JP2001024348A - Case structure of communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To take waterproof countermeasure and mothproof countermeasure in addition to countermeasure for moisture condensation. SOLUTION: This case structure of a communication apparatus is provided with a circuit board 144, on which electronic components for communication are attached and a case housing 142 accommodating the circuit board 144. Vent holes 214, interconnecting the inside and the outside of the case housing 142, are formed on the case housing 142. The vent holes 214 are covered with covering members 216 having selective permeability, which permit permeation of gas and obstruct permeation of liquid and solid. The covering members 216 are constituted of, e.g. film members 218, having selective permeability and net members 220 covering the film members 218.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a case structure of a communication device attached to a gas meter or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, meters have been installed at each customer (house) to measure the amount of electric power, gas, water, etc. used,
The measurement of this meter is performed by remote meter reading.

An automatic meter reading system shown in FIG. 6, for example, is known to remotely measure the amount of gas (city gas, LP gas) used. In this meter reading system, a host computer 4 is provided in a business center 2 and a gas meter 8 for measuring the amount of gas used by gas equipment (not shown) is installed in a customer (each house) 6. . The host computer 4 is connected to the center-side network controller 10 (“C
-NCU ”), and the center-side network control device 10 is connected to the public telephone line 1 via the security device 12.
4 is connected. On the customer 6 side, a terminal network controller 16
(Abbreviated as “T-NCU”), a customer home telephone 18 is connected to the terminal network control device 16, and a gas meter 8 is connected thereto. The terminal network control device 16 functions to switch the transmission of the signal, and transmits the signal transmitted from the general public telephone line to the telephone 18 or the gas meter 8. The terminal network control device 16 is connected to the general public telephone line 14 via a security device 22. The host computer 4 on the business center 2 side and the gas meter 8 on the customer 6 side are connected via the general public telephone line 14 as described above, and signals are transmitted and received between the host computer 4 and the gas meter 8. In addition, the gas meter 8 of each customer 6 can be remotely measured on the business center 2 side.

In such an automatic meter reading system, the terminal network control device 16 is generally installed outdoors, and therefore,
Waterproof, insect-proof, and dew-resistant. The terminal network control device 16 includes a circuit board on which various electronic components are mounted, and a case housing for accommodating the circuit board, and includes a lower housing and an upper housing in which the case housings are detachably mounted. I have. As a measure against water and insects, the sealing performance of the case housing is improved, in other words, the gap between the lower housing and the upper housing is reduced to prevent water and insects (for example, ants) from entering from outside. ing. Further, as a measure against dew condensation, for example, a coating of silicon or the like is applied to the entire substrate to prevent water droplets from directly adhering to the electronic component.

[0005]

However, in recent years,
A wireless automatic meter reading system that is economically advantageous and has good workability is being developed. In such a wireless automatic meter reading system, one wireless master device controls a plurality of wireless slave devices, and a host computer and a wireless master device on the center side transmit and receive signals wirelessly to each other. The device is attached to a gas meter on the customer side, and a wireless master device and a plurality of wireless slave devices transmit and receive signals using specific low-power wireless.

In such an automatic meter reading system,
Since a wireless handset is attached to each gas meter, it is necessary to take waterproof, insect-proof and dew-proof measures for the wireless handset. However, since the radio slave uses a high frequency for signal transmission, it includes a high frequency circuit or the like as an electronic component, and the high frequency circuit cannot be coated with silicon or the like. No anti-condensation measures can be taken.

Therefore, as a countermeasure against dew condensation, it is conceivable to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation by increasing the gap between the case housing of the wireless slave unit (that is, the gap between the lower housing and the upper housing) to increase the air permeability. However, in such a configuration, since a ventilation hole is formed in the case housing, water, insects, and the like easily enter through the ventilation hole,
A new problem arises in that waterproofing and insect repelling measures are insufficient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a case structure of a communication device capable of performing waterproofing and insect-proofing measures in addition to dew-proofing measures.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a case structure for a communication device comprising a circuit board on which communication electronic components are mounted, and a case housing for accommodating the circuit board. Is formed with a ventilation hole communicating with the inside and outside thereof, and the ventilation hole is covered with a cover having selective permeability, and the cover allows gas permeation, but blocks liquid and solid permeation. And

According to the present invention, a ventilation hole is formed in the case housing of the communication device, and the ventilation hole is covered by a cover having selective permeability. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent liquids such as water and solids such as dust from entering through the cover body, while allowing gas such as air to pass through the cover body, thereby providing sufficient air permeability inside and outside the case housing. And the occurrence of dew condensation in the case housing can be prevented.

