JPH08144589A - Key device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the manufacturing cost by facilitating the positioning work for the primary molding of a signal generator and to dispense with a positioning holder when the signal generator is positioned at the base end section of a key plate for the secondary molding. CONSTITUTION: A signal generator 14 for generating the signal containing the specific information is primarily molded with a resin, and it is secondarily molded with the resin at the base end section of a key plate to form the main body of a key device. When the signal generator 14 is primarily molded, one end section 17a of a printed wiring board 17 is protruded from the end face section of a mold body 18. A slit for inserting and pinching one end section 17a of the printed wiring board 17 is provided at the base end section of the key plate.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key device having a signal generator for generating a signal containing specific information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as an example of an ignition switch of an automobile, when a key plate of a key device is inserted into a key cylinder of the ignition switch, power is supplied from the key cylinder side to the key device side and the key device side is supplied by the power supply. There is one in which the signal generator of the above is configured to generate a signal including specific information and transmit it to the vehicle (key cylinder) side (specifically, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-1514).
There is one described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1). With this configuration, the vehicle side is configured to determine the suitability of the inserted key device based on the detection of the transmitted signal and the determination of information, thereby preventing unauthorized unlocking. It helps.

A conventional configuration of the above key device is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In FIG. 7, the key device 1 includes a key plate 2
And a key grip 3 made of resin on the base end portion 2a of the key plate 2. A signal generator 4 is embedded in the inside of the key grip 3 by being molded with resin while being positioned at the base end portion 2a of the key plate 2 via a holder 5. Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the signal generator 4 is formed by molding a resin into which an IC 7 and a magnetic antenna 8 are mounted on a printed wiring board 6, and a rectangular block-shaped molded body. Are configured.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, when the printed wiring board 6 is molded to form a rectangular block-shaped molded body (the signal generator 4), the printed wiring board 6 is formed in the molding die. Since a positioning pin or the like is required to perform the positioning, there is a problem that the structure of the molding die is complicated and the manufacturing cost is increased. Further, since the holder 5 is required when the signal generator 4 is positioned on the base end portion 2a of the key plate 2 and molded, there is a drawback that the number of parts and the number of assembling steps increase.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a key device which can easily perform positioning work and the like at the time of primary molding of the signal generating device and can reduce the manufacturing cost. Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of parts and the number of assembly steps by eliminating the need for a positioning holder when the primary molded signal generator is positioned at the base end of the key plate for secondary molding. There is a key device that can be used.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A key device of the present invention is for generating a signal containing specific information, and a signal generator which is primarily molded with a resin is provided at the base end of the key plate. The secondary molding is characterized in that one end of the printed wiring board is projected from the molded body when the signal generator is primary molded.

In this structure, it is preferable to provide a slit for inserting and holding one end of the printed wiring board at the base end of the key plate. Further, it is an even more preferable configuration that a protrusion is provided at one end of the printed wiring board and a recess in which the protrusion is fitted is provided in the slit of the key plate.

[0008]

According to the above means, when the signal generator is primarily molded, one end of the printed wiring board is projected from the mold body. Therefore, the projected one end is sandwiched between the molding dies and positioned. It is possible to eliminate the need for positioning pins and the like, simplify the structure of the molding die, and reduce the manufacturing cost. In addition, when the immersion molding method is used for the primary molding of the signal generator, the printed wiring board can be immersion-molded while gripping one end for protruding, so that the molding operation is also easy. become.

On the other hand, if the base plate of the key plate is provided with a slit for inserting and holding one end of the printed wiring board, it is only necessary to insert one end of the printed wiring board into the slit of the key plate. It becomes possible to position the signal generator. For this reason, it is possible to eliminate the need for a positioning holder, which has been conventionally required when performing secondary molding. Further, when the convex portion is provided at one end of the printed wiring board and the concave portion into which the convex portion is fitted is provided in the slit of the key plate, the positioning of the signal generator is performed by fitting the convex portion and the concave portion. Will become even more certain.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, referring to FIG. 3 showing a schematic overall configuration of the key device, a main body 11 of the key device is shown.
Is composed of a key plate 12 and a key grip 13 made of resin on a base end portion 12a of the key plate 12. The key plate 12 is inserted into, for example, a key cylinder (not shown) of an ignition switch of a vehicle to switch the ignition switch.

