KR102407644B1 - Apparatus for outputting sound and hub for communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

The hub of the present invention includes a main body having a speaker for outputting sound, a communication module disposed on the main body for wireless communication with surrounding devices, a base supporting the main body from the lower side, and coupled to the upper portion of the main body A cover for displaying a screen based on the information exchanged through the communication module through the upper surface, and a vertically long cylindrical shape having a plurality of through holes, the main body is disposed inside, and the upper end is combined with the cover, , The lower end includes a grill coupled to the base.

Description

Hub for sound output devices and communication networks

The present invention relates to a sound output device, a hub for a communication network, a method for manufacturing the sound output device, and a method for manufacturing a grill constituting the sound output device.

Techniques for establishing a network in a certain space, such as a home or office, are known by using devices that communicate with each other through wired/wireless communication. Various devices having communication functions are connected to the network.

Conventionally, a network is established by connecting home appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners to an access point (AP) connected to the Internet by wire/wireless connection, and through a terminal (eg, a smart phone) connected to the Internet. Information was shared with the home appliance. In this method, since the information obtained from the home appliance is limited, there is a limit to the functions that can be implemented through the terminal. For example, when controlling the refrigerator through the terminal, since sensors provided in the refrigerator cannot be changed, information that the terminal can share with the refrigerator is also limited.

Recently, Internet of Things (IoT) technology is attracting attention as a technology that can overcome these problems, which is a technology that connects objects through wired/wireless networks to share information between objects. Internet of Things (IoT) technology adds communication and sensor functions to various devices, so that devices can send or receive information on their own, process information, and operate automatically.

In response to such a diversified network environment, it is necessary to develop a hub that manages devices in an integrated way and can more actively communicate with users based on information shared with devices.

An object of the present invention is to provide a hub (or a sound output device) that outputs a screen based on information exchanged through a communication module that communicates wirelessly with a peripheral device. In particular, an object of the present invention is to provide an interface through which a user can easily understand information exchanged while communicating with Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which are attracting attention recently, and to control these devices.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub in which the interface is displayed at an optimal location in consideration of visibility.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub that minimizes the appearance of the coupling portion between the parts. In particular, it is an object to provide a hub in which a coupling portion between parts is concealed by a cylindrical grill.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in a structure in which a main body having a speaker is disposed in a cylindrical grill, a cover is coupled to the upper side of the grill, and a base is coupled to the lower side, these components have a sense of unity in appearance It is to provide a form-forming hub.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hub to which the grill is fixed without a separate fastening member such as a bolt when the grill is made of a metal material.

Another object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub in which the grill is shaped by firing of the metal material itself in the process of coupling the cylindrical metal grill with the cover and the base.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub in which a main PCB is disposed between a base and a body.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub capable of communicating with an accessory through a communication module, setting a function of the accessory, and managing a home network based on information received from the accessory. .

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is through communication with an accessory provided separately from the home appliance, and by utilizing a function provided through the accessory, sensing the state of the home appliance, controlling the operation, etc. It is to provide possible herbs.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that the upper surface on which the information of the display is displayed is circular, is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and when the upper end of the grill is combined with the cover on which the display is installed, An object of the present invention is to provide a hub in which an upper end of the grill and the cover are formed on a continuous curved contour.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that a display for outputting an interface screen and a window through which the screen of the display is transmitted are installed on a cover coupled to the upper portion of the main body, and the user presses the window to operate the interface It is to provide you with herbs that you can use.

The main body is provided with a communication module for wireless communication with peripheral devices, and information exchanged through the communication module is displayed through the interface screen, thereby enabling mutual communication with various devices, such as Internet of Things devices, which have recently been attracting attention. It is to provide a hub capable of easily grasping information exchanged by a user and controlling the devices by manipulating the interface through a simple operation of pressing preset portions of the window.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that the cover is provided with a display PCB on which the display is mounted, and on the display PCB, various uses such as manipulating the interface displayed on the screen or manipulating the reproduction of the speaker It is to provide a hub in which at least one contact switch to be used is disposed, and a window support for supporting the window is provided in the cover, and the window support operates the contact switch according to pressure applied to the window.

