JP3946585B2 - Control box and input / output device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a control box that is attached so as to sandwich a sheet material in which wiring is embedded or pasted.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Electric carpets, electric blankets, electric mattresses, etc. are sold as products using sheet materials with embedded wiring. These products have a control box that controls the power supplied to the heater through wiring, and the control box is attached to the edge of the sheet material. The housing or housing of the control box is composed of an upper housing and a lower housing. The sheet material is sandwiched between them, and the sheet material is further provided by claws or protrusions provided on the upper and lower edges of the slit through which the sheet material passes. It is fixed to bite.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Electric carpets, electric blankets and electric mats are relatively thick and very soft. Therefore, even if the sheet material is sandwiched between claws and protrusions, there is almost no possibility of damaging the wiring embedded in the sheet material. Further, there is no possibility of damaging the sheet material itself.
[0004]
On the other hand, in recent years, a sensor sheet in which a pressure sensor or the like is incorporated has appeared. The sheet base material of this sensor sheet is thin and soft to support a thin film semiconductor material that operates as a pressure sensor at a predetermined interval so that a predetermined surface faces a predetermined direction. Relatively strong plastic sheets are used so that they can. For example, a sensor sheet on which a plurality of pressure sensors are arranged is considered to be an application such as a biological information detection device that detects or monitors a sleeping person's breathing state. The living body information detection device using the sensor sheet determines the state of the subject lying on the bedclothes by analyzing the output of the pressure sensor. Can be prepared in an emergency, or the number of apneas of a patient suspected of having apnea syndrome during sleep can be measured.
[0005]
Even in a device using such a sensor sheet, a control box that receives a signal from the sensor via a wiring is necessary, and if it is a biological information detection device, its reliability is damaged when the wiring is damaged and disconnected. It has a big influence on. On the other hand, when preparing a bed or when the device itself is not necessary, it is important to fold a sheet material with a large area. At that time, the boundary between the control box and the sheet material is easily bent, so wiring is required. Easy to damage. In particular, if a thin plastic thin film is bent at a steep angle, it will break or bend and the part will be bent repeatedly, so stress is concentrated and the wiring is easily damaged.
[0006]
If the curvature of the edge of the slit-like opening that is opened so that the sheet material is drawn into the control box is reduced and the curvature radius is increased, the sheet material will not be bent suddenly, so stress will concentrate. Can be prevented. However, if the sheet material is sandwiched at the edge of the slit and the sheet material is fixed using the nail or protrusion provided on the edge, a portion for forming the nail or protrusion is required, and the radius of curvature should be increased. Then, the area of the edge of the slit becomes very large, and the control box cannot be put together compactly.
[0007]
On the other hand, it is also possible to attach the control box to the sheet material by simply sandwiching the sheet material with a slit-like edge without providing a means for fixing the sheet material such as a claw or a protrusion. However, when a load is applied between the sheet material and the control box, the force is concentrated on the joint portion with the terminal block in the control box via the wiring, which causes a wiring contact failure.
[0008]
Therefore, in the present invention, it can be securely attached to the sheet material without damaging the wiring embedded or pasted in the sheet material, and stress is not concentrated on the portion sandwiching the sheet material. It is aimed to provide a control box that can be made to do so.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
For this reason, in the control box having a housing that can be attached to the edge of the sheet material provided with wiring so as to sandwich the sheet material and can accommodate the circuit board connected to the wiring inside, the housing is , A slit through which the sheet material passes, a slit whose upper and lower edges are curved, an upper housing whose lower end portion constitutes the upper edge of the slit, and an upper end portion which constitutes the lower edge of the slit A means for fixing the lower housing and the sheet material arranged inside the slit, and having a plurality of protrusions provided so as to protrude from the inside of the upper end portion of the lower housing to the inside of the lower end portion of the upper housing. When the edge portion of the sheet material is inserted into the control box through the slit, the plurality of holes provided in advance in the edge portion of the sheet material are duplicated. Projections are inserted, by the sheet material is sandwiched by the upper housing and the lower housing, the sheet material is characterized in that it is fixed to the housing. In this control box, the protrusion , which is a means for fixing, is arranged in the housing instead of the slit edge. For this reason, there is no unevenness on the edge of the slit, and the radius of curvature can be increased even if the width of the edge of the slit is narrow. Therefore, even if the sheet material is folded at the edge portion of the slit, the stress can be prevented from being concentrated. On the other hand, since the sheet material is fixed by the fixing means in the housing, even if a force is applied between the sheet material and the control box, it is possible to prevent an unreasonable force from being concentrated on the joint portion of the wiring.
