JP6681514B2 - Mobile key - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to portable keys.

  2. Description of the Related Art There is known a portable key including an operation knob whose operation section is exposed through an opening of a housing.

JP 2011-042989 JP

  However, the above-described conventional technique has a problem that the operation knob is easily broken when the portable key is dropped. The operation knob has a flange portion inside the housing to prevent the operation knob from coming out of the housing. However, the flange portion is thin, and is easily broken when it hits the guide portion on the housing side.

  Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention aims to reduce breakage of the operation knob when the portable key is dropped.

In one aspect, a portable key that transmits a radio wave in response to a user operation,
It has a substantially rectangular shape in which the first direction is the longitudinal direction and the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is the lateral direction. In the third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. A casing having an opening that opens, and a guide portion that projects inward in the third direction toward the inside around the opening;
An operating portion that is exposed from the housing through the opening, and an operation knob that has a flange portion that abuts in the third direction around the opening on the inner surface of the housing.
The guide portion and the flange portion have a portion facing and close to each other in the first direction, the flange portion at the portion has a first portion formed in an outer R shape, and the guide at the portion. A portable key is provided, wherein the portion extends in a fourth direction that is inclined with respect to the first direction when viewed in the third direction.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce breakage of the operation knob when the portable key is dropped.

It is a perspective view showing appearance of a portable key by one example. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the portable key with an upper case, an operation knob and the like removed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the portable key with an upper case, an operation knob, a waterproof sheet and the like removed. It is a perspective view of an operation knob. It is the top view which looked at the operation knob from the inside side (Z2 side). It is the top view which looked the upper case from the inside side (Z2 side). It is the top view which looked the operation knob and the upper case from the inside (Z2 side). It is a top view which shows the single item state of a knob guide member. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 7. It is an enlarged view of the C section of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of a comparative example. It is explanatory drawing of the generation | occurrence | production mechanism of the fracture | rupture in a comparative example. It is explanatory drawing of the impact dispersion effect by a present Example. It is a figure which shows an example of the some application part of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing of a modification.

  Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of a portable key 1 according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, three orthogonal axes X, Y and Z are defined. Further, each side of the X, Y, and Z axes is indicated by X1, X2, and the like. The Z axis corresponds to the thickness direction of the portable key 1, the X axis corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the portable key 1, and the Y axis corresponds to the lateral direction of the portable key 1.

  The portable key 1 is a key carried by a vehicle user. The portable key 1 is an electronic key used in a keyless entry system, a smart keyless entry system, or the like.

  The portable key 1 includes a housing 10 and an operation knob 30.

  The housing 10 has a substantially rectangular shape in which the X direction (an example of the first direction) is the longitudinal direction and the Y direction (an example of the second direction) is the lateral direction. The "substantially rectangular shape" is a concept in which the corners of the rectangular shape may have corners. The housing 10 includes, for example, an upper case 10a and a lower case 10b. The housing 10 is integrated by fitting the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b together.

  The upper case 10a of the housing 10 has an opening 12 that opens in the Z direction (an example of the third direction). An operation knob 30 is provided in the opening 12.

  The operation knob 30 is in the form of a switch operated by a user. The operation knob 30 is formed of a resin material (for example, acrylic resin). A plurality of operation knobs 30 are provided, for example. Various functions are assigned to each of the operation knobs 30. Various functions are functions such as door lock, door unlock, and trunk opening / closing.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, there are four operation knobs 30, and the operation knob 30 on the X2 side has a rectangular shape in which the Y direction is the longitudinal direction and the X direction is the lateral direction. The operation knob 30 also has a substantially rectangular shape in which the Y direction is the longitudinal direction and the X direction is the lateral direction. On the other hand, the two X1 side operation knobs 30 provided side by side in the Y direction are approximately half the length of the X2 side operation knob 30 in the Y direction, and have a substantially square shape.