The window support may include a window support plate in which an opening exposing the screen is formed and the window is disposed on an upper surface of the window support. The window support plate is supported by a plurality of support bosses, and operating protrusions are formed at positions corresponding to the contact switches, respectively, on the bottom surface. When a certain portion of the window is pressed, the window support plate is bent around a portion supported by the support boss, so that the manipulation protrusion presses the contact switch. In this structure, the user operates the contact switch by selectively pressing areas corresponding to the contact switches respectively on the window. That is, the window functions as a kind of button that operates the contact switches, and it is a problem to be solved by the present invention so that all of the contact switches and each region can accurately perform this function.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is so that the regions of the window support plate corresponding to the contact switches (manipulation protrusions are formed in each region) can be smoothly bent with respect to the support boss. The support boss is to provide a hub disposed in an appropriate position.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in the central portion of the window support plate, an opening is formed so that the screen of the display can be seen from the upper side. Typically, the panel constituting the display has a rectangular shape with a horizontal length longer than a vertical one. Accordingly, the horizontal is arranged in the left and right direction of the hub. The opening of the window support plate is also formed to have a length in the left-right direction (or in the horizontal direction) that is longer than the length in the front-rear direction (or in the vertical direction) corresponding to the shape of the panel. In this case, the window support plate is the opening Manipulating protrusions are formed in each area of the front, rear, left, and right around the . However, since the shape of the opening is longer in the left-right direction than in the front-rear direction, the front/rear area and the left/right area among the four areas of the window support plate have different widths, depending on which area the support boss is formed in. A distance between the support boss and the manipulation protrusion is different for each area. Therefore, it is a problem to be solved by the present invention to eliminate such deviation.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to include a display for outputting a screen based on information exchanged through a communication module for wireless communication with a peripheral device, and a window for viewing the interface screen from the outside, The window provides a hub constituting an upper surface of the hub. Here, the window is located in the open area of the upper surface of the cover housing constituting the upper portion of the hub.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is, in consideration of the freshness of the user looking at the window, when the window is disposed inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, the cover defining the side surface of the window and the open area The distance between the inner surfaces of the housing is to be constant everywhere.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that the mold used to form the exterior of the cover housing and the mold forming the portion defining the area where the window is disposed among the inner surfaces of the cover housing are oriented in different directions. The shape of the cover housing is designed so that it can be taken out.

Another object of the present invention is to enable the display panel to maintain a predetermined position even when the hub is moved or an external shock is applied to the hub.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub capable of maintaining the display panel disposed on the upper side of the display PCB so as not to be shaken by using a structure (partition plate) supporting the display PCB.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub that can accurately determine a location where the display panel is to be installed. In particular, when a window support or a window is positioned on the upper side of the display panel, the display panel is positioned at a position corresponding to an opening or a sight glass (transparent part) formed therein, and providing a hub in which the position is reliably maintained. The purpose.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in the window on which the screen of the display panel is projected, a certain portion (sight window) through which the interface screen is visible is transparent, and a film may be attached or colored to the other portion. , in this case, to provide a hub by which the display panel is installed at an accurate position so that the screen can be accurately located at a predetermined position within the sight glass.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is when a main body having a speaker is disposed in a cylindrical metal grill having a plurality of through holes, and a communication module for wirelessly communicating with surrounding devices is disposed in the main body , to provide a hub that prevents signals from being interfered with or blocked by the grill.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to find an appropriate position for attaching the antenna connected to the communication module to the outside of the grill.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub in which transmission/reception performance of a signal through the antenna is not inhibited by a display PCB.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub that minimizes distortion of the screen by forming an angle closer to a right angle between the upper surface of the hub on which the interface screen is displayed and the user's gaze located in the front .

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to make the outer appearance of the hub form a shape forming a sense of unity in a cylindrical shape as a whole when a circular window constituting the upper surface of the hub is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to configure the grill in an appropriate shape so that the hub can achieve a sense of unity in appearance.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that, in a structure in which a plurality of through holes are formed in the grill so that sound can be emitted, and a speaker is located in the grill, among the sounds output from the speaker, toward the front of the hub To increase the emission amount, it is to provide a method for increasing the area of the front portion of the grill (ie, the area of the grill viewed from the front).