[0010]
Therefore, even if the sheet material is a thin and strong sensor sheet made of plastic or the like, it is highly durable without causing folds, while at the part where the control box is sandwiched A control box that can easily bend the sheet material can be provided. Since the sandwiched portion does not bend sharply, the wiring is not damaged. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable input / output device that can input or output data from a control box from a sheet material including a pressure sensor or the like.
[0011]
In the control box of the present invention, it is not necessary to provide unevenness on the edge of the slit as described above. Therefore, the slit can be sealed by using at least one side of the upper and lower edges of the slit as an elastic sealing portion such as rubber. When the sensor sheet is used as a biological information detection device, the subject sleeping on the sensor sheet may be incontinent, and it is very possible to improve the water resistance of the slit part that draws the sheet material into the control box. It is valid. Therefore, in such an application, since there is a high risk of moisture flowing from the surface of the sheet material, it is desirable that the upper edge of the slit that is the upper side of the sheet material be the sealing portion.
[0012]
The most suitable means for fixing the sheet material is a protrusion, and by providing a hole for inserting the protrusion on the sheet material side in advance, the sheet material can be easily fixed without being damaged.
[0013]
Furthermore, it is desirable that a circuit board to which the wiring is connected is also provided with means for fixing the wiring covering material to the circuit board. By fixing the sheet material to the control box and further fixing the wiring covering material to the circuit board, the connection between the wiring and the circuit board can be protected twice. Therefore, even if the sheet material is detached from the housing, an excessive force is not immediately applied between the wiring and the terminal, and a control box with reliable wiring connection and high safety can be provided. . For this reason, it is suitable for applications such as a biological information detection device.
[0014]
Further, in a control box that houses a plurality of circuit boards stacked in the housing in the housing, it is desirable to arrange the circuit board to which the wiring of the sheet material is connected in the lowermost layer. When the boards are arranged in this manner, the number of circuit boards stacked below the sheet material is reduced, so that the thickness of the control box protruding to the lower side of the sheet material can be reduced. Therefore, when the sheet material is laid on a bed or the like, the slit of the control box and the height of the sheet are substantially the same, and the sheet material can be prevented from rising near the control box. Accordingly, the bending of the sheet material is reduced, and an unreasonable force does not act on the connection portion between the sheet material and the control box, resulting in an increase in wiring reliability. Further, in the above-described biological information detection apparatus, since the subject can lie on the sheet material without feeling uncomfortable even in the vicinity of the control box, a wide range of the sheet material can be effectively used.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows sensor sheets (sheet materials) 2a to 2c in which pressure sensors (piezoelectric sensors) 7 using piezoelectric elements are arranged in an array, and a biological information detection device 30 using them. In this biological information detection apparatus 30, the three sensor sheets 2a, 2b, and 2c have the same configuration, and are connected in the horizontal direction of the drawing to form a single large sheet assembly 60. The control box 1 is attached to one edge 60 a of the seat assembly 60.
[0016]
The sensor sheets 2a, 2b, and 2c (hereinafter referred to as the sensor sheet 2 in the case of a common configuration) use a thin plastic sheet as a base material and regularly arrange piezoelectric elements 7 that serve as pressure sensors at appropriate intervals. The wiring for taking out the output from the piezoelectric element 7 is also made at the same time. Therefore, the pressure sensor 7 held on the sheet is arranged in a predetermined direction while maintaining a predetermined position or interval. For this reason, when it is used as a biological information detection device, it becomes possible to grasp the state of the subject by arranging a large number of pressure sensors without attaching the pressure sensor directly to the subject lying on it. Therefore, the seat assembly 60 can be laid on a semi-double bed or the like, and the respiratory state and other states of the sleeping person (subject) 61 lying thereon can be sensed by the pressure sensor 7 disposed on the seat 2. The control box 1 stores the signals collected from each pressure sensor 7 of the seat 2 and analyzes the signals to monitor the condition of the patient.
