JP2010088098A - Measuring instrument and wireless apparatus for transmitting/receiving measured value output from the measuring instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small-sized and installation place free wireless apparatus and a measuring instrument comprising the wireless apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: In a measuring instrument 100 for measuring usage of tapped water, gases, electricity and the like, a wireless apparatus 200 is provided which performs wireless communication. The wireless apparatus 200 includes a planar ground plate 201 including a ground conductor; a loop antenna 204 provided on the ground plate 201; a signal feeding means 203 for feeding a signal to the loop antenna 204; and a battery 205 for powering the signal feeding means 203, wherein a reinforced portion 802 and a reinforced portion 803 are provided on the loop antenna 204. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a measurement device that measures the amount of water, gas, electricity, etc. used, a measurement device that includes a wireless device having a wireless communication function, and a wireless device that transmits and receives measurement values output from the measurement device. is there.

  In recent years, an automatic meter-reading system has been introduced that collects the amount of water, gas, electricity, and the like measured by a measuring device using wireless communication by a wireless device connected to the measuring device. The installation position of the wireless device is an environment in which a metal object such as a wall, a casing of a measuring device, and piping are close to each other, and a wireless device that is small in size and strong against the influence of metal is desired.

A conventional wireless device is configured by an inverted F-type antenna having a low profile, and avoids the influence of surroundings such as metal by limiting the installation position (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
JP 09-027092 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-086174

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the size of the wireless device is increased because the antenna structure is complicated, and the degree of freedom in installing the wireless device is reduced.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a measuring device including a wireless device that is small and can be installed anywhere, and a wireless device that transmits and receives measurement values output from the measuring device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a measuring device of the present invention includes a wireless device that performs wireless communication, and the wireless device includes a planar ground plate having a ground conductor, and a loop antenna provided on the ground plate. The loop antenna includes a signal feeding unit that feeds a signal to the loop antenna and a battery that supplies power to the signal feeding unit. One end of the loop antenna is connected to the ground plate, and the other end of the loop antenna is the signal feeding unit. The loop surface of the loop antenna is formed so as to be perpendicular to the ground plate, and reinforcing means is provided on a part of the loop antenna.

  According to this, although the wireless device is downsized and it is not necessary to limit the installation location, high communication performance can be obtained as a measuring device and the strength of the loop antenna is reinforced.

  In addition, the wireless device of the present invention includes a planar ground plate having a ground conductor, a loop antenna provided on the ground plate, a signal feeding unit that feeds signals to the loop antenna, and a power source for the signal feeding unit. The loop antenna is connected to the ground plate, the other end of the loop antenna is connected to the signal feeding means, and the loop surface of the loop antenna is formed perpendicular to the ground plate, A reinforcing means is provided on a part of the loop antenna.

  According to this, the wireless device is downsized and the installation location is not limited. In addition, the strength of the loop antenna is reinforced.

  The measuring device or the wireless device of the present invention reinforces the strength of the loop antenna, which must be increased in order to reduce the size of the wireless device and achieve the problem where the installation location is not limited, and improves the communication performance due to the damage of the loop antenna. Prevents deterioration.

  A first invention relates to a measuring device, and includes a wireless device that performs wireless communication. The wireless device includes a planar ground plate having a ground conductor, a loop antenna provided on the ground plate, and the loop antenna. Signal feeding means for feeding a signal to the battery, and a battery for supplying power to the signal feeding means. One end of the loop antenna is connected to the ground plate, and the other end of the loop antenna is the signal. The loop antenna is connected to a feeding means, formed so that a loop surface of the loop antenna is perpendicular to the ground plate, and reinforcing means is provided on a part of the loop antenna.

  According to this, it is necessary to reinforce the strength of the loop antenna, which must be increased in order to achieve a miniaturized wireless device and to achieve an unlimited installation location, and prevent deterioration in communication performance due to damage to the loop antenna. be able to.