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is that, considering the case where the hub is placed on a shelf, the wall on which the shelf is installed is located at the rear of the hub, so even if the hub is pushed backward, the wall It can be prevented from completely overturning or falling down the shelf, but there is a problem in that it is vulnerable to overturning when an external force is applied to the left and right sides. Improving these problems is another problem to be solved by the present invention.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to form more through holes in the grill in a structure in which a speaker is provided in a main body and the main body is disposed in a cylindrical grill.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to find an arrangement pattern of the through holes so that even if a large number of through holes are formed in the grill, the rigidity of the grill can be secured.

Another object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub in which the upper end of the grill and the lower end of the grill, which are respectively coupled to the cover and the base, have sufficient rigidity by specifying the area in which the through hole is formed.

Another object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub having a heat sink for dissipating heat generated from various electronic components such as a control unit (or a controller).

Another object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub in which a main PCB and a heat sink for dissipating heat are disposed in a space provided between a body and a base.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hub that prevents output vibration of a speaker provided in the main body from being transmitted to the heat sink.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to prevent the hub from overturning by increasing the frictional force between the hub and the floor on which the hub is mounted.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub that prevents the base body from getting wet even when the base body constituting the base for supporting the main body is mounted on a wet floor.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to form a space at the bottom of the hub in which the adapter provided in the power cord is accommodated.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a hub from which the power cord is not easily disconnected.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in the hub (or sound output device), a communication module is disposed in a main body, and wirelessly communicates with a peripheral device (eg, an Internet of Things device having a sensor) through the communication module. and a screen is displayed on the upper surface of the hub based on the information exchanged through the communication module. The main body may be provided with a speaker, and the hub may function as a sound output means.

As for the hub, the main body is disposed in a cylindrical grill having a plurality of through holes so that the sound output from the speaker can be emitted, an upper end of the grill is coupled to a cover displaying the screen, and a lower end of the grill is a base is connected with

The coupling between the grill and the cover does not use a separate fastening member such as a bolt, but a rib-shaped top holding part formed on the cover is inserted into an opening defined by the top of the grill, and between the grill and the base In addition, the rib-shaped lower end holding part formed on the base is inserted into the opening defined by the lower end of the grill.

The grill may be formed by processing a metal plate. The upper end holding part and the lower end holding part are in close contact with the inner surface of the grill, respectively, and thus, the upper end of the metal grill is deformed to correspond to the shape of the upper end holding part, and the lower end of the grill has the shape of the lower end holding part The transformation is made in response to That is, by forming the upper holding part and the lower holding part in an appropriate shape, the grill can be shaped into a desired shape, and in this way, the grill can maintain an elliptical cross-sectional shape.

The cover may include a cover housing coupled to the main body and having an opening formed on an upper surface thereof, and a display for outputting the interface screen may be disposed in the cover housing. In addition, a window made of a transparent material is disposed in the opening so that the interface screen is viewed through the window.

The window is a transparent plate processed in a circular shape, and is disposed with an inclination upward from the front to the rear. That is, when viewed from the side in a state in which the window is installed, only the side forming the thickness of the window is visible, the front end of the side is the lowest, the rear end of the side is the highest, and the front end of the side is the front end of the hub , and the rear end is located at the front and rear of the hub.

The upper surface of the window is preferably coplanar with the upper end of the cover housing, and thus, the upper surface of the hub is integrally formed in appearance.

The window may have a circular shape (preferably, a circular shape), and in this case, a shape in which the window is orthogonally projected on a horizontal plane becomes a shape in which the length in the front-rear direction is shorter than the original length. In particular, when the window has a circular shape, the shape projected on a horizontal plane becomes an oval in which the length in the front-rear direction is shorter than the length in the left-right direction. Preferably, the ellipse has a shape corresponding to the ellipse. The shape of the grill is possible by forming the upper holding part and the lower holding part in an elliptical shape.

A display PCB for supporting the display from the lower side may be disposed in the cover housing. Contact switches for manipulating the interface are disposed on the upper surface of the display PCB, and these contact switches are preferably symmetrically disposed in front, rear, left, and right directions.

A window support for supporting the window from a lower side may be further disposed in the cover housing. In addition to the function of supporting the window, the window support also functions as a button for selectively operating the contact switches. Specifically, the window support is disposed on the upper side of the display to support the window, a window support plate having an opening through which the screen of the display is exposed, and a support boss protruding downward from the window support plate and coupled to the cover housing may include

The window support plate is in close contact with the window, and when a user presses an area corresponding to the contact switch on the window, the window support plate is slightly bent around the support boss, so that the window support plate protrudes from the lower surface of the window support plate. The operation protrusion operates the contact switch in the corresponding position.

