JP3112615B2 - Key unit - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key unit of a keyless entry system used for locking and unlocking by remote control in a car or a house.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, a keyless entry system provided in an automobile or the like is formed of, for example, a key unit carried by a user and a drive unit of a door lock of the automobile. When the operation unit is manually operated, the key unit outputs a preset password as a signal by infrared rays, radio waves, or the like, and the drive unit transmits the received password and the preset password. The door lock is opened and closed after confirming the match.

In such a key unit of a keyless entry system, it is necessary to replace a battery built in a main body housing. However, since the key unit is carried by a user, it is required to have waterproofness and dustproofness. You. Therefore,
In a conventional key unit, a main body housing is formed of a pair of main body cases detachably connected to each other, and a sealing member such as a general-purpose O-ring or a dedicated rubber seal is incorporated in a gap therebetween. Alternatively, there are a key unit in which a pair of body cases are sealed with a peelable adhesive, and a key unit in which a battery is sealed with an adhesive seal.

Further, in the conventional key unit, since it is necessary to expose an operation section on the outer surface of the main body housing, for example, a pressing switch is mounted on a circuit board fixed inside one main body case, and the pressing switch is mounted on the circuit board. A through hole through which the operation unit is exposed is formed, and a rubber cover member that seals the through hole is mounted on the inner surface of the main body case.

In such a key unit, since it is necessary to seal the main body housing by compressing an O-ring, a rubber seal, or the like in a gap between the pair of main body cases, the pair of main body cases are attached and detached in a direction perpendicular to the opening surface. It has a structure to do. Therefore, in order to realize such an attachment / detachment mechanism, for example, a bendable locking claw is protrudedly provided on one side of the main body case,
A recess in which the locking claw is removably engaged is formed in the other main body case.

[0006]

As described above, in a key unit in which an O-ring or the like is incorporated in a gap between a pair of main body cases and a cover member is mounted in a through hole of the main body case which communicates with the pressing switch, It is necessary to form and assemble a large number of dedicated parts in order to seal the joints and the through holes of the above. Therefore, in the key unit as described above, the number of parts and the number of steps are increased, thereby hindering productivity. Further, the O-ring, the cover member, and the like are dropped or separated from the main body case due to aging. Sometimes.

Similarly, a key unit in which a pair of main body cases are sealed with a releasable adhesive or a key unit in which a battery is sealed with an adhesive seal also increases the number of parts and the number of steps, thereby lowering productivity. As a result, the adhesive or the adhesive seal may peel off due to aging, and the waterproofness and the dustproofness may decrease.

Further, in the key unit for attaching and detaching the pair of main body cases in a direction perpendicular to the opening surface, when the pair of main body cases are attached and detached, the locking claws may be damaged or the O-ring may fall off. It is not preferable to separate the main body case that is in close contact with the device because the operation is complicated.

Means for solving such a problem include:
Although it is conceivable that the pair of main body cases are formed with concave and convex portions that are detachable in the surface direction of the opening hole, it is difficult to seal the joint between the pair of main body cases with such a structure.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A main body housing at least including a transmission circuit, a battery, and a switch is formed of a pair of main body cases detachably connected, and a through hole facing the switch is formed in one of the pair of main body cases. A key unit in which a flexible cover member for closing a hole is mounted on an inner surface of the main body case, and a flexible sealing member is mounted on an outer peripheral portion of an opening hole of the main body case, wherein the cover member and the sealing member are provided. Are integrally formed of a thermoplastic member, and the thermoplastic member is integrally fixed from the inner surface of the main body case having the through hole to the outer peripheral portion of the opening hole.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key unit formed of a pair of body cases in which a body housing containing at least a transmission circuit, a battery, and a switch is detachably connected. A concave groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the hole, and the cross-sectional shape is L-shaped on the outer peripheral portion of the opening hole of the other main body case, and the leading edge portion is detachably engageable with the concave groove in the surface direction of the opening hole. A rib-like portion which is engaged to be in a sealed state is formed, and a projecting amount is sequentially increased in a connecting direction of the pair of main body cases, and a step portion which abuts on each other is formed in each of the pair of main body cases.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a pair of detachable main body cases are connected to each other, the thermoplastic member sealing the through hole of the main body case facing the switch is connected to the outer periphery of the opening hole of the other main body case. Since it is in close contact with the portion, the joint portion of the pair of detachable main body cases and the through hole are sealed with one thermoplastic member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the pair of main body cases are connected in the direction of the surface of the opening hole so that the rib-like portions engage with the concave grooves, the step portions formed in each of the main body cases are mutually connected. , The concave groove of the pair of main body cases and the rib-like portion are pressed by pressure generated by the contact of the stepped portion.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that directions such as front and rear, up and down, and the like in this embodiment are defined for the sake of convenience for simplification of description, and do not limit the directions of installation and use of an actual device.