  According to a second invention, in the reinforcing means of the first invention, a part of the loop antenna is formed as a concave portion or a convex portion. According to this, the strength can be easily increased by deforming a part of the shape of the loop antenna.

  A third invention relates to a wireless device that transmits and receives measurement values output from a measuring device that measures the amount of water, gas, electricity, etc., and a planar ground plate having a ground conductor, on the ground plate A loop antenna provided; a signal feeding unit that feeds a signal to the loop antenna; and a battery that supplies power to the signal feeding unit. One end of the loop antenna is connected to the ground plate; The other end of the antenna is connected to the signal feeding means, the loop surface of the loop antenna is formed so as to be perpendicular to the ground plate, and reinforcing means is provided on a part of the loop antenna.

  According to this, it is necessary to reinforce the strength of the loop antenna, which must be increased in order to achieve a miniaturized wireless device and to achieve an unlimited installation location, and prevent deterioration in communication performance due to damage to the loop antenna. be able to.

  According to a fourth invention, in the reinforcing means of the third invention, a part of the loop antenna is formed as a concave portion or a convex portion. According to this, the strength can be easily increased by deforming a part of the shape of the loop antenna.

  The best mode for carrying out the measuring device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
Details of the first embodiment of the measuring apparatus of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a measuring apparatus 100 according to the present invention. In the measuring apparatus 100, a connecting part 101 for connecting a pipe, a display part 102 for displaying a flow rate measurement value of gas or water flowing through the pipe, and a display part 102 are shown. A cover 103 that can be freely opened and closed is provided. Further, around the display unit 102, a wireless device 200 that transmits the flow rate measurement value to an external wireless terminal and transmits / receives some wireless signal to / from the wireless terminal is provided.

Next, details of the configuration of the wireless device 200 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, X, Y, and Z indicate respective coordinate axes. In FIG. 2, the internal configuration of the wireless device 200 is directly drawn for the sake of explanation, but in reality, each configuration described below is covered with a case body.

  In FIG. 2, a ground plate 201 is a ground plate having a ground conductor. The transmission / reception circuit 202 is a transmission / reception circuit that is provided on the ground plate 201, generates and outputs a transmission signal, and processes an input reception signal. Note that the transmission / reception circuit 202 may be only a transmission circuit or only a reception circuit.

  The matching circuit 203 is provided on the ground plate 201 and is connected to a loop antenna 204 and a transmission / reception circuit 202, which will be described later. In order to efficiently supply power to the loop antenna 204, which will be described later, the impedance between the loop antenna 204 and the transmission / reception circuit 202 Is a matching circuit (corresponding to the signal power supply means in the claims).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the matching circuit 203. It consists of a series capacitor and a parallel capacitor. Since the loop antenna 204 has a small radiation resistance, a matching circuit with a very small loss is required. Since an inductor has a larger loss than a capacitor, when used in a matching circuit, the radiation efficiency is degraded and the gain is greatly reduced. Therefore, a configuration of a matching circuit using a capacitor is desirable.

  The loop antenna 204 is provided such that the loop surface to be formed is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the ground plate 201, one of the two power supply ends is electrically connected to the matching circuit 203, and the other is the ground plate 201. Is a loop antenna made of a loop-shaped conductor that is electrically connected.

  The loop antenna 204 has a full length equal to or less than the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted and received. Further, the loop shape of the loop antenna 204 is formed by bending a plate-like conductor at a right angle so as to be a U-shape, but the loop surface is not the rectangle as shown in FIG. Any shape that is substantially perpendicular to the surface may be used. The loop antenna 204 is provided at the end of the ground plate 201.

  The battery 205 is a battery in which two terminals are electrically connected to the transmission / reception circuit 202 and the ground plate 201 to supply power to the transmission / reception circuit 202.

  The installation object 206 is an installation object in which the surface on which the antenna device of the present invention is installed in the X direction is made of a conductor (corresponding to the side surface of the measurement apparatus 100 according to FIG. 1).