The cover housing may include a cylindrical side wall, and the inside of the side wall may be vertically partitioned by a partition plate. In addition, an insertion boss into which a support boss protruding from the window support plate is inserted may be formed in the partition plate.

An opening through which the screen of the display provided under the window support plate is exposed may be formed. The opening of the window support plate may be formed to have a length in a left-right direction longer than a length in the front-back direction to correspond to the shape of a general display panel. In this case, the support boss includes an area located in front of the opening of the window support plate and , may be respectively formed in regions positioned behind the opening of the window support plate.

The main body may include a speaker case inside which the speaker is accommodated, and the speaker case may be coupled to the cover from the inside of the grill. A plurality of fastening bosses extending in a horizontal direction may be formed on the cover, and a boss insertion groove recessed from the front or rear surface of the speaker case is formed, and the boss insertion groove is where the fastening boss is inserted from above. An opening is formed in the upper surface of the speaker case so that

The speaker case may be coupled to the base. The coupling between the speaker case and the base may be preferably made within the grill. A fastening boss protrudes from the bottom surface of the speaker case and is coupled to the base, and preferably, an insertion boss into which the fastening boss is inserted is formed in the base.

A fastener communicating with the insertion boss may be formed on a bottom surface of the base, and a bolt may pass through the fastener from a lower side of the base to be fastened to the fastening boss.

A main PCB may be disposed between the bottom surface of the speaker case and the base body. In the main PCB, a control unit for controlling various electric devices such as the speaker, the communication module, and the display may be disposed, and may be connected to the display PCB by a circuit.

A volume switch for increasing or decreasing the volume of the speaker may be disposed on the display PCB, and a volume button for operating the volume switch may be installed on the cover housing. An opening may be formed in a sidewall of the cover housing, and the volume button may be fixed in the opening of the sidewall.

The base may include a base body coupled to the fastening boss of the speaker case, and a support rubber fixed to a bottom surface of the base body.

The communication module may include a Wi-Fi module, a Bluetooth module, a Zigbi module, a G-Wave module, and the like. The Wi-Fi module and the Bluetooth module may be disposed on the rear surface of the speaker case, and in particular, the Wi-Fi module and the Bluetooth module may constitute an assembly detachably attached to the speaker as one body. The Zigbi communication module and/or the G-Wave communication module may be disposed on a side surface of the speaker.

In the hub, a communication module is disposed in a main body having a speaker, and wirelessly communicates with a peripheral device (eg, an Internet of Things device equipped with a sensor) through the communication module, and information exchanged through the communication module Based on the above, an interface screen may be displayed on the upper surface of the hub.

A cover housing may be coupled to an upper portion of the main body, and a display for displaying the interface screen may be disposed in the cover housing. The cover housing may include a tubular sidewall extending vertically and a partition plate extending from an inner surface of the sidewall to vertically partition the inside of the sidewall.

A display PCB may be disposed on the partition plate, and the display and four contact switches may be disposed on an upper surface of the display PCB. In this case, the four contact switches may be disposed in each area of the front, rear, left, and right based on the display, and these contact switches may perform various functions, for example, to operate the interface screen. can be used for

A window support having an opening for exposing the interface screen may be disposed in the cover housing, and a length of the opening in a left and right direction may be longer than a length in a front and rear direction. Specifically, the window support includes operation protrusions protruding downward from the window support plate at positions corresponding to the four contact switches, respectively, and operating the contact switch by pressure applied to the support plate, and the window; By protruding downward from the support plate and coupled to the partition plate, a plurality of support bosses for separating the window support plate from the display PCB may be included.

Since the length in the left-right direction of the opening is longer than the length in the front-rear direction, in the window supporting plate, the area on the left or right side of the opening is narrower than the area on the front or rear of the opening, and the area between these areas is equal to that of the window. A special difference is when the support plate is substantially in the shape of a garden. Accordingly, in the case of forming the support boss in a relatively narrow area, the distance between the manipulation protrusion and the support boss belonging to the area becomes close, which is the difference between the force applied to the window support plate in the relatively narrow area and the support boss. This means that the distance, ie, the moment arm, becomes shorter, suggesting that a greater force is required to operate the contact switch in the relatively narrow area. Accordingly, it is preferable that the support bosses are formed on the window support plate in a front or rear region of the opening.