  The operation knob 30 includes an operation unit 32 exposed through the opening 12 of the housing 10. It should be noted that a picture or the like showing the function of the corresponding operation knob 30 may be provided on the surface of the operation unit 32. The operation knob 30 is movable in the Z direction and is operated by being pushed to the Z2 side.

  2 and 3 are perspective views showing the inside of the portable key 1, FIG. 2 is a perspective view with the upper case 10a, the operation knob 30 and the like removed, and FIG. It is a perspective view of the state where the operation knob 30, the waterproof sheet 50, etc. were removed.

  Various electronic components are provided inside the housing 10 via a waterproof sheet 50. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the electronic component 70 is an antenna and the electronic component 72 is a battery. For example, the electronic component 70, which is an antenna, transmits a predetermined wireless signal when the operation knob 30 is operated and a tact switch (not shown) (another example of the electronic component) is turned on.

  The waterproof sheet 50 is formed of a rubber sheet (a sheet of a rubber material) and has a waterproof function for various electronic components inside the housing 10. The waterproof sheet 50 is provided so as to be adjacent to the upper case 10a and the operation knob 30 from the Z2 side, and extends substantially in the XY plane. Extending in the substantially XY plane means that the shape is not flat but has irregularities. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the waterproof sheet 50 has a dome-shaped portion 52 for a tact switch. The waterproof sheet 50 has an outer shape corresponding to the outer shape of the portable key 1, and its outer peripheral portion is sandwiched and held in the Z direction between the upper case 10a and the lower case 10b. At this time, the waterproof sheet 50 exhibits a waterproof function by being held in an elastically deformed state.

  Next, the operation knob 30 and the upper case 10a will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.

  4 and 5 are single-part views of one operation knob 30, FIG. 4 is a perspective view viewed from the Z1 side, and FIG. 5 is a plan view viewed from the Z2 side. 4 and 5, among the plurality of operation knobs 30, the operation knob 30 on the X2 side in the X direction is shown as a representative.

  The operation knob 30 includes an operation section 32 and a flange section 34.

  As described above, the operation portion 32 is a portion exposed through the opening 12 of the upper case 10a, and is a portion that is touched and pressed by the user's finger during operation.

  The flange portion 34 is a portion located inside the housing 10. The flange portion 34 is provided around the operation portion 32 over the entire circumference when viewed in the Z direction. The flange portion 34 is located at the Z2 side end of the operation portion 32 and extends in the XY plane. The flange portion 34 abuts in the Z direction around the opening 12 on the inner surface (surface on the Z2 side) of the upper case 10a. That is, the surface of the flange portion 34 on the Z1 side abuts in the Z direction on the inner surface (the surface on the Z2 side) of the upper case 10a (see FIG. 9 described later). The flange portion 34 has a function of preventing the operation knob 30 from coming off through the opening 12 of the upper case 10a.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the flange portion 34 has four corner portions 310. The corner portion 310 has an inner R portion 311 (an example of a second portion) formed in an inner R shape, an outer R portion 312 (an example of a first portion) formed in an outer R shape, and an outer R shape. And an outer R portion 313 (an example of a third portion) that has been created. “Inner R” and “outer R” are defined with the center side of the flange portion 34 as the inner side when viewed in the Z direction. That is, the “inner R” is the R that is concave toward the center side of the flange portion 34 when viewed in the Z direction, and the “outer R” is the side that is away from the center side of the flange portion 34 when viewed in the Z direction. It is R in a convex form. The outer R portions 312 and 313 are located on both sides of the inner R portion 311. 4 and 5, some of the outer R portions 312 and 313 are formed in a relatively small outer R shape, but it is assumed that they are formed in an outer R shape necessary for manufacturing.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view of the upper case 10a viewed from the inside (Z2 side). FIG. 7 is a plan view of the operation knob 30 and the upper case 10a viewed from the inside (Z2 side). The knob guide member 90 is also illustrated in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a single state of the knob guide member 90. 9 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 7, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 7.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the upper case 10a has a guide portion 14 on the inner surface that projects around the opening 12 in the Z direction (to the Z2 side). As shown in FIG. 7, the guide portion 14 is provided around the flange portion 34 along the outer peripheral shape of the flange portion 34 of the operation knob 30. The guide portion 14 projects in the Z direction to guide the displacement of the operation knob 30 in the Z direction during operation. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the guide portion 14 is not provided over the entire circumference around the flange portion 34, but may be provided over the entire circumference around the flange portion 34.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the guide portion 14 has a slight clearance with respect to the flange portion 34 in the XY plane. However, since the operation knob 30 also has a clearance with respect to the opening 12 in the XY plane, when the operation knob 30 is displaced due to the clearance with respect to the opening 12, the guide portion 14 and the flange portion 34 will have the XY plane. It may hit inside.