Further, inside the key grip 13,
A signal generator 14 which has a substantially rectangular block shape as a whole
Is buried. As shown in FIG. 1, the signal generator 14 is configured by molding a printed wiring board 17 on which a magnetic antenna 15 and an IC 16 and the like are mounted with resin, so that the rectangular block-shaped molded body 1 is provided.
Make up eight. Here, one end portion 17a of the printed wiring board 17 is molded so as to project from one side surface portion 18a of the mold body 18.

Further, the magnetic antenna 15 comprises a round bar-shaped ferrite core 19 and a coil 20 wound around the ferrite core 19. This coil 2
0 is a signal including specific information, for example, a transmission coil for transmitting a specific code signal, and the key plate 1
2 is a coil that also serves as a power receiving coil for magnetically coupling with a power feeding coil (not shown) provided on the side of the key cylinder when it is inserted into the key cylinder. Further, the IC 16 and the like operate by the electric power received by the coil 20 to generate the specific code signal,
It is an electric component that constitutes an electric circuit for transmitting this code signal from the coil 20.

On the other hand, the power feeding coil on the key cylinder side of the vehicle also serves as a receiving coil for receiving the code signal transmitted from the coil 20. A power supply circuit for supplying power to the power supply coil and a control circuit for controlling the power supply circuit are provided on the key cylinder side, and
A detection circuit and a determination circuit for detecting a reception signal (code signal) received by the power feeding coil and determining whether or not it is appropriate are provided. When it is determined that the key plate 12 inserted in the key cylinder is not a legitimate one, it is configured to prevent the engine from starting. The specific configurations of the electric circuit on the key cylinder side and the electric circuit on the key device side are well-known techniques, for example, there is a configuration described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-15141. In addition, the applicant of the present invention is
Japanese Patent Application No. 6-145905 has been filed as an improvement of the configuration described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-145905.

Now, the base end portion 12 of the key plate 12 is described.
As shown in FIG. 2, a has a shape in which the width thereof spreads out in a substantially semicircular shape, and the signal generator 14 is provided on the end face 12b.
A slit 12c into which one end 17a of the printed wiring board 17 is inserted is formed. In this case, slit 1
The signal generator 14 is positioned and attached to the base end 12a of the key plate 12 by, for example, press-fitting one end 17a of the printed wiring board 17 into 2c. Then, in this positioning state, the base end 12a of the key plate 12 and the signal generator 14 are secondarily molded with a resin to mold the key grip 13 (and thus the main body 11).
In the above embodiment, the one end portion 17a of the printed wiring board 17 is press-fitted into the slit 12c, but instead of this, it may be inserted and fitted to be sandwiched. In this case, it is also conceivable to adopt a structure in which the two are bonded with, for example, an adhesive when they are fitted together.

According to this embodiment having such a configuration, the one end portion 17a of the printed wiring board 17 is made to project from the molded body 18 when the signal generator 14 is primarily molded. It is possible to position the other end 17a by sandwiching it with a molding die. Therefore, since the positioning pin and the like can be eliminated, the structure of the molding die can be simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the signal generator 14 can be reduced accordingly.

Further, the base end portion 12a of the key plate 12
Since the slit 12c for inserting and sandwiching the one end portion 17a of the printed wiring board 17 is provided,
The signal generator 1 can be obtained by simply inserting the one end 17a of the printed wiring board 17 into the slit 12c of the key plate 12.
4 can be positioned on the key plate 12. Therefore, when the base end portion 12a of the key plate 12 is secondarily molded, the positioning holder 5 (see FIG. 7), which is conventionally required, can be eliminated, and the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced. You can

In the above embodiment, when the signal generator 14 is primarily molded, a method of injection molding using a molding die is adopted, but the method is not limited to this, and an immersion molding method is used. Is also good. Also in this case, the printed wiring board can be immersion-molded while gripping the one end portion 17a for projecting from the mold body, which simplifies the molding operation.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention, and the difference from the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a semi-circular convex portion 17b is provided at an intermediate portion of the one end portion 17a of the printed wiring board 17. As shown in FIG. 5, the slit 12c of the key plate 12 is provided with a concave portion 12d into which the convex portion 17b is fitted. In this case, as shown in FIG.
By forming a circular through hole 12e in the base end portion 12a of the so that the semicircular portion of the circular through hole 12e overlaps the slit 12c,
It is configured to form the recess 12d.