However, in this case, on the window support plate, since the manipulation protrusions on the left or right side of the opening are sufficiently spaced apart from the support bosses, the contact switch can be smoothly operated. Alternatively, the manipulation protrusions of the rear regions have a relatively close distance to the support boss, so that a greater force must be applied to the front or rear regions. Therefore, in order to eliminate the manipulation deviation between these areas, a slit extending long in the left and right direction between the support boss and the manipulation protrusion in each of the front and rear areas based on the opening is formed on the window support plate. can

The opening of the cover housing is located on a plane forming an acute angle with a horizontal plane. That is, the normal vector to the plane forms an acute angle with the horizontal plane. Furthermore, a vector normal to the plane to which the opening belongs forms an acute angle with a horizontal plane, and a vector obtained by orthogonal projection of the normal vector onto the horizontal plane faces forward. In this structure, the lowest part of the opening is located in front of the hub, and the highest part is located in the front of the hub.

A portion of the inner surface of the cover housing within a predetermined distance downward from the upper end defining the opening is parallel to the normal vector, and the window is formed by a portion parallel to the normal vector among the inner surface of the cover housing. placed within a limited area.

The upper surface of the window is disposed to face the direction in which the normal vector is directed, and therefore, a portion of the inner surface of the cover housing that defines an area in which the window is disposed is also parallel to the side surface of the window.

Viewed from the other side, the upper surface of the window is parallel to the plane to which the opening of the cover housing belongs. In other words, the normal vector to the upper surface of the window forms an acute angle with the horizontal plane, and the normal vector to the horizontal plane The vector obtained by orthographic projection is directed forward.

An upper portion of the body may be coupled to a cover housing. The cover housing may include a tubular side wall extending vertically and a partition plate extending from an inner surface of the side wall to vertically partition the inside of the side wall.

A display PCB may be disposed on the partition plate, and the display panel may be disposed on the display PCB. At least one rib may protrude upwardly from the partition plate, and the rib may pass between the display PCB and a sidewall of the cover housing to come into contact with the periphery of the display panel.

The display PCB may be configured to include substrate arms extending in front, rear, left, and right directions from the center, and thus, a region divided by the four substrate arms is defined.

The rib may pass through the area divided by the four substrate arms to be in contact with the periphery of the display panel.

As for the hub, the main body is disposed in a cylindrical metal grill in which a plurality of through holes are formed so that the sound output from the speaker can be emitted. A first communication module for performing wireless communication with surrounding devices is disposed on the main body, and at least one antenna connected to the first communication module is disposed outside the grill.

The upper portion of the main body is coupled to a cover housing, and a display PCB is disposed in the cover housing. A display for outputting an interface screen configured based on information exchanged through the first communication module may be disposed on the upper surface of the display PCB.

The antenna may be disposed on an inner surface of the cover housing. The cover housing may include a tubular sidewall that is disposed on the upper side of the grill and extends vertically and a partition plate that extends from an inner surface of the sidewall to vertically partition the inside of the sidewall. The display PCB may be disposed on an upper surface of the partition plate. A suitable location for the antenna may be an inner surface of the sidewall.

In particular, the side wall may be configured in a form in which the height from the top of the grill gradually increases from the front to the rear. sufficient distance can be secured.

An opening is formed in an upper surface of the cover housing, and a window is disposed in the opening. The opening belongs to a first plane at a first angle to the horizontal plane. The cover housing includes a cylindrical sidewall disposed on an upper side of the grill, and the opening is an area surrounded by an upper end of the sidewall. The opening may be circular, preferably circular, and in this case, the shape obtained by orthographic projection of the outer periphery of the opening on a horizontal plane is a vector direction obtained by orthographically projecting a first normal vector upward from the first plane on the horizontal plane. It has a short diameter and has a major diameter in a direction orthogonal to the vector obtained by the orthographic projection.

Since the horizontal cross section of the grill also has a shape corresponding to the shape in which the opening is orthogonal to the horizontal plane, the shape of the grill viewed from the front has a larger width in the left and right direction than when the horizontal section is a circular shape. , and thus the volume emitted forward is increased.