Further, in the present invention, at least two communication holes are provided on the back surface of the case housing, and each communication hole is covered by the cover body.

According to the present invention, since the communication hole is provided on the back surface of the case housing, water, dust, etc.
Insects and the like can be reduced in structure from reaching the communication hole. In addition, since at least two communication holes are provided on the rear surface and these communication holes are covered by the cover body, air permeability inside and outside the case housing is excellent, and the occurrence of dew condensation can be more effectively prevented.

Further, in the present invention, the cover member includes a selectively permeable membrane member and a net member for preventing insects from entering, and the net member is formed of the membrane member when viewed in the insect entry direction. It is characterized by being arranged on the upstream side.

According to the present invention, the cover member is composed of the membrane member and the net member, and the net member is disposed on the upstream side of the membrane member when viewed in the direction of insect invasion. This prevents the insects, such as ants, that are trying to invade from biting the membrane member, and can maintain the waterproof, insect-proof, and dew-resistant effects for a long period of time.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a case structure of a communication device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of a wireless automatic meter reading system, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a gas meter and a wireless slave unit to which a case structure according to the present invention is applied in the automatic meter reading system of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the wireless slave device shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the wireless slave device shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cover body of the machine and its vicinity in an enlarged manner.

Referring to FIG. 1, the illustrated automatic meter reading system includes a host computer 104 installed at a business center 102 and a gas meter 108 installed at a customer 106 (each house). A transmitter / receiver 110 for transmitting / receiving a signal in relation to the host computer 104 is installed in the business center 102, and the host computer 104 is connected to the transmitter / receiver 110. Also,
On the customer side, a wireless slave unit 112 is attached to each gas meter 108, and a wireless master unit 114 is provided so as to control a plurality of gas meters 108 in a predetermined area, for example, one apartment house. For example, it is installed on a utility pole (not shown) or the like. Transmission of various signals is performed between the plurality of wireless slaves 114 and the wireless master 116 using specific low-power wireless communication.
Various signals are transmitted between the mobile station 10 and the wireless base unit 114 using, for example, a PHS public line.

Next, the configuration of the gas meter 108 and the wireless handset 112 as a communication device attached to the gas meter 108 will be described with reference to FIGS. Gas meter 10 shown
Numeral 8 includes a meter main body 116, and a metering section (not shown) for measuring a flow rate of a fuel gas (city gas, LP gas) is provided in a lower part inside the meter main body 116, and an upper part in the meter main body 116 is provided. Is provided with a control unit (not shown) including a microcomputer and the like. A gas inflow pipe 118 and a gas outflow pipe 120 are provided on the upper surface of the meter body 116 at intervals.
Reference numeral 20 is connected to the measuring section. Further, at a predetermined position in the upper part of the front surface of the meter main body 116, a protruding portion 122 protruding to the front side is provided, a counter portion 124 is built in the protruding portion 122, and a rectangular display is provided on the front surface of the protruding portion 122. A window 126 is formed, through which the weighing value displayed by the counter unit 124 can be read. With this configuration, the fuel gas supplied to the customer 106 is supplied to the gas inflow pipe 11 as indicated by the arrow 130.
8, the fuel gas measured by the measuring unit flows out through the gas outlet pipe 120 as shown by the arrow 132, and further flows into the house through the gas supply pipe (not shown). The measured value sent to a gas appliance (not shown) such as an installed gas stove and measured by the measuring unit is displayed on the counter unit 124. Therefore, by reading the measured value displayed on the counter unit 124,
It is possible to know the amount of fuel gas used in gas equipment.