In the second embodiment, the key plate 12
One end 17 of the printed wiring board 17 in the slit 12c of
a is inserted (press-fitted), and the printed wiring board 17
The convex portion 17b of the one end portion 17a is the concave portion 1 of the slit 12c.
By being fitted to 2d, the positioning of the signal generator 14 becomes even more reliable. Specifically, by inserting the one end portion 17a of the printed wiring board 17 into the slit 12c, the movement of the printed wiring board 17 in the vertical direction in FIG. 4 is restricted. The convex portion 17b of the one end portion 17a of the printed wiring board 17 is fitted into the concave portion 12d of the slit 12c so that the printed wiring board 17 is restricted from moving in the left-right direction in FIG. ing. The configuration other than the above is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, also in the second embodiment described above, it is possible to obtain substantially the same operational effects as in the first embodiment.

In each of the above embodiments, the key device is provided with the signal generator 14 for generating a magnetic signal, but the invention is not limited to this, and a signal generator for generating a radio wave signal is used. It may be applied to a key device provided.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and the difference from the first embodiment will be described. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the printed wiring board 21 that replaces the printed wiring board 17 is formed of a magnetic substrate, for example, a ferrite substrate, and
A coil 22 is wound around a portion of the printed wiring board 21 on the one end 21a side. In this case, the coil 22 and the printed wiring board 21 made of ferrite constitute a magnetic antenna 23. Then, when the signal generator 14 (printed wiring board 21) is primarily molded, one end 21 a of the printed wiring board 21 is made to project from the molded body 18. The configuration other than the above is the same as that of the first embodiment.

Therefore, also in the third embodiment, it is possible to obtain substantially the same operational effects as in the first embodiment.
In particular, in the third embodiment, the printed wiring board 21 of the signal generator 14 is made of a ferrite board, and the coil 22 is wound around the printed wiring board 21 to form the magnetic antenna 23. The cross-sectional area of the ferrite core (ferrite substrate) of the magnetic antenna 23 can be made larger than the cross-sectional area of the ferrite core 19 of the first embodiment while keeping the configuration of the signal generator 14 small. Therefore, the sensitivity of the magnetic antenna 23 can be improved as compared with the sensitivity of the magnetic antenna 15 of the first embodiment. Since the printed wiring board 21 is also used as the ferrite core of the magnetic antenna 23, the number of parts can be reduced and the configuration of the signal generator 14 can be further downsized.

[0023]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention is configured such that one end of the printed wiring board is projected from the molded body when the signal generator is first molded, so that the positioning pin or the like is unnecessary. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the structure of the molding die and also to simplify the molding operation even when the dip molding method is adopted, which in turn has the excellent effect of reducing the manufacturing cost.

Further, in the case of the above construction, since the slit for inserting and holding one end of the printed wiring board is provided at the base end of the key plate, one end of the printed wiring board is fitted in the slit of the key plate. Since it is possible to position the signal generator simply by inserting the parts, it is possible to eliminate the need for a positioning holder that has been conventionally required for the secondary molding. Further, since the convex portion is provided at one end of the printed wiring board and the concave portion into which the convex portion is fitted is provided in the slit of the key plate, the signal generating device can be fitted by fitting the convex portion and the concave portion. Positioning becomes even more reliable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a signal generator showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a key plate and a signal generator.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a key device body.

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a base end portion of a key plate.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a printed wiring board showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a conventional configuration.

FIG. 8 is a view equivalent to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 is a main body, 12 is a key plate, 12a is a base end portion, 1
2c is a slit, 13 is a key grip, 14 is a signal generator, 17 is a printed circuit board, 17a is one end,
Reference numeral b denotes a convex portion, 18 a molded body, and 21 a printed wiring board.

Front page continued (72) Inventor Shinichi Koga 1 Noda, Oita-cho, Niwa-gun, Aichi Prefecture, Noda, Tokai Rika Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Yoshiyuki Mizuno 1 Noda, Oguchi-cho, Niwa-gun, Aichi, Japan Company Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A key device for generating a signal including specific information, the signal generator being primary molded with resin, and being secondary molded with resin at a base end portion of a key plate. 2. The key device according to claim 1, wherein when the signal generator is primarily molded, one end of the printed wiring board is configured to protrude from the mold body. 2. The key device according to claim 1, wherein a slit for inserting and holding one end portion of the printed wiring board is provided at a base end portion of the key plate. 3. The printed wiring board according to claim 2, wherein a projection is provided at one end of the printed wiring board, and a recess in which the projection fits is provided in a slit of the key plate.
The described key device.