JP7336600B2 - Sensor communication device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to sensor communication devices.

In recent years, sensor communication devices equipped with sensor and communication functions have been deployed everywhere for solutions that utilize the Internet of Things (IoT), and in the future, a trillion sensor communication devices will be deployed. expected to be Therefore, there are often restrictions on the position where the sensor communication device is arranged, and miniaturization of the sensor communication device is required. In particular, it is known that the size of the battery for operating the sensor causes the downsizing of the sensor communication device and the obstruction of communication radio waves.

In the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1, the element pattern of the communication antenna is formed on the cathode surface of the button battery, with the peripheral surface of the button battery separated from the end of the element pattern of the communication antenna by a predetermined distance. It is arranged substantially on the same plane as the plane on which the

Japanese Patent Publication "JP 2009-135651"

Even if the plane on which the element pattern of the communication antenna is formed and the cathode surface of the button battery are arranged substantially on the same plane as in the technique of Patent Document 1, it is not possible to save space on the surface on which the sensor is mounted.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and aims to reduce the size of the sensor communication device while ensuring sufficient radio wave intensity.

In order to solve the above problems, a sensor communication device having a communication function according to an aspect of the present disclosure provides a first substrate and a coin battery so as not to be parallel to a first plane of the first substrate. and a battery holder disposed on the first plane of the first substrate.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the size of the sensor communication device while ensuring sufficient radio wave intensity.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a sensor communication device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing that the goniometer unit incorporating the sensor communication device according to the first embodiment can also be applied to a mechanical pressure gauge with a diameter of 60 mm; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the results of an experiment on the effect of resin on radio wave intensity in the sensor communication device according to the first embodiment; It is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section when the sensor communication device according to the first embodiment is installed in a mechanical pressure gauge. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing that the angle θ between the battery holder and the first substrate in the sensor communication device according to the first embodiment should be within the range of 30° to 90°. FIG. 10 illustrates a sensor communication device according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are given the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

<First embodiment>
A sensor communication device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a sensor communication device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 shows the structure of the sensor communication device 1 and the electronic components mounted on the sensor communication device 1, such as 1010 to 1030. shows views from multiple directions. Reference numeral 1010 in FIG. 1 shows the sensor communication device 1 viewed obliquely from above. Reference numeral 1020 in FIG. 1 shows the sensor communication device 1 viewed from the front. Reference numeral 1030 in FIG. 1 shows the sensor communication device 1 viewed from the front of the side surface.

A sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment is a device having a sensor function and a communication function. As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor communication device 1 mainly includes a first substrate 101, a battery holder 102, a second substrate 103, a coin battery 104, a calibration button 105, a firmware writing connector 106, a transmitter 107, A connector 110 and a sensor 111 are provided. Battery holder 102 and calibration button 105 are mounted on the first plane of first substrate 101 . The second substrate 103 is arranged to face the rear surface of the first plane of the first substrate 101 . Firmware write connector 106 , transmitter 107 , and sensor 111 are mounted on the second plane of second substrate 103 between first substrate 101 and second substrate 103 .

As shown in FIG. 4, which will be described later, the battery holder 102 includes a base portion 221 physically fixed to the first substrate 101, and a socket 222 provided on the base portion 221 and into which the coin battery 104 can be inserted. have. The socket 222 corresponds to an insertion port for the coin battery 104 and is a portion that holds the coin battery 104 so that the coin battery 104 inserted in the battery holder 102 does not come off.

Battery holder 102 includes at least two terminals 151 and 152 for drawing power from coin battery 104 . These terminals extend to the rear surface of the first plane of the first substrate 101 via the through holes 150 that penetrate the first substrate 101, and solder 153 is applied to the rear surface of the first plane of the first substrate 101. are electrically connected to each other by being soldered using For example, terminal 151 is the positive electrode of battery holder 102 and terminal 152 is the negative electrode of battery holder 102 .

Transmitter 107 includes communication device 108 and communication antenna 109 . Connector 110 electrically connects first substrate 101 and second substrate 103 . The connector 110 also serves as a spacer that supports the first board 101 and the second board 103 .

Both the diameter of the first substrate 101 and the diameter of the second substrate 103 are designed to be values within the range of 22 mm to 26 mm (25 mm is recommended). Battery holder 102 is installed perpendicular to first substrate 101 .

The sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment uses power supplied from the coin battery 104 to communicate information sensed by the sensor 111 through the transmitter 107 . Thereby, for example, a system can be constructed in which the pressure value of a mechanical pressure gauge is read by a sensor and the information is communicated.

In the sensor communication device 1 according to this embodiment, the battery holder 102 is installed non-parallel to the first substrate 101 . More specifically, the battery holder 102 is arranged on the first plane of the first substrate 101 such that the coin battery 104 is non-parallel to the first plane of the first substrate 101 . In FIG. 1 , the battery holder 102 is installed substantially perpendicular to the first substrate 101 . Furthermore, the communication antenna 109 is arranged so as not to overlap the coin battery 104 in the vertical direction of the first substrate 101 with the coin battery 104 mounted in the battery holder 102 . Accordingly, since the communication antenna 109 of the transmitter 107 is sufficiently far away from the metallic coin battery 104, sufficient radio wave intensity can be secured without degrading the communication radio wave intensity of the sensor communication device 1. can.

In a conventional general sensor communication device, a battery holder is installed directly above and in parallel with the first substrate in order to save space in the vertical direction of the sensor communication device. However, in such a conventional configuration, since the distance between the metal coin battery and the antenna of the transmitter is short, there arises a problem that sufficient radio wave intensity cannot be ensured. The sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment solves this problem by installing the battery holder 102 non-parallel (typically perpendicular) to the first substrate 101 . That is, the sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment can be downsized by reducing the lateral space of the sensor communication device 1 .

The communication method by the transmitter 107 of the sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment is assumed to be the Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication method. However, other communication schemes such as LTE-M, LoRa, and Sigfox may be used, and are not limited to Bluetooth.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing that the goniometer unit 204 incorporating the sensor communication device 1 according to the first embodiment can also be applied to a mechanical pressure gauge with a diameter of 60 mm. In the sensor communication device 1 according to this embodiment, the diameter of the first substrate 101 and the diameter of the second substrate 103 are both designed to be 22 mm to 26 mm (25 mm is recommended). This effectiveness will be explained with reference to FIG.

1110 in FIG. 2 indicates a mechanical pressure gauge 201 with a diameter of 100 mm, in which a commercially available goniometer unit 202 is installed. The goniometer unit 202 has a function of measuring the pressure value of the mechanical pressure gauge 201 and communicating with it. The goniometer unit 202 is composed of a conventional sensor communication device and a housing for protecting it from the external environment such as moisture and dust. The goniometer unit 202 is generally commercially available.

1120 in FIG. 2 indicates a mechanical pressure gauge 203 with a diameter of 60 mm, in which the goniometer unit 202 is installed. Reference numeral 1130 in FIG. 2 indicates the mechanical pressure gauge 203 to which the angle gauge unit and the like are not attached for comparison. Reference numeral 1140 in FIG. 2 denotes a mechanical pressure gauge 203 having a diameter of 60 mm and equipped with the goniometer unit 204 according to the present embodiment in which the sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment is housed in the housing. there is The diameter of goniometer unit 204 according to the present embodiment is designed to be 30 mm. Specifically, the diameter of the first substrate 101 and the diameter of the second substrate 103 are both 25 mm, and the thickness of one side of the housing of the goniometer unit 204 is 2 mm (tolerance on one side: 0.5 mm).

In general, an angle gauge unit that measures the pressure value of a mechanical pressure gauge with a sensor and communicates the information is designed to be able to grasp the pressure value even when the battery runs out or the angle gauge unit fails. , is strongly desired to be visible. However, like 1120 in FIG. 2, since the commercially available goniometer unit 202 has a diameter of 46 mm, the pointer of the mechanical pressure gauge 203 with a diameter of 60 mm cannot be visually confirmed. Therefore, the goniometer unit 202 available on the market cannot be used to measure the pointer of the mechanical pressure gauge 203 with a diameter of 60 mm. On the other hand, as indicated by 1140 in FIG. 2, the goniometer unit 204 of the present disclosure is designed to have a diameter of 30 mm, so the needle of the mechanical pressure gauge 203 with a diameter of 60 mm can be visually confirmed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the results of an experiment on the effect of the resin (evaluation board) on the radio wave intensity in the sensor communication device 1 according to the first embodiment. An evaluation substrate is a substrate (resin) candidate that can be used as the first substrate 101 or the second substrate 103 . In the sensor communication device 1 according to this embodiment, the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 103 are arranged with a distance of 5 mm or more. Also, the distance between the first substrate 101 and the transmitter 107 mounted on the second substrate 103 is set to 5 mm or more. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the radio wave intensity from being lowered by the resin (the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 103). This effect will be described with reference to FIG.