In this embodiment, the wireless handset 112 is attached to the front of the gas meter 108 as follows. Referring mainly to FIG. 2, the protruding portion 122 of the meter main body 116 has a rectangular shape elongated in the lateral direction.
The attachment member 134 is attached to the 22. A rectangular opening corresponding to the protrusion 122 is formed in the mounting member 134, and the mounting member 134 is fitted to the protrusion 122 of the meter main body 116 by positioning the protrusion 122 in the rectangular opening. You. Fixing screws 136 are screwed to the upper and lower portions of the mounting member 134, and these fixing screws 13
By tightening 6, the mounting member 134 is fixed to the meter main body 116.

Referring also to FIG.
Includes a case housing 142, which includes an upper housing 146 covering most of the circuit board 144 and a lower housing 148 covering the remaining part of the circuit board 144. Upper housing 14
The lower housing 6 and the lower housing 148 are detachably attached to each other to form a case housing 142, and a circuit board 144 is housed in a housing space 152 (see FIG. 3) defined by the case housing 142 as described later. In this embodiment, the upper end of the upper housing 146 of the case housing 142 is integrally provided with a mounting protrusion 154 projecting upward, and the hole 156 of the mounting protrusion 154 is provided.
By screwing the mounting screw 158 (see FIG. 2) through the mounting member 134 (see FIG. 4), the wireless slave unit 112 is detachably attached to the front of the gas meter 108 as shown in FIG.

Next, the wireless handset 112 will be described in more detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The upper housing 146 of the illustrated wireless handset 112 has a rear wall 162 and a front wall 164. Both ends of the rear wall 162 and the front wall 164 are connected by side walls 166 and 168, and their upper ends are connected by a top wall 170, and the upper housing 14
The lower part of 6 is open. In this configuration, the rear wall 162 of the upper housing 146 projects downward beyond the front wall 164, and correspondingly, the lower ends of the side walls 166, 168
It is formed so as to project downward in a substantially arc shape from the front side to the rear side. Top wall 1 of this upper housing 146
A pair of ribs 172 (only one is shown in FIG. 3) are provided integrally on the inner surface of the inner space 70 at intervals in the horizontal direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3, the direction from the lower left to the upper right in FIG. 4). A rectangular notch 1 is formed in the pair of ribs 172.
74 are provided. Also, on the back of the rear wall 162,
A pair of ridges 176 (only one is shown in FIG. 3) are provided at intervals in the horizontal direction, and these ridges 176 are arranged in the vertical direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 3, the upper left to lower right in FIG. 4). The ridge 176 is extended
08 comes into contact with the front surface.

The lower housing 148 has a front wall 180.
And side walls 182,1 extending from both side ends of the front wall 180.
84 and a bottom wall 186 extending from the lower end of the front wall 180, and the top and back surfaces thereof are open. The lower housing 148 is detachably mounted on the upper housing 146. In the mounted state, the upper housing 146 and the lower housing 148 constitute a case housing 142 of the wireless communication device 112, and their front walls 164, 180 Constitute the front walls and their side walls 16
6, 182, 168 and 184 are the case housing 142.
And the top wall 1 of the upper housing 146
70 constitutes the top wall of the case housing 142, the rear wall 162 of the upper housing 146 constitutes the rear wall of the case housing 142, and the bottom wall 186 of the lower housing 148.
Constitute the bottom wall of the case housing 142. The inner surface of the bottom wall 186 of the lower housing 148 is provided with the above-described laterally extending concave groove 188 (see FIG. 3) corresponding to the pair of cutouts 174 of the upper housing 146. A terminal block 187 is provided below the terminal block 187, and a pair of terminal screws 189 are screwed to the terminal block 187. A lead wire (not shown) from a control unit (not shown) of the gas meter 108 is electrically connected to the pair of terminal screws 189, and the lead wire is locked to a rear wall 162 of the upper housing 146. Notch 185 is provided.