[0017]
Therefore, the outputs A, B, and C of the three sensor sheets 2a, 2b, and 2c constituting the sheet assembly 60 are, first, the signal C from each sensor 7 in the sensor sheet 2c that is farthest from the control box 1. The sensor sheet 2b on the way and the wiring 5 of the sheet 2a are transmitted to the control box 1. In the sensor sheet 2b, the signal B from the sensor 7 is transmitted to the control box 1 via the wiring 4 of the sensor sheet 2a on the way. The Furthermore, the signal A from the sensor 7 of the sensor sheet 2a is collected as it is in the control box 1 via the wiring 3 in the sensor sheet 2a.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the control box 1 is attached to the sheet material. The control box 1 includes a substantially square and flat housing 10, in which a circuit board 31 to which wirings 3, 4 and 5 arranged in parallel with the sheet material 2a are respectively connected, a battery 35, and the like The electrical parts necessary for display and operation are stored. The housing 10 is composed of an upper housing or upper housing 11 and a lower housing or lower housing 12, and in a state where these are combined vertically, of the four side surfaces 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d. A slit 20 is formed continuously in two adjacent side surfaces 10a and 10b through which the sheet material 2 passes and reaches the inside of the housing 10. Therefore, by attaching the housing 10 to the edge (corner) portion 2x of the sheet material 2a so that the sheet material 2a is sandwiched between the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12, the wirings 3, 4 and 5 of the sheet material 2a are connected to the housing 10. To be introduced.
[0019]
On the upper surface 10e of the housing 10, a switch 13 and a switch 14 for recording signals A, B and C from the pressure sensor, and a liquid crystal display body 15 capable of displaying a recording status and the like are arranged. A slot 17 for inserting the recording medium 16 is provided on the side surface 10c opposite to the slit 20, and a communication connector 18 that can be connected to an external information processing apparatus such as a personal computer is provided on the side surface 10d. Has been placed. Therefore, the signals A, B, and C from the pressure sensor can be recorded on the recording medium 16 or an external information processing apparatus.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing the inside of the housing 10 of the control box 1. FIG. 4 shows a state where the upper housing 11 of the housing 10 is removed and viewed from above. Inside the housing 10, a circuit board 31 to which the wirings 3, 4 and 5 are connected, a circuit board 32 to which a battery (battery) 35 is connected, and a circuit board 33 for controlling the liquid crystal display 15 are arranged in order from the bottom. It is stored in a stacked state. The lowermost circuit board 31 on which the three connectors 36 to which the wirings 3, 4 and 5 are connected is supported on the bottom surface 49 of the lower housing 12 by a plurality of bosses 53. Accordingly, the wires 3, 4 and 5 can be connected to the circuit board 31 at a height close to the bottom surface 49 of the lower housing 12, and the slit 20 through which the sheet 2 passes is formed in accordance with the height. .
[0021]
The upper portion of the slit 20 is constituted by a lower end portion 43 of the side wall 41 of the upper housing 11, and the lower end portion 43 has a shape in which the side wall 41 is bent inside the housing 10 with a large curvature radius. On the other hand, the lower side of the slit 20 is constituted by an upper end portion 44 of the side wall 42 of the lower housing 12, and the upper end portion 44 is processed into a shape close to a columnar shape having a large curvature radius. Therefore, both the upper and lower edges 43 and 44 constituting the slit 20 have a shape with a large curvature radius. Even if the sheet material 2 that is a thin film made of plastic and strong is bent along these ends 43 and 44, The sheet material 2 is not bent or bent only by being bent along the edges 43 and 44. According to the experiments by the inventors of the present application, the sheet material 2 can be prevented from being bent by setting the radii of curvature of the edges 43 and 44 to 5 mm or more (R5 or more). Therefore, the sheet material 2 is bent, and the bent portion is always deformed when the sheet material 2 is folded, and the wires 3, 4 and 5 are not damaged and disconnected.
[0022]
Of the upper and lower edges 43 and 44 of the slit 20, a rubber packing 37 as a sealing member is attached to the upper edge 43. For this reason, the upper edge of the slit 20 is actually constituted by a packing 37 that is curved along the lower end 43 of the side wall 41, which is an elastic sealing portion. Due to the packing 37 extending downward from the upper wall end 43, the packing 37 comes into close contact with the upper end 44 of the side wall 42. Therefore, when the sheet material 2 is sandwiched between the slits 20, the packing 37 is in close contact with the sheet material 2, and the slit 20 can be sealed. For this reason, the control box 1 includes a slit 20 through which the sheet material 2 can pass. However, the housing 10 is highly waterproof, and even if water spills on the sheet material 2, it enters the housing 10. Can be prevented.
[0023]
A plurality of protrusions (bosses) 25 are formed on the inner side of the upper end 44 of the side wall 42 of the lower housing 12 so as to protrude inside the lower end 43 of the side wall 41 of the upper housing 11. The sheet material 2 has holes 27 in advance at the positions of the bosses 25. When the corner 2x of the sheet material 2 is inserted into the housing through the slit 20, the holes 27 of the sheet 2 are inserted into the bosses 25. be able to. Therefore, when the sheet material 2 is fixed to the lower housing 12 by the boss 25 and the upper housing 11 is attached, the sheet material 2 is not easily pulled out by the side wall 41 of the upper housing 11. Since the sheet material 2 is sandwiched between the packing 37 affixed to the lower end 43 of the side wall of the upper housing 11 and the upper end 44 of the side wall of the lower housing 12, the slit 20 through which the sheet material 2 passes can be sealed. Also, the water resistance is increased.