  The operation of the antenna device of the present invention configured as described above will be described. In FIG. 1, the ground is parallel to the XY plane, the polarization in the Z-axis direction is vertical polarization, and the polarization orthogonal to the vertical polarization is horizontal polarization. Electric power is supplied to the loop antenna 204 by the transmission / reception circuit 202, and current flows through two paths (hereinafter referred to as a path A and a path B) as indicated by broken lines in FIG.

  The path A is a path that flows to the ground plate 201 via the loop antenna 204. A current flows in a loop on the XY plane, and a magnetic current in the direction of the loop axis as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1 is generated to radiate horizontally polarized waves. The loop antenna 204 operates as a magnetic current antenna using a magnetic current as a radiation source.

  A path B is a path that flows in the Z-axis direction to the ground plate 201. Since there is a loop antenna element in the Z-axis direction in the ground plate 201, current flows in the Z-axis direction and radiates vertically polarized waves. The ground plate 201 operates as a current antenna using a current as a radiation source.

The magnetic current antenna has a high gain when the magnetic current direction is parallel to the metal surface, and the gain decreases when the magnetic current antenna is orthogonal. On the contrary, the current antenna has a low gain when the current direction is parallel to the metal surface, and a high gain when the current direction is orthogonal.

  When the installation object 206 is in the X direction or the Y direction as shown in FIG. 1 when viewed from the wireless device 200, the loop antenna 204 operates as a magnetic current antenna, so that the gain is increased. Since the ground plate 201 operates as a current antenna, the gain is greatly reduced. Therefore, when the installation object 206 approaches from the X and Y directions, it operates as a magnetic current antenna.

  When the installation object 206 is in the Z direction when viewed from the wireless device 200, the loop antenna 204 operates as a magnetic current antenna, so that the gain is greatly reduced. Since the ground plate 201 operates as a current antenna, the gain is increased. Therefore, when the installation object 206 approaches from the Z direction, it operates as a current antenna.

  In other words, the antenna gain does not deteriorate no matter which direction of the installation object 206 made of a conductor the wireless device 200 of the present invention is attached.

  According to the above, it is possible to realize the wireless device 200 in which the antenna characteristics do not deteriorate no matter which direction the wireless device 200 is installed, and the installation location is not selected. Further, the configuration is such that the loop antenna 204 that is small with respect to the wavelength is simply placed on the ground plate 201, and can be realized with a small and simple configuration.

  The present invention has an object to prevent the performance of wireless communication from being deteriorated even when there is a metallic pipe or wall in the vicinity of the measuring device 100, or even when the measuring device 100 itself is metallic. To do. Therefore, what the measuring device 100 measures is not essential. For example, even if the measuring device 100 is a meter that measures the amount of electricity used, the present invention can be applied. Further, the wireless device 200 is not necessarily provided in the vicinity of the measuring device 100, and can be applied to a wireless repeater that relays wireless communication between the measuring device and an external wireless terminal, for example.

  The dimensions of the ground plate 201 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the length L in the Z direction of the ground plate 201 and the radiation efficiency of the antenna. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the length L in the Z direction of the ground plate 201 and the real and imaginary parts of the input impedance Z11 of the antenna. The radiation efficiency increases with the length of the ground plate 201. The imaginary part of the input impedance is inductive and is lowest when the length of the ground plate 201 is around 50 to 90 mm. When the impedance is increased, the capacitance of the capacitor for impedance matching becomes small, and matching becomes difficult. That is, the length of the ground plate 201 is preferably about 50 to 90 mm.

  The distance between the loop antenna 204 and the battery 205 will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance D between the loop antenna 204 and the battery 205 and the radiation efficiency of the antenna. h represents the dimension of the loop antenna 204 in the X direction, that is, the height direction. Regardless of the height of the loop, if the distance between the loop antenna 204 and the battery 205 is 10 mm or less, the radiation efficiency is significantly reduced. That is, the distance between the loop antenna 204 and the battery 205 is preferably 10 mm or more.