1210 in FIG. 3 indicates the distance between the resin (evaluation board) and the communication antenna 109 of the transmitter 107 . Reference numeral 1220 in FIG. 3 indicates a table listing the interrelationships among the resins to be evaluated, their dielectric constants, and their dielectric loss tangents. 1230 in FIG. 3 indicates the evaluation result of the experiment. It is generally known that the radio wave intensity depends on the dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent of the resin. Therefore, by using resins (three types) having different dielectric constants and dielectric loss tangents, experiments were conducted on the effects of the resins on the radio wave intensity in the sensor communication device 1 .

As shown in FIG. 3, in any resin, when the distance A between the resin and the communication antenna 109 of the transmitter 107 is 5 mm or less, the radio wave intensity decreases. Furthermore, the larger the dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent of the resin, the larger the reduction in radio wave intensity. According to these results, in the sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment, the distance between the first substrate 101 and the transmitter 107 mounted on the second substrate 103 is set to 5 mm or more. It can be seen that there is an effect of preventing a decrease in strength. A typical substrate used for the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 103 has a dielectric constant of 2.5. Since the relative dielectric constant of the resin used in this experiment is low, it can be said that the sensor communication device 1 can further prevent a decrease in radio wave intensity.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a section when the sensor communication device 1 according to the first embodiment is installed in a mechanical pressure gauge. In this figure, a permanent magnet 121 is attached to a needle 131 of a mechanical pressure gauge. The sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment is installed such that the sensor 111 is arranged above the permanent magnet via the transparent plate 130 of the mechanical pressure gauge. As the sensor 111, for example, a magnetic sensor is used. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 4 , the sensor communication device 1 further includes a magnetic sensor approximately in the center of the back surface of the second plane of the second substrate 103 .

In the configuration of FIG. 4, the angle (that is, the pressure value) of the indicator 131 can be known by measuring the direction of the magnetic force line extending from the N pole to the S pole of the permanent magnet 121 with the magnetic sensor. The shorter the distance between the magnetic sensor and the permanent magnet 121, the higher the accuracy of measurement. Therefore, in order to bring the magnetic sensor and the permanent magnet 121 close to each other, the surface of the transparent plate 130 in the magnetic sensor portion should be shaved and thinned. Alternatively, a through hole may be made in the transparent plate 130 or resin or the like may be inserted between the permanent magnet 121 and the pointer 131 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing that in the sensor communication device according to the first embodiment, the angle θ between the battery holder 102 and the first substrate 101 should be within the range of 30° to 90°. . The angle θ between the battery holder 102 and the first substrate 101 may be any value within the range of 30° to 90°. In FIG. 5, battery holder 102, with coin battery 104 mounted on battery holder 102, tilts coin battery 104 in a direction different from the direction in which communication antenna 109 is arranged. Furthermore, in a state where the coin battery 104 is mounted on the battery holder 102, a first imaginary straight line parallel to the positive electrode terminal surface of the coin battery 104 and a second imaginary straight line parallel to the first plane of the first substrate 101 The angle is 30° or more and 90° or less.

In the example of FIG. 5, as the coin battery 104 and the battery holder 102, the most commonly used battery type: CR2032 (manufactured by Pasonic) and the type: CH74-2032LF (manufactured by Takachi Electric Industry Co., Ltd.) holder are used, respectively. ing. The size of the battery holder 102 when the coin battery 104 is inserted into the battery holder 102 is 27 mm long and 6.3 mm thick.

As described above with reference to FIG. 2, in order to visually confirm the pointer of the mechanical pressure gauge 203 having a diameter of 60 mm, the housing 140 in which the sensor communication device 1 according to the present embodiment is installed is The outline is designed within 30mm. In FIG. 5, the outer shape of housing 140 is 30 mm. Therefore, if the thickness of housing 140 is 2 mm, the inner diameter of housing 140 is 26 mm. In order to accommodate the battery holder 102 and the coin battery 104 within the inner diameter of 26 mm, the angle θ must be set to 30° or more.

