to the third planar portion 110). Once the electronic board 30 has moved downward below the first protruding side surfaces 115, 116, the first protruding portion 124 and the second protruding portion 125 (third wall portions 111, 112) return to their original positions due to elastic force. At this time, the distance between the first protruding side surface 115 of the first protruding portion 124 and the first abutment surface 135 of the first support portion 117, and the distance between the first protruding side surface 116 of the second protruding portion 125 and the second abutment surface 136 of the second support portion 118 are longer than the thickness of the electronic board 30, so that the electronic board 30 fits into the recess formed by the first protruding side surface 115 and the first abutment surface 135 of the first protruding portion 124, and the recess formed by the first protruding side surface 116 and the second abutment surface 136 of the second protruding portion 125, as shown in FIG. 16. That is, the electronic board 30 is assembled to the sheet portion 60. In addition, the electronic board 30 is supported by the first support portion 117 (first abutment surface 135) and the second support portion 118 (second abutment surface 136).

In this way, the worker can easily assemble the electronic board 30 to the sheet portion 60 by simply placing the electronic board 30 temporarily in the opening of the sheet portion 60 and pressing the electronic board 30 against the third planar portion 110 of the sheet portion 60. Therefore, as shown in Figures 18 and 19, the worker can easily assemble the electronic key terminal 1 by placing the sheet portion 60 with the electronic board 30 assembled thereto inside the second housing 20 and engaging the first housing 10 with the second housing 20.

<Block configuration of wireless system>
FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wireless system according to the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 20, the wireless system 200 includes the electronic key terminal 1 described above and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 300 mounted in the vehicle.

The electronic key terminal 1 described above is registered in advance with the ECU 300 installed in the vehicle so as to be paired with the ECU 300. For example, Bluetooth LE (BLE) is used for communication between the electronic key terminal 1 and the ECU 300. The frequency used in BLE is the 2.4 GHz band, and the communication distance is approximately 100 m.

<<Electronic key terminal>>
20, the electronic key terminal 1 includes, as electronic circuits on an electronic board 30, an antenna 34, a front end unit 211, and a control circuit 212. In addition, the electronic key terminal 1 includes a battery 40 that supplies power to the electronic circuits.

The antenna 34 is, for example, a dipole antenna. Note that the antenna 34 is not limited to a dipole antenna and may be composed of multiple antenna elements.

The front-end unit 211 amplifies weak signals, converts high frequencies to low frequencies, and prevents the transmitted signal from leaking to the receiving unit.

The control circuit 212 includes an oscillator 221, a transmitter 222, a receiver 223, a memory 224, and a controller 225.

The oscillator 221 is a local oscillator that generates a carrier signal. The transmitter 222 generates radio waves from the IQ data (baseband signal) to be transmitted, and transmits the generated radio waves from the antenna 34 via the front-end unit 211. The receiver 223 acquires the radio waves received by the antenna 34 via the front-end unit 211, extracts the IQ data from the acquired radio waves, and detects the electric field strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indication).

The control unit 225 controls the transmission of radio waves via the transmission unit 222. The control unit 225 also detects the electric field strength of the radio waves received via the reception unit 223 and controls the storage of the detected electric field strength in the memory 224. The control unit 225 may determine the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 based on the electric field strength of the detected radio waves. The control unit 225 may notify the ECU 300 of the vehicle of the electric field strength of the detected radio waves. In this way, the ECU 300 of the vehicle can determine the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 using the electric field strength of the radio waves notified from the electronic key terminal 1.

The control unit 225 has a processor (not shown), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a program for controlling the processor, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) used for the operation of the processor. The processor may be interpreted as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an integrated circuit, an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), a controller, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc. The memory 224 may be either a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory (e.g., a flash memory).

<<ECU>>
In FIG. 20, an ECU 300 mounted on a vehicle includes an antenna 301 , a front end unit 302 , and a control circuit 303 .

The antenna 301 is, for example, a dipole antenna. Note that the antenna 301 is not limited to a dipole antenna, and may be composed of multiple antenna elements.

The front-end unit 302, like the front-end unit 211 of the electronic key terminal 1 described above, amplifies weak signals, converts high frequencies to low frequencies, and prevents the transmitted signal from leaking to the receiving unit.

The control circuit 303 includes an oscillator 321, a transmitter 322, a receiver 323, a memory 324, and a controller 325.

The oscillator 321 is a local oscillator that generates a carrier signal, similar to the oscillator 221 of the control circuit 212 of the electronic key terminal 1 described above. The transmitter 322 generates radio waves from the IQ data (baseband signal) to be transmitted, and controls the transmission of the generated radio waves from the antenna 301 via the front-end unit 302. The receiver 323 acquires the radio waves received by the antenna 301 via the front-end unit 302, extracts the IQ data from the acquired radio waves, and detects the electric field strength (RSSI).

