JP2021093809A - Wireless power supply case - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a wireless power supply case comprising a housing case that houses electronic equipment to be powered and a wireless power supply unit having a structure that can be easily attached to and removed from the case.SOLUTION: There is provided a wireless power supply case 1 according to one aspect of the present invention, comprising a wireless power supply unit 20 which has a pocket like case 10 that houses electronic equipment 40 having a wireless power receiving coil 41 inside in an upright position, a power supply coil 21 for wireless power supply, a circuit board 25 connected to the power supply coil 21 for supplying electric current to the power supply coil 21 and an enclosure 23 accommodating the circuit board 25, and which can be detachably attached to a back surface 101 of the side wall of the case 10 in the state where the power supply coil 21 faces the back surface 101 of the side wall of the case 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a wireless power supply case.

Conventionally, there has been known a technique for imparting a wireless power feeding function of an electronic device to a housing portion of an electronic device such as a mobile phone in a vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent Document 1 discloses a door trim structure in which a storage portion for accommodating an electronic device is provided on an armrest of a vehicle door trim, and a power supply coil for wireless power supply is installed on the back side of a side wall of the storage portion, that is, inside the armrest. Has been done.

JP-A-2019-94027

However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose the specific structure of the wireless power feeding device, and its maintainability is unknown. The power supply device, which is an electronic device, is preferably easily attached to and detached from the accommodating portion of the electronic device in order to improve maintainability.

In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a storage case for accommodating an electronic device to be fed, and a wireless power supply case including a wireless power supply unit having a structure that can be easily attached to and removed from the case. To provide.

One aspect of the present invention provides the following wireless power supply cases [1] to [7] in order to achieve the above object.

[1] A pocket-shaped case for accommodating an electronic device having a wireless power receiving coil inside in an upright state, a power feeding coil for wireless power feeding, and the power feeding coil for passing a current through the power feeding coil. A wireless that has a connected circuit board and a housing that houses the circuit board, and is detachably attached to the back surface of the side wall of the case with the power supply coil facing the back surface of the side wall of the case. A wireless power supply case equipped with a power supply unit.
[2] The housing has a plate-shaped first projecting portion protruding laterally from both side portions on the upper side of the center in the plane direction, and a screw fixing hole projecting downward from the lower end in the plane direction. It has two protrusions, and the side wall of the case has a groove that opens downward into which the first protrusion is fitted from below, and the first protrusion is fitted into the groove from below. At that time, the second protruding portion is screwed by two first fixing portions that function as guides for determining the vertical position of the wireless power supply unit with respect to the case and screws penetrating the screw fixing holes. The wireless power supply case according to the above [1], which has a second fixing portion and a second fixing portion on the back surface.
[3] The two first fixing portions are arranged so as to sandwich the housing from both sides, and when the first protruding portion is fitted into the groove from below, the wireless power feeding unit is attached to the case. The wireless power supply case according to [2] above, which functions as a guide for determining the horizontal position.
[4] The second protrusion is provided on the right side of the center of the lower end of the housing and one on the left side of the center, and the case corresponds to the two second protrusions. The wireless power supply case according to the above [2] or [3], which has two of the second fixing portions at positions.
[5] The wireless power supply case according to the above [4], wherein the wireless power supply unit has a connector for supplying electric power from the outside connected to the circuit board.
[6] The wireless power supply case according to any one of the above [1] to [5], which is installed in the center console of an automobile.
[7] A pocket-shaped case for accommodating an electronic device having a wireless power receiving coil inside in an upright position, and a wireless power supply installed on the outside of the case so as to face the back surface of the side wall of the case. A wireless power supply case that is equipped with a power supply coil and is installed in the center console of an automobile.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a storage case for accommodating an electronic device to be supplied with power, and a wireless power supply case including a wireless power supply unit having a structure that can be easily attached to and removed from the case.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wireless power supply case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing how to house an electronic device in a case. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an installation position of a wireless power supply case according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wireless power supply unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a wireless power supply case in which an electronic device having a power receiving coil inside is housed. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the wireless power supply case according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Embodiment]
(Configuration of wireless power supply case)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wireless power supply case 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wireless power supply case 1 includes a case 10 having a wireless power receiving coil inside, and a wireless power supply unit 20 having a coil for wireless power supply for supplying power to an electronic device housed in the case 10. Here, the electronic device housed in the case 10 is typically a mobile phone such as a smartphone.