As described above, since the angle θ is within the range of 30° to 90°, the battery holder 102 and the coin battery 104 can be housed inside the housing 140 (with an inner diameter of 26 mm). When the angle θ is 30°, the height of the housing 140 can be made lower than when the angle θ is 90°. Therefore, the space of the goniometer unit can be saved in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the material cost of housing 140 can also be reduced. On the other hand, when the angle θ is 90°, the coin battery 104 can be easily attached and detached. Furthermore, the resistance of the sensor communication device 1 to vibration can be increased.

<Second Embodiment>
A sensor communication device 1A according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a sensor communication device 1A according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. A sensor communication device 1A according to the present embodiment includes generally the same members as those included in the sensor communication device 1 according to the first embodiment. However, the sensor communication device 1A according to this embodiment includes a first substrate 301 instead of the first substrate 101. FIG.

In the sensor communication device 1</b>A, electronic components such as the connector 106 for writing firmware, the transmitter 107 and the sensor 111 are mounted on the first substrate 301 . As described above, in the sensor communication device 1A according to the present embodiment, unlike the sensor communication device 1 according to the first embodiment, a plurality of battery components including the sensor 111 are mounted on the single first substrate 301. there is Therefore, although the area of the first substrate 301 is larger than that of the sensor communication device 1 according to the first embodiment, the sensor communication device 1A can be space-saving in the vertical direction.

In the sensor communication device 1A according to the present embodiment as well, as described with reference to FIG. good.

<Additional notes>
As described in the first embodiment, in the sensor communication device 1 , the circuit board is composed of two sheets, the first board 101 and the second board 103 , and the coin battery 104 is arranged 30 times from the first board 201 . It is tilted at an angle within the range of ° to 90°. Therefore, the sensor communication device 1 can be laterally space-saving without lowering the communication radio wave intensity of the sensor communication device 1 . As a result, the sensor communication device 1 can realize installation of the goniometer unit in the mechanical pressure gauge 203 with a diameter of 60 mm, which has been impossible in the past. A similar effect can be obtained by the sensor communication device 1 according to the second embodiment.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

(Cross reference to related applications)
This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application: Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-126765 filed on July 27, 2020, and by referring to it, all of its contents are Included in this document.

101: First substrate 102: Battery holder 103: Second substrate 104: Coin battery 105: Calibration button 106: Firmware writing connector 107: Transmitter 108: Communication device 109: Antenna 110: First substrate 101 and second substrate Connector for electrically connecting substrate 103 111: sensor 121: permanent magnet 130: transparent plate 131: pointer 132: scale plate 133: case 140: housing 150: through hole 151: terminal 152: terminal 153: solder 201: diameter 100 mm mechanical pressure gauge 202: commercially available angle gauge unit 203: 60 mm diameter mechanical pressure gauge 204: angle gauge unit according to the present disclosure 221: base 222: socket 301: first according to the second embodiment substrate

Claims (10)

a first substrate;
A sensor communication device having a communication function, comprising a battery holder arranged on the first plane of the first substrate so that the coin battery is not parallel to the first plane of the first substrate. a second substrate arranged to face the rear surface of the first plane of the first substrate;
a spacer that supports the first substrate and the second substrate;
2. The sensor communication device of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter mounted on the second plane of the second substrate between the first substrate and the second substrate. 3. The sensor communication device according to claim 2, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are arranged with a distance of 5 mm or more. 2. The sensor communication device of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter located on said first plane of said first substrate. The transmitter includes a communication antenna,
5. The antenna for communication is arranged so as not to overlap with the coin battery with respect to the vertical direction of the first substrate with the coin battery mounted in the battery holder. 2. The sensor communication device according to item 1. The sensor communication according to claim 5, wherein the battery holder tilts the coin battery in a direction different from a direction in which the communication antenna is arranged in a state where the coin battery is mounted in the battery holder. Device. With the coin battery mounted on the battery holder, the angle formed by a first virtual straight line parallel to the positive electrode terminal surface of the coin battery and a second virtual straight line parallel to the first plane of the first substrate is , greater than or equal to 30° and less than or equal to 90°. The battery holder is
a base portion physically fixed to the first substrate;
The sensor communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a socket provided on said base portion and into which said coin battery can be inserted. the battery holder comprises at least two terminals for extracting power from the coin cell battery;
The sensor communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein said two terminals pass through said first substrate and are electrically connected to each other on the rear surface of said first plane. 3. The sensor communication device according to claim 2, further comprising a magnetic sensor substantially in the center of the back surface of said second plane of said second substrate.

Images