The circuit board 144 has a rectangular shape, and has a lithium battery 190 as a power supply,
Various electronic components for communication such as an IC chip 192 and a planar antenna 194 are provided, and these various electronic components are electrically connected by a pattern (not shown). The lower end of the circuit board 144 is inserted into the concave groove 188 of the lower housing 148, for example, as shown in FIG. In such a state, the upper end of the lower housing 148 is inserted through the lower surface opening of the upper housing 146, and after insertion, a fixing screw (not shown) is screwed into the screw hole 193 of the upper housing 146 through the hole 191. In this manner, the lower housing 148 is
Fixed to In this mounted state, the upper end of the circuit board 144 is inserted into the pair of cutouts 174 of the upper housing 146, and the circuit board 144 is supported at an interval from the rear wall of the case housing 142 (see FIG. 4). In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a shoulder 196 is provided on the inner surface of the lower opening of the upper housing 146 over the entire circumference by reducing the thickness on the opening side. The upper end of the mounted lower housing 148 is configured to abut on the shoulder 196. By inserting the upper end of the lower housing 148 into the lower end of the upper housing 146 and bringing the upper end into contact with the shoulder 196 of the upper housing 146, the upper housing 1
46 and the gap between the mounting portions of the lower housing 148 can be made very small.
6,148 mounting portions can be substantially sealed to prevent the invasion of insects such as ants from the outside (in other words, the gap between the mounting portions can be easily set to, for example, about 0.2 mm or less). ).

In this embodiment, the upper housing 146
A terminal block cover 200 is provided so as to cover most of the lower housing 148 protruding from the terminal block 148. Terminal cover 2
00 has a front wall 202, a pair of side walls 204, 206 and a bottom wall 208, and upper ends of the pair of side walls 204, 206 are substantially corresponding to shapes of lower ends of a pair of side walls 166, 168 of the upper housing 146. It is formed in an arc shape. The terminal block cover 200 is attached to the rear wall 162 of the upper housing 146 so as to cover the lower housing 148 and contact the upper end thereof with the lower end of the upper housing 146, and fix a fixing screw (not shown) through the hole 210. By screwing into the screw hole 212 of the housing 146,
It is fixed to the upper housing 146. Terminal block cover 20
0, each of the upper housing 146 and the lower housing 148 is formed, for example, by integral molding of a synthetic resin. In this embodiment, the portion of the lower housing 148 exposed from the upper housing 146 is covered by the terminal block cover 200. However, instead of such a configuration,
For example, the terminal portion 187 and its vicinity may be partially covered.

The case housing 142 is provided in the housing space 15.
In order to increase the air permeability inside the air conditioner 2, it is further configured as follows. Referring mainly to FIGS. 3 and 5, in this embodiment, a pair of ventilation holes 214 is formed in rear wall 162 of upper housing 146 at intervals in the vertical direction.
The ventilation hole 214 may have an appropriate shape such as an elliptical shape, a rectangular shape, and a circular shape. In this embodiment, the ventilation hole 214 is formed in a circular shape having a diameter of about 3 to 7 mm.
The inside and outside of 2 are communicated. Each ventilation hole 214 is covered with a cover body 216 having selective permeability. The cover member 216 in the illustrated form is a film member 2 having selective permeability.
18 and a mesh member 220 for preventing insects from entering, and a membrane member 218 is attached to the rear surface of the rear wall 162 of the upper housing 146 so as to cover the vent hole 214.
The mesh member 220 is attached so as to cover the membrane member 218, and the membrane member 218 and the mesh member 220 are fixed by, for example, an adhesive or a double-sided tape (not shown). As the membrane member 218, one that prevents the permeation of liquids such as water and solids such as dust, but allows the permeation of gases such as air, for example, a porous membrane formed of tetrafluoroethylene resin,
A nonwoven fabric or the like can be used, and as the net member 220, a net member made of metal such as iron or a net member made of a synthetic resin can be used.

The mesh member 220 is provided to reliably prevent insects such as ants from entering the case housing 142. Therefore, the mesh size (mesh size) is 0.2 mm. It is preferable to set it to about
With such a size, invasion of ants having small heads of about 0.3 mm and insects larger than them can be reliably prevented. This mesh member 220 is
In order to prevent insects such as ants from breaking the membrane member 218, it is preferable to provide the cover member 216 on the inner surface of the rear wall 162 of the upper housing 146 when viewed in the insect intrusion direction. In this case, a mesh member 220 is preferably provided on the inner surface of the rear wall 162 so as to cover the ventilation hole 214, and a membrane member 118 is preferably provided so as to cover the mesh member.