In the wireless power supply case 1, wireless power supply is performed by electromagnetic induction using the power supply coil of the wireless power supply unit 20 and the power reception coil of the electronic device housed in the case 10. By accommodating (inserting) the electronic device in the case 10, the power feeding coil of the wireless power feeding unit 20 and the power receiving coil of the electronic device approach each other in a nearly parallel state, and power feeding by electromagnetic induction is started.

The case 10 is a pocket-shaped container having an opening that opens upward to accommodate an electronic device in an upright position. Here, the upright state means a state in which the side surface of the short side of the electronic device faces the inner bottom surface of the case 10.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing how to house the electronic device 40 in the case 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 40 is inserted into the opening 106 of the case 10 from above in an upright state and housed in the case 10.

The case 10 may have a cap 11 that covers the opening 106, as shown in FIG. The cap 11 has a slit 12, and the electronic device can be housed in the case 10 by inserting the electronic device into the slit 12. The cap 11 can hold the electronic device housed in the case 10 to suppress rattling during traveling, and can suppress the intrusion of overflowing beverages into the case 10.

The case 10 is attached so as to be fitted into, for example, an opening of a plate-shaped attachment object. In the example shown in FIG. 1, it is fitted and fixed to the opening of the mounting panel 30.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an installation position of the wireless power supply case 1. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the wireless power supply case 1 is installed in the center console 53 arranged between the driver's seat 51 and the passenger seat 52 of the automobile 50. In this case, the upper panel of the center console 53 is used as the mounting panel 30.

When installed in the wireless power supply case 1, but installed in the center console 53, both the occupant sitting in the driver's seat 51 and the occupant sitting in the passenger seat 52 can easily reach the vicinity of the wireless power supply case 1. The wireless power supply case 1 can be used, and the electronic device can be accommodated and taken out in the wireless power supply case 1 in a comfortable posture.

As a comparative example, for example, the door trim structure of Patent Document 1 described above can be mentioned. According to the door trim structure of Patent Document 1, only the occupant sitting in the seat adjacent to the door provided with the door trim structure can be used, and since the accommodating portion of the electronic device is provided on the armrest, the occupant May be forced into a cramped posture with deeply bent arms when accommodating electronic devices. Further, since it is not easy to pull the wiring into the door, it is not preferable to increase the number of devices installed in the door that require power supply.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the wireless power feeding unit 20. The wireless power supply unit 20 has a circuit board 25 connected to the power supply coil 21 (see FIG. 5), which has one power supply coil 21 for wireless power supply and a circuit for passing a power supply current through the power supply coil 21. ), A housing 23 for accommodating the circuit board 25, and a connector 24 for supplying electric power from the outside connected to the circuit board 25. The power feeding coil 21 is typically a flat coil.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG. 5 described later, the housing 23 includes a metal bottom plate 231 on which the circuit board 25 is placed and a metal upper plate 239 that covers the circuit board 25 and covers the bottom plate 231. , Has a resin cover 232 on the outside of the top plate 239 fixed to the bottom plate 231. By arranging the upper plate 239 between the power feeding coil 21 and the circuit board 25, electromagnetic noise can be cut.

The wireless power supply unit 20 is detachably attached to the back surface (outer surface) 101 of the side wall of the case 10. Since the devices for wireless power supply can be attached to the case 10 as the wireless power supply unit 20 and removed, it is excellent in maintainability. The power feeding coil 21 is provided at a position facing the back surface 101 of the side wall of the case 10 in a state where the wireless power feeding unit 20 is attached to the back surface 101 of the side wall of the case 10.