[0024]
As described above, in the control box 1 of this example, the boss 27 is disposed on the upper and lower edges of the slit 20, that is, on the inner side of the packing 37 and the upper end 44 of the lower wall, so The lower end 43 of the upper wall and the upper end 44 of the lower wall are flat, so that it is very easy to seal. Further, since the packing 37 or the lower end 43 of the upper wall and the upper end 44 of the lower wall can be made to have a uniform cross section, it is easy to take a large R. That is, it is easy to form the lower end 43 of the upper wall and the upper end 44 of the lower wall into a shape having a large curvature radius even if the width is narrow, and the sheet material 20 passing through the slit 20 is impossible at the entrance of the slit 20. It can be bent without.
[0025]
As described above, the biological information detecting device 30 using the sheet material 2 can be used as a monitor for a sick person or a baby, and depending on the use situation, the sheet material 2 overflows with a beverage. There is also a possibility that the sleeper may be incontinent. Therefore, high water resistance is important for stable operation. In addition, since it can be used on a bed, it can be easily removed when not needed or when making a bed. At that time, the sheet material 2 is easily bent in a boundary portion with the control box 1, that is, in front of the slit 20. Further, when storing for storage, the sheet material 2 is often bent in front of the slit 20 to be compact. In the control box 1 of this example, in such a case, even if the sheet material 2 is bent in front of the slit 20, the sheet material 2 only bends gently along the shape of the edge of the slit 20. There is no end to it. Therefore, the wirings 3, 4 and 5 together with the sheet material 2 are not creased or bent, and stress is not concentrated or stress is not repeatedly applied to the same portion. For this reason, it can provide as the biological information detection apparatus 30 with high durability and high reliability.
[0026]
Further, the circuit board 31 to which the wirings 3, 4 and 5 are connected is disposed in the lowermost layer of the housing 10. Therefore, the sheet material 2 can be connected through the slit 20 at a height that is substantially horizontal to the circuit board 31 and close to the bottom 49 of the housing 10. Even when the sheet material 2 and the control box 10 are placed on the bed, the sheet material 2 can be prevented from rising in the vicinity of the slit 20 of the control box 10. For this reason, when a test subject lies in the vicinity of the control box 10, the test subject is less likely to feel uncomfortable when the test subject's body hits the sheet material 2. Further, since the level difference between the bed surface and the slit 20 is small, even if a force that presses the sheet material 2 downward in the vicinity of the slit 20 works in such a state, the deformation of the sheet material 2 is small. Therefore, even if the subject lies in the vicinity of the control box 10, the load on the wirings 3, 4 and 5 is small and does not cause disconnection.
[0027]
Further, in the control box 1 of the present example, a plurality of holes 52 for passing rivets and clips 51 are formed in the circuit board 31 to which the wirings 3, 4 and 5 are connected. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, fittings such as rivets, clips or screws 51 are provided in the holes 55 provided in the cover (covering material or insulating film) 8 of the wirings 3, 4 and 5 and the hole 52 of the circuit board 31. Can be fixed to the circuit board 31 and the respective wirings 3, 4 and 5. Thus, by providing means for fixing the wiring to the circuit board 31 in addition to the housing 10, it is possible to more reliably prevent the wirings 3, 4 and 5 from being disconnected. Even if a very strong force is applied and the sheet material 2 is detached from the boss 25, it does not cause the wires 3, 4, and 5 to be detached from the circuit board 31. Therefore, it has a high reliability and is suitable for a device such as the biological information detection device 30 that causes a life-related problem when a problem occurs.