  The matching circuit 203 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the matching circuit 203 when the positions of the series capacitor and the parallel capacitor are switched with respect to FIG. 3. An example of matching when the frequency is 434 MHz, the input impedance of the antenna is 1 Ω real part, and 180 Ω imaginary part is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the series capacitor is first seen from the antenna, the series capacitor C1 is 2.12 pF and the parallel capacitor C2 is 51 pF. However, when the parallel capacitor is first seen from the antenna as shown in FIG. 7, the series capacitor C1 is 0.29 pF and the parallel capacitor C2 is 1.75 pF, and the capacitance value of the capacitor becomes small. In particular, since the capacitance value of the series capacitor is 0.5 pF or less and becomes very small, a very high-accuracy capacitor is required, which is difficult to realize. Therefore, in the 400 MHz band, a configuration of a matching circuit having a series capacitor first as viewed from the antenna as shown in FIG. 3 is desirable.

  A configuration in the case body of the wireless device 200 will be described. 8A is a perspective view of the inside of the case of the wireless device 200, FIG. 8B is a front view of the inside of the case of the wireless device 200, FIG. 8C is a rear view of the inside of the case of the wireless device 200, and FIG. FIG. 8-5 is a left side view of the case body of the wireless device 200, FIG. 8-6 is a bottom view of the case body of the wireless device 200, and FIG. It is a bottom view in the case body.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 8-1 to 8-7, the loop antenna 204 is disposed on one end side on the substrate 801, and the battery 205 is disposed at a position facing the loop antenna 204 outside the substrate 801. The battery 205 is electrically connected through a cable line from a connector provided on the substrate 801, and the pole of the battery 205 and the cable line are fixed by soldering. The length of the ground plate 201 is 50 mm, the distance between the loop antenna 204 and the battery 205 is 52 mm, and the height of the loop antenna 204 is 17 mm. With such a configuration, the antenna gain does not deteriorate.

  The configuration of the wireless device 200 in the case body will be described in a different form from the fourth embodiment. 9A is a perspective view of the wireless device 200 in the case body, FIG. 9B is a front view of the wireless device 200 in the case body, FIG. 9C is a rear view of the wireless device 200 in the case body, and FIG. 9-5 is a left side view of the wireless device 200 in the case, FIG. 9-6 is a bottom view of the wireless device 200 in the case, and FIG. 9-7 is a wireless device 200. It is a bottom view in the case body.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 9-1 to 9-7, the loop antenna 204 is disposed on one end side on the substrate 801, and the battery 205 is disposed at a position facing the loop antenna 204 outside the substrate 801. A reinforcing portion 802 is provided on the loop antenna 204. The reinforcing portion 802 is formed with the loop antenna 204 having a convex surface. The length of the ground plate 201 is 50 mm, the distance between the loop antenna 204 and the battery 205 is 52 mm, and the height of the loop antenna 204 is 17 mm.

  The loop antenna 204 is formed by bending a plate-like conductor at a right angle so as to form a U-shape, and in order to obtain a certain communication characteristic, a certain dimension or more must be taken. The antenna 204 may be deformed unintentionally. Therefore, providing the reinforcing portion 802 increases the strength of the loop antenna 204. The effect obtained by improving the strength of the loop antenna 204 is not limited to the manufacturing process. Further, the reinforcing portion 802 may be formed by making the surface of the loop antenna 204 concave.

The configuration in the case body of the wireless device 200 will be described in a different form from the fourth and fifth embodiments. 10-1 is a perspective view inside the case body of the wireless device 200, FIG. 10-2 is a front view inside the case body of the wireless device 200, FIG. 10-3 is a rear view inside the case body of the wireless device 200, and FIG. 10-5 is a left side view of the wireless device 200 in the case body, FIG. 10-6 is a bottom view of the wireless device 200 in the case body, and FIG. 10-7 is the wireless device 200. It is a bottom view in the case body.

  As described in the second embodiment, the distance between the loop antenna 204 and the battery 205 is preferably 10 mm or more. However, as shown in FIG. 10-1 to FIG. By arranging 205 in the vertical direction, the projected area of the battery with respect to the loop surface is reduced, and the reduction in radiation efficiency can be mitigated.