The housing 23 and the opening 235 for exposing the power feeding coil 21 may be provided on the surface 236 facing the back surface 101 of the side wall of the case 10. By housing the power feeding coil 21 inside the opening 235, the power feeding coil 21 can be arranged near the surface (the surface on the case 10 side) of the wireless power feeding unit 20. As a result, it becomes easy to bring the power feeding coil 21 close to the power receiving coil of the electronic device housed in the case 10 to a distance suitable for wireless power feeding, for example, about 5 mm. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the opening 235 is provided in the cover 232.

If the power feeding coil 21 can be sufficiently brought close to the power receiving coil of the electronic device, the surface of the power feeding coil 21 may be covered with the cover 232. In this case, it is possible to prevent the moisture generated by dew condensation from adhering to the power feeding coil 21. Further, the surface of the power feeding coil 21 may be covered with a component other than the cover 232 such as a noise reduction filter.

The size and shape of the power feeding coil 21 are set according to, for example, a wireless power feeding standard. The shape of the power feeding coil 21 is typically a quadrangle or a circle with rounded corners as shown in FIG. 4, but the corners are rounded in order to adjust the position where power can be supplied to the electronic device. Other shapes such as triangles and eggs may be adopted.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the wireless power supply case 1 in which the electronic device 40 having the power receiving coil 41 inside is housed. As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic device 40 has a surface (for example, an electronic device) along the inner surface 104 of the side wall on which the wireless power supply unit 20 is attached and on which the power receiving coil 41 is arranged. When the device 40 is a smartphone, it is housed in the case 10 so that the surface opposite to the surface provided with the display screen) faces the inner surface 104 side.

The alternate long and short dash line C in FIG. 5 indicates the center position of the electronic device 40 in the in-plane direction. Generally, the power receiving coil 41 is arranged near the center of the electronic device 40. Therefore, the center position of the power receiving coil 41 in the in-plane direction substantially coincides with the position represented by the alternate long and short dash line C.

In the power supply coil 21 for power supply of the wireless power supply unit 20 and the power reception coil 41 of the electronic device 40, in order to perform wireless power supply by electromagnetic induction, a magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the power supply coil 21 is inside the power reception coil 41. There is a positional relationship that passes through. Therefore, if the center position of the power feeding coil 21 in the in-plane direction and the center position of the power receiving coil 41 in the in-plane direction are close to each other to some extent, wireless power feeding is possible, and it is possible to support electronic devices 40 of various sizes. ..

Since the electronic device 40 is housed in the case 10 in an upright state, the vertical position is determined by the depth of the bottom surface 105 inside the case 10. Therefore, there is almost no vertical positional deviation of the electronic device 40, and even if there is only one power feeding coil 21, the electronic device 40 can be accurately stored in a position where power can be supplied. Therefore, unlike the conventional flat-mounted wireless power feeding device, the wireless power feeding case 1 does not need to expand the installation range of electronic devices capable of supplying power by a method using a plurality of power feeding coils, and suppresses the manufacturing cost. be able to.

In the wireless power supply case 1, the electronic device 40 is housed in the case 10 with its upper portion 401 protruding outside the case 10. Therefore, the electronic device 40 can be taken out from the case 10 by grasping the protruding portion 401.

Further, since the portion 401 can be easily visually recognized even when the electronic device 40 is housed in the case 10, it is easy to prevent the electronic device 40 from being misplaced. Generally, the power receiving coil for wireless power supply included in the electronic device is arranged near the center of the electronic device, and therefore the depth of the accommodating portion for accommodating the coil is as described in the door trim structure of Patent Document 1. It is set larger than the length of the electronic device. For this reason, the electronic device accommodated in the accommodating portion is completely hidden in the accommodating portion, making it difficult to see from the outside, which may cause misplacement.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the case 10 has an outer case 10a made of a hard resin and an inner case 10b made of a soft resin installed inside the case 10, but the configuration of the case 10 is as shown in FIG. Not limited. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the back surface 101 of the side wall of the case 10 is the back surface of the side wall of the outer case 10a, and the inner surface 104 of the side wall of the case 10 and the bottom surface 105 inside the side wall of the case 10 are the side walls of the inner case 10b, respectively. The inner surface of the inner case and the inner bottom surface of the inner case 10b. In this case, the depth of the bottom surface 105 can be changed by using various inner cases 10b having different depths.