First, in a key unit 1 of this keyless entry system (not shown), a main body housing 2 is formed by a main body case 3 and a main body cover 4 which is a main body case, as exemplified in FIGS. A normal key 5 protrudes from the front end of the main body case 3. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a concave groove 7 having a front opening is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening hole 6 of the main body cover 4, and the upper surface of the concave groove 7 faces from the front to the rear. Thus, a step 8 is formed in which the amount of protrusion gradually increases. The main body case 3 is formed with a rib-shaped portion 10 having an L-shaped cross section at an outer peripheral portion of the opening hole 9, and an upper surface of a leading edge portion of the rib-shaped portion 10 is directed from front to rear. The step portion 11 is formed by a plurality of protrusions whose protrusion amounts increase sequentially.

In the key unit 1, the main body case 3 is made of polycarbonate or ABS (Acrylonitri
le-Butadiene-Styrene) A thermoplastic member 12 made of a hard material such as resin, and made of a soft and flexible material such as estramer, It is integrally fixed to the outer periphery by press-fitting or the like. More specifically, the thermoplastic member 12
Is fixed also to the lower surface of the leading edge of the rib-shaped portion 10 as the outer peripheral portion of the opening hole 9 of the main body case 3, and the cross-sectional shape is semicircular at the position to be the lower surface of the rib-shaped portion 10. Are formed continuously in a rail shape.

Therefore, in the key unit 1, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the main body case 3 is attached to the main body case 3 so that the leading edge of the rib-shaped portion 10 engages with the concave groove 7. By sliding the cover 4 from the rear, the main body cover 4 is detachably and integrally connected to the main body case 3 to form the main body housing 2. Further, in the key unit 1, as described above,
When the main body cover 4 and the main body cover 4 are connected to each other,
Are successively brought into contact with each other, so that the thermoplastic member 12 on the lower surface of the rib-shaped portion 10 is pressed against the lower surface of the concave groove 7 so as to be in close contact with the convex portion 13.

In the key unit 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a circuit board 14 is mounted inside the main body case 3, and a transmission circuit 15 and a Push switch 1 for locking and unlocking
6 and 17 are mounted, and a holder 1 of a mercury battery 18 is provided on the lower surface.
9 is mounted. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the main body case 3 is provided with the push switch 16,
17 are formed at positions facing each other, and these through holes 20 and 21 are formed in the thermoplastic member 12.
Are closed from the inside.

In this key unit 1, since the main body cover 4 is slidably connected to the main body case 3 in the surface direction of the opening holes 6, 9, the circuit board 14 and the holder 19 are connected to the main body case 3. 3 are arranged inward from the surface of the opening 9. In this key unit 1, the screw 24 penetrating the main body cover 4 is fastened to the key 5 of the main body case 3 so that the concave groove 7 and the rib-shaped portion 10 can be detachably attached. The connected main body case 3 and the main body cover 4 are fixed.

In such a configuration, the key unit 1 is designed to be carried by the user, and is combined with a door lock drive unit (not shown) of an automobile to form a keyless entry system. Has become. Thus, in the key unit 1, for example, when one operation unit 22 on the upper surface of the main body housing 2 is pressed, the pressing switch 16 is turned on, and the transmission circuit 15 uses the power of the mercury battery 18 to transmit the locking radio signal. Transmit wirelessly. Similarly, when the operating unit 23 is pressed, the pressing switch 1
When the switch 7 is turned on, the transmission circuit 15 wirelessly transmits an unlocking radio signal by the power of the mercury battery 18.

In the key unit 1, the through holes 2 of the main body case 3 communicating with the press switches 16 and 17 are provided.
Since 0 and 21 are sealed by the thermoplastic member 12 integrally fixed to the inner surface of the main body case 3, the waterproof and dustproof properties of this portion are perfect. Furthermore, this key unit 1
In this embodiment, the main body case 3 and the main body cover 4 are detachable so that the mercury battery 18 can be replaced.
The thermoplastic member 12 hermetically seals the joint between the main body case 3 and the main body cover 4 connected by the engagement of the groove 0 and the concave groove 7, thereby realizing waterproofness and dustproofness of this portion.

That is, in the key unit 1, the through holes 2 of the main body case 3 communicating with the press switches 16 and 17 are provided.
A pair of main body cases 3 integrally connected to each other with sealing of 0, 21
The sealing of the joint between the body and the body cover 4 is realized by a single thermoplastic member 12 integrally fixed to the body case 3, so that the number of parts is reduced and the productivity is good. In addition, since the thermoplastic member 12 integrally fixed to the main body case 3 in a large area does not peel off or fall off, the waterproof property and dustproof property do not deteriorate due to aging.

Moreover, in the key unit 1, when the main body case 3 and the main body cover 4 are slid and connected,
The lower surface of the rib-shaped portion 10 of the main body case 3 is brought into contact with the concave groove 7
Since it is configured to be pressure-bonded to the lower surface, its waterproofness and dustproofness are extremely good. Further, since the minute projections 13 of the thermoplastic member 12 are continuously formed on the lower surface of the rib-shaped portion 10 of the main body case 3 which is pressed against the lower surface of the concave groove 7 of the main body cover 4 as described above. The convex 13 is closely deformed and adheres to the groove 7 while being slightly deformed, so that waterproofness and dustproofness are improved.