  The configuration of the wireless device 200 in the case body will be described in a different form from the fourth to sixth embodiments. 11-1 is a perspective view inside the case body of the wireless device 200, FIG. 11-2 is a front view inside the case body of the wireless device 200, FIG. 11-3 is a rear view inside the case body of the wireless device 200, and FIG. 11-5 is a left side view of the case body of the wireless device 200, FIG. 11-6 is a bottom view of the case body of the wireless device 200, and FIG. It is a bottom view in the case body. Moreover, in FIG. 11-2, AA 'cross section is shown to FIG. 11-8.

  In Example 7, by disposing the battery 205 in the vertical direction with respect to the loop surface of the loop antenna 204, the projected area of the battery with respect to the loop surface is reduced, and the reduction in radiation efficiency can be mitigated. Further, a reinforcing portion 803 is provided on the loop antenna 204 together with the reinforcing portion 802. The reinforcing portion 803 is formed by making the bent portion of the loop antenna 204 concave, and increases the strength of the loop antenna 204.

  Note that although the substrate 801 and the battery 205 are separated from each other in the fourth to seventh embodiments, the battery 205 may be disposed on the substrate 801.

  The antenna device of the present invention can be applied not only to a wireless device attached to a measuring device such as water, gas, electricity, but also to a wireless repeater attached to a pipe or a wall.

Schematic of the measuring device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Configuration diagram of antenna apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Configuration diagram of matching circuit in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The figure which shows the relationship between the length L of the Z direction of a ground plate and the radiation efficiency of an antenna The figure which shows the relationship between the length L of the Z direction of a ground plane, and the real part and imaginary part of the input impedance Z11 of an antenna The figure which shows the relationship between the distance D between a loop antenna and a battery, and the radiation efficiency of an antenna Configuration diagram of matching circuit when the position of series capacitor and parallel capacitor is switched Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (perspective view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (front view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (rear view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (right side view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (left side view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (bottom view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (bottom view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (perspective view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (front view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (rear view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (right side view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (left side view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (bottom view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (bottom view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (perspective view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (front view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (rear view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (right side view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (left side view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (bottom view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (bottom view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (perspective view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (front view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (rear view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (right side view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (left side view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (bottom view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (bottom view) Specific configuration diagram of antenna device (AA ′ cross-sectional view)

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Measuring apparatus 200 Radio | wireless apparatus 201 Ground plate 202 Transmission / reception circuit 203 Matching circuit 204 Loop antenna 205 Battery 802 Reinforcement part 803 Reinforcement part

Claims (4)

In a measuring device for measuring usage of water, gas, electricity, etc., it is equipped with a wireless device that performs wireless communication, and the wireless device includes a planar ground plate having a ground conductor and a loop provided on the ground plate. The loop antenna includes a signal feeding unit that feeds a signal to the loop antenna, and a battery that supplies power to the signal feeding unit. One end of the loop antenna is connected to the ground plate, and the loop antenna The other end of the loop antenna is connected to the signal feeding means, the loop antenna is formed so that the loop surface thereof is perpendicular to the ground plate, and a reinforcing means is provided on a part of the loop antenna. The reinforcing device is a measuring apparatus in which a part of the loop antenna is formed as a concave portion or a convex portion. In a wireless device that transmits and receives a measurement value output from a measurement device that measures usage, such as water, gas, electricity, etc., a planar ground plate having a ground conductor, a loop antenna provided on the ground plate, and Signal feeding means for feeding a signal to the loop antenna, and a battery for supplying power to the signal feeding means, one end of the loop antenna is connected to the ground plate, and the other end of the loop antenna is the signal A wireless device connected to a power feeding means, formed so that a loop surface of the loop antenna is perpendicular to the ground plate, and a reinforcing means is provided on a part of the loop antenna. The wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing means is formed by forming a part of the loop antenna as a concave portion or a convex portion.