(How to attach the wireless power supply unit to the case)
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the wireless power supply case 1 showing a state before the wireless power supply unit 20 is attached to the case 10. Hereinafter, a method of attaching the wireless power supply unit 20 to the case 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 1 showing a state after the wireless power supply unit 20 is attached to the case 10.

The housing 23 is lateral from a position where the power feeding coils 21 on both sides of the housing 23 are sandwiched, that is, both sides of the housing 23 above the center in the plane direction for attaching the wireless power supply unit 20 to the case 10. It has a plate-shaped first protruding portion 233 that protrudes from the bottom, and a second protruding portion 234 having a screw fixing hole 237 that protrudes downward from the lower end in the plane direction. Here, the directions such as up and down in the wireless power supply unit 20 refer to the direction in which the wireless power supply unit 20 is attached to the case 10.

By projecting the first projecting portion 233 laterally from both sides of the housing 23, the mounting position of the wireless power supply unit 20 to the case 10 is set as compared with the case where the first projecting portion 233 projects upward from the upper end of the housing 23. It can be set on the upper side (the opening 106 side of the case 10). As a result, the height of the portion 401 protruding outward from the case 10 on the upper side of the electronic device 40 becomes larger, and it becomes easier to take out the electronic device 40. Further, by projecting the first protruding portion 233 laterally from both side portions of the housing 23, the positioning accuracy of the power feeding coil 21 with respect to the case 10 is improved.

In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the first protruding portion 233 includes a portion 233a which is a part of the bottom plate 231 and a portion 233b which is a part of the cover 232 covering the portion 233a. Similarly, the second protruding portion 234 is configured to include a portion 234a that is a part of the bottom plate 231 and a portion 234b that is a part of the cover 232 that covers the portion 234a. By including the portions 233a and 234a in the first protruding portion 233 and the second protruding portion 234, the mechanical strength of the first protruding portion 233 and the second protruding portion 234 is increased. Further, by including the portion 234b in the first protruding portion 233, the gap between the first fixing portion 102 of the case 10 and the inner surface of the groove 107 of the case 10 described later is filled, and the wireless power feeding unit 20 attached to the case 10 It can suppress rattling. Further, since the first protruding portion 233 and the second protruding portion 234 include the portions 233b and 234b, the cover 232 can be easily positioned and fixed to the bottom plate 231.

On the other hand, in the case 10, the second protrusion 234 is provided by the two first fixing portions 102 having the groove 107 opened downward into which the first protrusion 233 is fitted from below, and the screw 13 penetrating the hole 237. A second fixing portion 103 to be screwed is provided on the back surface 101 of the side wall thereof.

To attach the wireless power supply unit 20 to the case 10, first move the wireless power supply unit 20 closer to the case 10 from below and slide each of the two first protrusions 233 into the corresponding groove 107 of the first fixing portion 102. Let it fit. As a result, the position of the wireless power supply unit 20 in the vertical direction with respect to the case 10 is determined, and the positions of the holes 237 of the second protruding portion 234 and the holes 108 for screwing the second fixing portion 103 can be aligned. After that, the screw 13 is screwed into the hole 108 of the second fixing portion 103 through the hole 237 of the second protruding portion 234, and the second protruding portion 234 is fixed to the second fixing portion 103. For example, when the second fixing portion 103 is made of resin, a tapping screw can be used as the screw 13 and screwed into the hole 108 in which the screw groove is not formed.

It is preferable that the two first fixing portions 102 are arranged so as to sandwich the housing 23 from both sides when the wireless power feeding unit 20 is attached to the case 10. In this case, when the two first fixing portions 102 fit the first protruding portion 233 into the groove 107 of the first fixing portion 102 from below, the position of the wireless power supply unit 20 in the lateral direction with respect to the case 10 is set. It functions as a guide to decide. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, it is preferable that the two first fixing portions 102 have surfaces 109 facing each other at intervals corresponding to the width of the housing 23.