The control unit 325 controls the transmission of radio waves via the transmission unit 322. The control unit 325 also detects the electric field strength of the radio waves received via the reception unit 323, and controls the storage of the detected electric field strength in the memory 324. The control unit 325 may determine the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 based on the electric field strength of the received radio waves.

After calculating the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1, the control unit 325 changes the behavior of the vehicle depending on the calculated distance. For example, the ECU 300 may not accept operation of the electronic key terminal 1 if the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and may accept operation of the electronic key terminal 1 if the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined value. The ECU 300 may or may not accept operation of the electronic key terminal 1 if the distance between the vehicle and the electronic key terminal 1 is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

Like the control unit 225 of the electronic key terminal 1, the control unit 325 has a processor (not shown), a ROM that stores a program for controlling the processor, and a RAM used for the operation of the processor. The memory 324 may be either a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory (e.g., a flash memory).

Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, corrections, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components in the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the invention.

The technology disclosed herein is useful for electronic key terminals that have a substrate.

1 Electronic key terminal 10 First housing 11 First planar portion 12 First wall portion 13 First end portion 14 First locking portion 15 Upper surface 16 Lower surface 17 Convex portion 18 Button portion 20 Second housing 21 Second planar portion 22 Second wall portion 23 Second end portion 24 Second locking portion 25 Upper surface 26 Lower surface 27 Board support portion 28, 29 Third locking portion 30 Electronic board 31 Surface 32 Back surface 33 Switch 34 Antenna 35 Second battery contact 40 Battery 50 First battery contact 60 Sheet portion 100 Mold set 101 Upper mold 102 Lower mold 103, 103A, 103B Mold piece 104 Recess 110 Third planar portion 111, 112, 137, 138 Third wall portion 113 First portion 114 Second portion 115, 116 First protruding side surface 117 First support portion 118 Second support portion 119 Third section 120 First side 120a One end portion 120b Other end portion 121 Second side 121a One end portion 121b Other end portion 122 Third side 123 Fourth side 124 First protrusion portion 124a One end portion 124b Other end portion 125 Second protrusion portion 125a One end portion 125b Other end portion 126 First section 127 Second section 128 First midpoint 129 Second midpoint 131, 132 Second protrusion side surface 133, 134 First protrusion surface 135 First abutment surface 136 Second abutment surface 139, 139a, 139b First protrusion length 140, 140a, 140b Second protrusion length 141, 142 Fourth engagement portion 143 Fifth engagement portion 200 Wireless system 211 Front end portion 212 Control circuit 221 Oscillator 222 Transmission unit 223 Reception unit 224 Memory 225 Control unit 300 ECU
301 Antenna 302 Front end unit 303 Control circuit 321 Oscillator 322 Transmitter 323 Receiver 324 Memory 325 Control unit

Claims (14)