Further, in the key unit 1, the main body case 3 is arranged such that the leading edge of the rib-shaped portion 10 is engaged with the concave groove 7.
By sliding the main body cover 4 from behind, the main body cover 4 can be detachably and integrally connected to the main body case 3, so that the operation can be performed easily and smoothly, and unnecessary stress is applied. Damage to the rib-like portion 10 and the concave groove 7 is also prevented.

In the key unit 1, the rib-like portion 10 and the concave groove 7 serve both as a mechanism for connecting the main body case 3 and the main body cover 4 and a sealing mechanism, as described above. The convex portion 13 and the step portion 1 for improving the sealing
Since 1 and the step 8 are also formed at the positions of the rib-shaped portion 10 and the concave groove 7, the practicability is extremely good with a simple structure.

In the key unit 1 according to the present embodiment, the step portions 8 and 11 whose protrusion amounts increase sequentially in the connecting direction of the main body case 3 and the main body cover 4 as described above are formed by the rib-shaped portions 10 and the concave grooves 7. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.For example, the above-described step portion may be formed separately from the rib-shaped portion and the concave groove by a pair of main body cases. It is also possible to form it in the center.

Further, in the key unit 1 of the present embodiment, the ribs 10 and the concave grooves 7 are formed by applying a stress in the direction in which the main body case 3 and the main body cover 4 approach each other due to the contact of the steps 8 and 11. Although the lower surface is illustrated as being in close contact, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It is also possible to make the upper surfaces of the rib-shaped portions and the concave grooves adhere closely.

[0028]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one of a main body housing having at least a transmitting circuit, a battery, and a switch is formed by a pair of main body cases which are detachably connected to each other. A through hole facing the switch is formed, and a flexible cover member for sealing the through hole is mounted on the inner surface of the main body case. A flexible sealing member is provided on an outer peripheral portion of the opening hole of the main body case. In the attached key unit, the cover member and the sealing member are integrally formed of a thermoplastic member, and the thermoplastic member is integrally formed from an inner surface of the main body case having the through hole to an outer peripheral portion of the opening hole. By being fixed, the sealing of the through-hole of the main body case communicating with the switch and the sealing of the joint of the pair of main body cases connected to each other can be realized by one thermoplastic member. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced and the productivity can be improved, and such a thermoplastic member can be fixed to the inner surface of the main body case in a large area, so that the thermoplastic member is waterproofed by peeling or falling off. This has the effect that the deterioration of the dust resistance and the dust resistance can be prevented.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key unit formed of a pair of main body cases in which a main body housing containing at least a transmission circuit, a battery, and a switch is detachably connected. A concave groove is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the hole, and the cross-sectional shape is L-shaped on the outer peripheral portion of the opening hole of the other main body case, and the leading edge portion is detachably engageable with the concave groove in the surface direction of the opening hole. By forming a rib-like portion that is engaged and sealed, and by forming a stepped portion in each of the pair of main body cases where the amount of protrusion increases sequentially in the connecting direction of the pair of main body cases and abuts each other. Since the pressure generated by the abutment of the step portion can press the concave groove of the pair of main body cases and the rib-shaped portion, it has an effect of contributing to improvement of waterproofness and dustproofness. It is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view illustrating an internal structure of a key unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a side view illustrating a main body case, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view illustrating a main body cover which is a main body case.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the appearance of the key unit.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an assembly structure of the key unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Key unit 2 Main body housing 3, 4 Main body case 6, 9 Opening hole 7 Concave groove 8, 11 Step part 10 Rib-shaped part 15 Transmission circuit 16, 17 Switch 18 Battery 20, 21, Through hole 22, 23 Operation part

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) E05B 49/00-49/04 H04B 1/02-1/04 B60R 25/00-27/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A body housing including at least a transmission circuit, a battery, and a switch is formed of a pair of body cases detachably connected to each other, and a through hole facing the switch is formed in one of the pair of body cases. A key unit, wherein a flexible cover member for sealing the through-hole is formed on the inner surface of the main body case, and a flexible sealing member is mounted on an outer peripheral portion of an opening hole of the main body case. The member and the sealing member are integrally formed of a thermoplastic member, and the thermoplastic member is integrally fixed from an inner surface of the main body case having the through hole to an outer peripheral portion of the opening hole. Key unit. 2. A key unit formed of a pair of main body cases in which a main body housing containing at least a transmission circuit, a battery, and a switch is detachably connected to an inner peripheral surface of an opening hole of one of the main body cases. A concave groove is formed, and the cross-sectional shape is L-shaped at the outer peripheral portion of the opening hole of the other main body case, and the leading edge portion is detachably engaged with the concave groove in the surface direction of the opening hole to form a sealed state. A key unit, wherein a rib-like portion is formed, and a stepped portion is formed on each of the pair of main body cases, and a stepped portion is formed in each of the pair of main body cases so that the projecting amount sequentially increases in the connecting direction of the pair of main body cases.