In order to more securely fix the wireless power supply unit 20 to the case 10, the second protrusion 234 is one on the right side of the center of the lower end of the housing 23 and more than the center, as shown in FIGS. It is preferable that one is provided on the left side. In this case, the case 10 has two second fixing portions 103 at positions corresponding to the two second protruding portions 234.

Further, in this case, it is preferable that the connector 24 connected to the circuit board 25 is arranged between the two second protrusions 234 on the lower side of the wireless power supply unit 20. Since both sides of the connector 24 of the wireless power supply unit 20 are fixed to the case 10, it is possible to suppress the misalignment of the wireless power supply unit 20 when the power cable is connected to or disconnected from the connector 24. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the connector 24 is exposed downward from the opening 238 of the housing 23 provided between the two second protrusions 234, and the power cable outlet is downward. It is suitable.

(Effect of embodiment)
According to the wireless power supply case 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, devices for wireless power supply such as the power supply coil 21 and the circuit board 25 are unitized as the wireless power supply unit 20, and the case 10 is easy to use. Since it can be attached to and removed from the device, it is easy to maintain.

Further, by installing the wireless power supply case 1 on the center console 53 of the automobile 50, both the occupant sitting in the driver's seat 51 and the occupant sitting in the passenger seat 52 can easily reach the vicinity of the wireless power supply case 1. , The wireless power supply case 1 can be used, and the electronic device can be accommodated and taken out in the wireless power supply case 1 in a comfortable posture.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. Further, the components of the above-described embodiment can be arbitrarily combined within a range that does not deviate from the gist of the invention.

Moreover, the above-described embodiment does not limit the invention according to the claims. It should also be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention.

1 Wireless power supply case 10 Case 13 Screw 101 Back side 102 First fixing part 103 Second fixing part 107 Groove 20 Wireless power supply unit 21 Power supply coil 22 Outlet wire 23 Housing 233 First protrusion 234 Second protrusion Part 25 Circuit board 40 Electronic equipment 41 Power receiving coil 53 Center console

Claims (7)

A pocket-shaped case that houses electronic devices that have a wireless power receiving coil inside in an upright position,
The power supply coil has a power supply coil for wireless power supply, a circuit board connected to the power supply coil for passing a current through the power supply coil, and a housing for accommodating the circuit board. A wireless power supply unit that is detachably attached to the back surface of the side wall of the case while facing the back surface of the side wall of the case.
With,
Wireless power supply case. The housing has a plate-shaped first protrusion protruding laterally from both sides above the center in the plane direction, and a second protrusion having a screw fixing hole protruding downward from the lower end in the plane direction. With a part,
The side wall of the case has a groove that opens downward into which the first protrusion is fitted from below, and when the first protrusion is fitted into the groove from below, the case of the wireless power supply unit. Two first fixing portions that function as guides for determining a position in the vertical direction with respect to the screw, and a second fixing portion in which the second protruding portion is screwed by a screw penetrating the screw fixing hole, are attached to the back surface. Have in
The wireless power supply case according to claim 1. The two first fixing portions are arranged so as to sandwich the housing from both sides, and when the first protruding portion is fitted into the groove from below, the wireless power feeding unit is laterally oriented with respect to the case. Acts as a positioning guide,
The wireless power supply case according to claim 2. One second protrusion is provided on the right side of the center of the lower end of the housing, and one is provided on the left side of the center.
The case has two said second fixings at positions corresponding to the two second protrusions.
The wireless power supply case according to claim 2 or 3. The wireless power supply unit has a connector for supplying electric power from the outside connected to the circuit board.
The connector
The wireless power supply case according to claim 4. Installed on the center console of a car,
The wireless power supply case according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A pocket-shaped case that houses electronic devices that have a wireless power receiving coil inside in an upright position,
A power supply coil for wireless power supply installed on the outside of the case so as to face the back surface of the side wall of the case,
With
A wireless power supply case installed on the center console of a car.

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