In the wireless handset 112 having such a configuration, since the ventilation hole 214 of the case housing 142 is covered with the selectively permeable membrane member 218, liquid such as water and solid such as dust enter from the outside. While preventing
Permeation of gas such as air is allowed, and the case housing 1
Sufficient air permeability inside and outside of the case 42 is ensured, so that the occurrence of dew condensation in the case housing 142 can be prevented. Further, since the membrane member 218 is covered with the mesh member 220, invasion of insects such as ants through the ventilation holes 214 can be reliably prevented, and the membrane members such as the insects can break the membrane member 218. 218 can also be prevented, and the wireless handset 112 can be used for a long time.

In the above-described embodiment, the ventilation hole 214 is provided on the rear wall of the case housing 142 to prevent rain, sprinkling, etc., but if this does not cause a problem, the front wall of the case housing 142 can be used. Vent holes can be provided at appropriate portions such as side walls and the like.

In the above-described embodiment, two ventilation holes 214 are provided in order to improve the air permeability. However, if air permeability can be ensured, only one air hole may be provided. Alternatively, three or more may be provided as needed.

As described above, the case structure of the communication device according to the present invention has been described as applied to the wireless handset 112 attached to the gas meter 108. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is applied to a water meter, a power meter and the like. The present invention can be widely used for a wireless slave device or a case structure of a communication device such as a terminal network control device used when a general public telephone line is used.

[0029]

According to the communication device case structure of the first aspect of the present invention, since the cover having the selective permeability is provided in the ventilation hole of the case housing, the liquid such as water or the like passing through the cover is provided. While it is possible to prevent the intrusion of solids such as dust and insects, the permeation of gas such as air through the cover body is allowed, whereby sufficient air permeability inside and outside the case housing is secured, and condensation inside the case housing is formed. Generation can be prevented.

Further, according to the case structure of the communication device of the second aspect of the present invention, since the ventilation hole is provided on the back surface of the case housing, it is possible to reduce water and the like from outside reaching the ventilation hole. Can be. Further, since at least two ventilation holes are provided, the air permeability inside and outside the case housing is enhanced, and the occurrence of dew condensation can be further prevented.

Further, according to the case of the communication device of the third aspect of the present invention, since the cover body is composed of the membrane member and the mesh member, the cover member can be selectively permeable by the membrane member, The member can protect the membrane member from insects, and can maintain the waterproof, insect-proof, and dew-resistant effects for a long period of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a wireless automatic meter reading system.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a gas meter in the automatic meter reading system of FIG. 1 and a wireless slave unit to which a case structure according to the present invention is applied;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the wireless slave device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the wireless slave device shown in FIG. 2;

5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cover body of the wireless slave device of FIG. 2 and the vicinity thereof in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a conventional automatic meter reading system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 104 Host computer 108 Gas meter 112 Wireless slave unit 114 Wireless master unit 142 Case housing 144 Circuit board 146 Upper housing 148 Lower housing 152 Housing space 200 Terminal block cover 214 Vent hole 216 Cover body 218 Membrane member 220 Net member

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4E360 AB05 AB12 AB17 AB34 AB55 AB64 BC05 BD03 BD05 EA05 EA14 EB02 EC12 ED02 ED03 ED28 ED29 GA04 GA06 GA22 GA23 GA24 GA29 GB25

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A case structure of a communication device comprising a circuit board on which a communication electronic component is mounted and a case housing for accommodating the circuit board, wherein the case housing communicates with the inside and outside of the case housing. Wherein the ventilation hole is covered by a cover having selective permeability, and the cover allows gas permeation but blocks liquid and solid permeation. 2. The case structure for a communication device according to claim 1, wherein at least two ventilation holes are provided on a rear surface of said case housing, and each ventilation hole is covered by said cover body. 3. The cover body includes a selectively permeable membrane member and a mesh member for preventing insect invasion, and the mesh member is disposed upstream of the membrane member when viewed in the insect infestation direction. The case structure of a communication device according to claim 1, wherein the case structure is provided.