[0028]
In the above description, the lower end 43 of the upper wall and the upper end 44 of the lower wall which are the upper and lower edges of the slit 20 are curved, and the packing 37 having the shape is attached to the lower end 43 of the upper wall. On the other hand, if the packing 37 is made of a material that is hard enough to maintain its own shape and can be deformed sufficiently when it comes into contact with the upper end 44, the packing 37 is cylindrical as shown in FIG. The shape of the edge of the slit 20 can also be made a shape with a large curvature radius by making the shape with a large curvature radius such as. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, a cylindrical packing 37 covering the portion 43 can be attached without bending the tip portion 43 of the side wall 41 of the upper housing 11. Further, by providing a fin-like protruding portion 38 on the packing 37, the fin-like portion 38 becomes a portion that is more easily deformed, and the portion 38 comes into contact with the sheet material 2 or the lower end 44 to provide a sealing property. Can be improved. Further, since the packings 37 and 38 are elastic (flexible), the wirings 3, 4 and 5 of the sheet material 2 are attached to the surface of the sheet material 2 or the thickness difference from the sheet material 2 is caused. Even if the surface of the sheet material 2 is somewhat uneven, the packings 37 and 38 are deformed following the surface, so that sufficient sealing performance can be maintained. Further, since the packings 37 and 38 are deformed in accordance with the shapes of the wirings 3, 4 and 5, the wirings themselves are not damaged.
[0029]
Also, the packing 37 can be attached in various ways. The packing 37 is attached to the lower end 43 as in the example shown in FIG. 3, or the lower end 43 is attached to the packing 37 as in the example shown in FIG. It can be attached as if sandwiched. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 6B, the slit 71 is provided at the lower end 43 and the part 72 of the packing 37 is inserted to be attached. Furthermore, the mounting position of the packing 37 can be the upper end 44 of the side wall 42 of the lower housing 12 depending on the application.
[0030]
Moreover, although the example which used the control box 1 which concerns on this invention for the biometric information recording apparatus was demonstrated above, it is the apparatus which needs to attach a control box to a sheet | seat-like thin sheet | seat like a sensor sheet or a sensor sheet. It is equally effective for this.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the control box of the present invention, by providing a means for fixing the sheet material inside the slit for passing the sheet material, the edge of the slit can be smoothly curved without unevenness. . Thereby, the edge of a slit can be made into a shape with a large curvature radius, and sealing parts, such as packing, can be provided. Therefore, even when attached to a plastic sheet material that is thin like a sensor sheet, it does not bend, and it is highly sealed against the fluid that travels through the sheet material, making it waterproof. An excellent control box can be provided. For this reason, by using the control box of the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly reliable input / output device such as a biological information recording device that is free from failure due to wire breakage or moisture that has entered the housing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a biological information detection apparatus using a control box according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the control box of this example is attached to a sheet material.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of a control box of this example.
FIG. 4 is a view of the control box of this example when the upper housing is removed.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a circuit board and wiring are fixed.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a control box to which a cylindrical packing is attached.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control box 2 Sheet | seat material 3, 4, 5 Wiring 10 Housing 11 Upper housing 12 Lower housing 20 Slit 25 Boss 31, 32, 33 Circuit board 37 Packing 43 Upper edge 44 Lower edge 51 Rivet

Claims (8)

A control box having a housing which is attached to an edge of a sheet material provided with wiring so as to sandwich the sheet material and can accommodate a circuit board connected to the wiring inside,
The housing is a slit through which the sheet material passes, and the upper and lower edges of the slit are curved, and
An upper housing having a lower end portion constituting an upper edge of the slit;
A lower housing in which an upper end portion constitutes a lower edge of the slit;
And means for securing the sheet material disposed on the inner side of the slit, and a plurality of projections provided so as to pop out to the inside of the lower end portion of the upper housing from the inside of the upper end portion of said lower housing Have
When the edge portion of the sheet material is inserted into the control box through the slit, the plurality of protrusions are inserted into a plurality of holes provided in advance in the edge portion of the sheet material, and the upper housing and the A control box , wherein the sheet material is fixed to the housing by being sandwiched by the lower housing .   2. The control box according to claim 1, wherein at least one side of the upper and lower edges of the slit is an elastic sealing portion.   The control box according to claim 2, wherein an upper edge of the sheet material among the upper and lower edges of the slit is the sealing portion.   2. The control box according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means is disposed inside the housing.   2. A control box according to claim 1, comprising said circuit board, said circuit board comprising means for fixing said wiring covering material. 6. The control box according to claim 5 , wherein the housing contains a plurality of the circuit boards stacked one above the other, and the circuit board connected to the wiring is arranged in the lowest layer. A control box according to claim 1;
The sheet material attached to the housing of the control box;
The edge portion of the sheet material is inserted into the control box through the slit, and the plurality of protrusions are inserted into a plurality of holes provided in advance in the edge portion of the sheet material, and the upper housing and the The sheet material is fixed to the housing by being sandwiched by the lower housing,
The input / output device further includes a circuit board accommodated in the housing, and the wiring is connected to the circuit board. 8. The input / output device according to claim 7 , wherein a piezoelectric sensor connected to the wiring is disposed on the sheet material.

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