a first housing having a first planar portion disposed along a predetermined surface;
a second housing having a second planar portion disposed along the predetermined surface, at least a portion of which contacts the first housing;
a third planar portion, at least a portion of which is disposed along the predetermined surface between the first planar portion and the second planar portion and which is made of an elastic member having a predetermined elastic modulus ;
a wall portion protruding from the first planar portion toward the second planar portion at least in a portion of the periphery of the third planar portion ;
an electronic board housed in the first housing and the second housing, at least a portion of which is disposed along the predetermined surface between the third planar portion and the second planar portion;
When viewed from the second planar portion toward the first planar portion, the third planar portion has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side,
a portion of the wall portion of the first side of the third planar portion has a first protrusion protruding from the first side toward the second side,
In the wall portion of the first side of the third planar portion, only the first protruding portion protrudes from the first side toward the second side,
a part of the wall portion of the second side of the third planar portion has a second protruding portion protruding from the second side toward the first side,
In the wall portion of the second side of the third planar portion, only the second protruding portion protrudes from the second side toward the first side,
The electronic substrate has a predetermined flat plate shape having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side,
a first portion of the electronic board facing the first side of the electronic board is disposed between the third planar portion and the first protruding portion;
a second portion of the electronic substrate that faces the first side and is different from the first portion of the electronic substrate is not disposed between the third planar portion and the first protruding portion,
a third portion of the electronic board facing the second side of the electronic board is disposed between the third planar portion and the second protruding portion;
a fourth portion of the electronic substrate facing the second side and different from the third portion of the electronic substrate is not disposed between the third planar portion and the second protruding portion;
Electronic key terminal. 2. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
the shape of the third surface portion has a third side connecting one end of the first side and one end of the second side, and a fourth side connecting the other end of the first side and the other end of the second side,
a portion of the wall portion of the third side of the third planar portion has a third protruding portion protruding from the third side toward the fourth side,
a fourth protrusion protruding from the fourth side toward the third side of the third planar portion;
a third protrusion length of the third protrusion portion is shorter than a first protrusion length of the first protrusion portion and is shorter than a second protrusion length of the second protrusion portion;
a fourth protrusion length of the fourth protrusion portion is shorter than a first protrusion length of the first protrusion portion and is shorter than a second protrusion length of the second protrusion portion;
Electronic key terminal. 3. The electronic key terminal according to claim 2,
the third protrusion length of the third protrusion is 0 (zero);
The fourth protrusion length of the fourth protrusion is 0 (zero).
Electronic key terminal. 4. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
The shape of the third surface portion is rectangular,
The first side is a first long side of the rectangle,
The second side is a second long side of the rectangle.
Electronic key terminal. 5. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
The first protrusion and the second protrusion are disposed opposite each other. 6. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
the first protruding portion is disposed on a portion of the first side including a first midpoint,
The second protrusion is disposed on a portion including a second midpoint of the second side.
Electronic key terminal. 7. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
The first protrusion is disposed across a first section on the first side,
The second protrusion is disposed on the second side across a second section,
the length of the first section is equal to or greater than one-quarter and equal to or less than three-quarters of the length of the first side,
The length of the second section is equal to or greater than one-quarter and equal to or less than three-quarters of the length of the second side.
Electronic key terminal. 8. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
The first protrusion has one end and another end in a direction along the first side,
a first protrusion length of the one end of the first protrusion portion gradually decreases along the first side,
a first protrusion length of the other end of the first protrusion portion gradually decreases along the first side,
The second protruding portion has one end and another end in a direction along the second side,
a second protrusion length of the one end of the second protrusion portion gradually decreases along the second side,
A second protrusion length of the other end of the second protrusion portion gradually decreases along the second side.
Electronic key terminal. 9. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
The first protrusion is
a first protruding surface protruding from the first side toward the second side;
a first protruding side surface that connects the first protruding surface and a part of the wall portion of the first side and is located on the third planar portion side;
a second protruding side surface that connects the first protruding surface and a part of the wall portion of the first side and is disposed opposite the third planar portion with respect to the first protruding side surface,
The second protrusion is
a first protruding surface protruding from the second side toward the first side;
a first protruding side surface that connects the first protruding surface and a part of the wall portion of the second side and is located on the third planar portion side;
a second protruding side surface that connects the first protruding surface and a part of the wall portion of the second side and is disposed opposite the third planar portion with respect to the first protruding side surface;
Electronic key terminal. 10. The electronic key terminal according to claim 9,
the second protruding side surface of the first protruding portion is disposed obliquely between the first protruding surface of the first protruding portion and a part of the wall portion of the first side,
The second protruding side surface of the second protruding portion is disposed obliquely between the first protruding surface of the second protruding portion and a part of the wall portion of the second side.
Electronic key terminal. 11. The electronic key terminal according to claim 9 or 10,
the third planar portion has a first support portion at a base of a part of the wall portion of the first side, the first support portion having a first abutment surface that can abut against the first portion of the electronic substrate facing the first side,
the third planar portion has a second support portion at a base of a part of the wall portion of the second side, the second support portion having a second abutment surface that can abut against the third portion facing the second side of the electronic board,
a distance between the first protruding side surface of the first protruding portion and the first contact surface of the first supporting portion is longer than a thickness of the electronic substrate;
a distance between the first protruding side surface of the second protruding portion and the second abutment surface of the second support portion is longer than a thickness of the electronic substrate;
Electronic key terminal. 12. The electronic key terminal according to claim 11,
the second housing has a board support portion protruding from the second planar portion toward the first planar portion,
The electronic substrate includes at least
The first contact surface of the first support portion;
The second abutment surface of the second support portion;
The substrate support is supported by the substrate support.
Electronic key terminal. 13. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
the first housing and the second housing each include a locking portion that locks with each other,
When the first housing and the second housing are engaged with each other, at least a part of the wall portion of the first side and at least a part of the wall portion of the second side are in close contact with the second planar portion of the second housing.
Electronic key terminal. 14. The electronic key terminal according to claim 1,
The elastic modulus of the elastic member is smaller than the elastic modulus of the first housing and is smaller than the elastic modulus of the second housing.
Electronic key terminal.

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