  In the present embodiment, as an example, the knob guide member 90 is provided. The knob guide member 90 is fixed to the upper case 10 a and forms the housing 10. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the knob guide member 90 includes a guide portion 94 having the same function as the guide portion 14. The knob guide member 90 has beam portions 92, 93, 96. The beam portion 92 extends in the Y direction between the operation knob 30 on the X2 side in the X direction and the operation knob 30 in the center in the X direction, and the beam portion 93 and the operation knob 30 in the center in the X direction. It extends in the Y direction between the operation knob 30 on the X1 side in the X direction and the operation knob 30 in the center in the X direction. The beam portion 96 extends in the X direction between the two operation knobs 30 on the X1 side in the X direction. By providing the knob guide member 90, rattling of each operation knob 30 in the XY plane is reduced.

  FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of portion C in FIG. 7. However, the illustration of the knob guide member 90 is omitted in FIG. 11, and a detailed shape relationship between the guide portion 14 of the upper case 10 a and the flange portion 34 of the operation knob 30 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the guide portion 14 of the upper case 10a and the flange portion 34 of the operation knob 30 have a point P (hereinafter, simply referred to as “proximity point P”) that faces and is close to each other in the X direction. In FIG. 11, two adjacent points P are shown as a representative. There are four adjacent locations P in the same manner at four corners of one operation knob 30.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the flange portion 34 at the adjacent portion P has an outer R portion 312 formed in an outer R shape. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the guide portion 14 in the proximity portion P extends in the direction D (an example of the fourth direction) inclined with respect to the X direction in a plan view (viewed in the Z direction). The direction D preferably makes about 45 degrees with respect to the X direction, as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the wall portion 141 of the guide portion 14 at the proximity portion P terminates at the end point E1 when it extends in the direction D toward the Y2 side (the side away from the flange portion 34 in the Y direction). However, it may further extend beyond the end point E1 shown in FIG.

  Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  12 and 13 are explanatory diagrams of a comparative example, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a relationship between the guide portion 241 of the upper case and the flange portion 341 of the operation knob according to the comparative example.

  In the comparative example, the guide portion 241 is formed along the shape of the flange portion 341 with a constant clearance. Therefore, in the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 12, the outer R shape of the guide portion 241 is formed along the inner R shape of the flange portion 341.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a transmission mode of an impact applied to the operation knob when the portable key is dropped according to the comparative example. When the portable key is dropped, an impact is applied to the operation knob via the housing. Since the portable key is relatively heavy and the flange portion of the operation knob is thin, the flange portion of the operation knob is easily broken when an impact is applied to the flange portion of the operation knob.

  In the case of the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 13, supposing that the X1 side hits the ground or the like and a shock is applied to the X2 side, the flange portion 341 is indicated by an arrow F in FIG. Thus, an impact force acting in the X direction toward X2 acts. Since the flange portion 341 is thin, a relatively large stress is generated due to the impact force in the stress concentration portion near the center of the inner R-shaped portion 342, which leads to fracture (breakage in FIG. 13). Line Cr is schematically shown).

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a transmission mode of an impact applied to the operation knob 30 when the portable key 1 is dropped according to the present embodiment.

  In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, assuming that the X1 side is dropped and hits the ground or the like on the X1 side and an impact is applied to the X2 side, the flange portion 34 is indicated by an arrow F1 in FIG. As shown, the impact force acts. At this time, the impact force F1 is not parallel to the X direction due to the guide portion 14 extending obliquely with respect to the X direction as described above. That is, as schematically shown in FIG. 14, the impact force F1 is decomposed into a component F2 in the X direction and a component F3 in the Y direction. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the magnitude of the component F2 in the X direction is smaller than the impact force F according to the comparative example. As a result, according to this example, as compared with the comparative example, the stress generated in the stress concentrated portion near the center of the inner R portion 311 in the flange portion 34 is reduced, and the possibility of fracture is reduced. In this way, according to the present embodiment, the direction of the force applied to the flange portion 34 is dispersed in the Y direction component as well, so that breakage of the operation knob 30 when the portable key 1 is dropped can be reduced.

  Here, the portable key 1 can be dropped not only in the X direction but also in other directions such as the Y direction. However, since the X direction is the longitudinal direction of the portable key 1 as described above, the form of falling in the X direction is the most severe form for the operation knob 30 (because the area receiving a load from the ground or the like becomes small). . Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even if the portable key 1 is dropped in a direction other than the X direction, breakage of the operation knob 30 can be reduced.

  Note that, in FIG. 11, as a representative, the detailed shape relationship between the guide portion 14 of the two upper cases 10a and the flange portion 34 of the operation knob 30 in the two adjacent portions P has been described. As shown, similar geometric relationships may be realized at a number of other close locations P (close locations within the Q portion). At this time, the guide portion 94 of the knob guide member 90 can be handled in the same manner as the guide portion 14.

  Although the respective embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims. Further, it is possible to combine all or a plurality of the constituent elements of the above-described embodiments.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the corner portion 310 of the flange portion 34 includes the inner R portion 311 formed in the inner R shape and the outer R portions 312 and 313 formed in the outer R shape. Not limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the corner portion 310A of the flange portion 34A may have only the outer R portion 312A (an example of the first portion) formed in the outer R shape. In this case, the guide portion 14A extends in the direction D inclined with respect to the X direction in plan view (as viewed in the Z direction), as shown in FIG. The direction D preferably makes about 45 degrees with respect to the X direction, as shown in FIG. Also in this case, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  This application claims priority of the basic application 2017-049177 filed on Mar. 14, 2017 to the Japan Patent Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

1 Portable Key 10 Housing 10a Upper Case 10b Lower Case 12 Opening 14 Guide 14A Guide 30 Operation Knob 32 Operation 34 34 Flange 50 Waterproof Sheet 52 Dome 70 Electronic Component 72 Electronic Component 90 Knob Guide Member 92 Beam 93 Beam portion 94 Guide portion 96 Beam portion 141 Wall portion 310 Corner portion 310A Corner portion 311 Inner R portion 312 Outer R portion 312A Outer R portion 313 Outer R portion 341 Flange portion

Claims (5)

A portable key that transmits a radio wave according to a user operation,
It has a substantially rectangular shape in which the first direction is the longitudinal direction and the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is the lateral direction. In the third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. A casing having an opening that opens, and a guide portion that projects inward in the third direction toward the inside around the opening;
An operating portion that is exposed from the housing through the opening, and an operation knob that has a flange portion that abuts in the third direction around the opening on the inner surface of the housing.
The guide portion and the flange portion have a portion facing and close to each other in the first direction, the flange portion at the portion has a first portion formed in an outer R shape, and the guide at the portion. The part is a portable key that extends in a fourth direction that is inclined with respect to the first direction when viewed in the third direction.   The portable key according to claim 1, wherein the fourth direction is approximately 45 degrees with respect to the first direction when viewed in the third direction. The corner portion of the flange portion includes the first portion, a second portion formed in an inner R shape, and a third portion formed in an outer R shape,
The portable key according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second part is formed between the first part and the third part.   The portable key according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operation knob has a substantially rectangular shape in which the second direction is a longitudinal direction and the first direction is a lateral direction.   The portable key according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the operation knobs are provided.

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