The outer periphery of the upper end of the side wall may be formed in a circular shape, and the horizontal cross section of the grill corresponds to a shape in which the outer periphery is orthogonal to a horizontal plane. make up

When the lowest point and the highest point are orthogonal to the horizontal plane, the openings of the cover housing are arranged in the same direction as the vector obtained by orthogonally projecting the normal vector upward from the first plane onto the horizontal plane. That is, when the vector obtained by orthogonally projecting the normal vector onto a horizontal plane is configured to face the front of the hub, the opening of the cover housing is also located on a plane that is inclined upward from the front to the rear, in this case, The window may also be disposed to be inclined in the same manner as the opening. Preferably, the upper surface of the window is located on a plane to which the opening belongs.

In this structure, the upper surface of the window, which transmits the screen of the display, is disposed to face the upper side of the front plate, so that the user's gaze located in front of the hub and the upper surface of the window are arranged horizontally Compared to the case, make a larger angle.

The bottom surface of the base has a shape corresponding to the horizontal cross section of the elliptical grill, and specifically has an elliptical shape having a major diameter in the left and right directions and a short diameter in the front and rear directions.

The through holes formed in the grill may include a first through hole and a second through hole having a diameter smaller than that of the first through hole, and a pattern including the first through hole and the second through hole may be repeatedly arranged in all directions. The arrangement of such a four-way continuous pattern allows a structurally stable grill while forming a second aperture with a smaller diameter between the first apertures having a relatively large diameter, thereby increasing the area through which the sound output from the speaker is emitted. to be able to form

The main body forms a cavity (or woollimtong) in which the speaker is accommodated, and includes a speaker case in which the communication module is disposed on the outer surface, and a plurality of support bosses protruding downward from the bottom surface of the speaker case are provided. A heat sink can be supported.

A main PCB circuit connected to the communication module and the speaker may be disposed between the body and the base, and the heat sink may be disposed between the main PCB and a bottom surface of the body (preferably, a bottom surface of the speaker case). can

In particular, since the speaker case forms an echo (cavity), vibration due to the output of the speaker can be transmitted to the bottom surface of the speaker case, and thus, in order to reduce the vibration of the output of the speaker transmitted to the heat sink, It is necessary to space it apart from the bottom surface of the speaker case.

In this aspect, in the heat sink, a plurality of support tabs extend from a flat plate portion in which a plurality of support boss through-holes through which the support bosses pass are formed, and the support tabs are fastened with the support boss at the lower side of the flat plate portion, The flat portion is maintained at a position spaced apart from the bottom surface of the speaker case.

In order for the hub to be reliably supported, a sufficient frictional force must be applied between the base on which the hub is disposed and the base. It may be configured to include a support rubber to be inserted.

The support rubber also serves to separate the base body from the floor, and in this aspect, the support rubber extends long in a shape corresponding to the rubber insertion groove and is coupled to the rubber insertion groove; It may include a plurality of support protrusions protruding from the rubber body to the outside of the rubber insertion groove.

In addition, the base body may be formed with a depression in which the adapter of the power cord is accommodated. The recessed portion may include an opening positioned on a bottom surface of the bottom of the base body, a side surface extending upwardly from a periphery of the opening, and an upper surface extending from an upper end of the side part to face the opening.

A socket into which the output terminal of the power cord is inserted may be provided on a side surface of the recessed portion, and a cord fixing groove may be formed in the base body to prevent the output terminal from being easily separated from the socket.

Specifically, an outer opening may be formed on an outer surface of the outer wall portion of the base body, an inner opening may be formed on a side surface of the recessed portion, and a cord insertion hole connecting the outer opening and the inner opening may be formed on the bottom surface of the bottom. The cord fixing groove may be recessed from the cord insertion hole to form a passage through which a cord for supplying power passes between the outer opening and the inner opening.

The hub (or sound output device) of the present invention provides an interface screen that displays information exchanged through a communication module that communicates wirelessly with peripheral devices, thereby managing various types of peripheral devices and performing Internet of Things devices. It provides the advantage of being able to easily understand the information obtained from

In addition, by displaying the interface screen on the upper surface of the hub, visibility is improved, and in particular, such visibility is further improved by tilting the interface screen.

In addition, since the coupling portion between the parts is made in the cylindrical grill, there is an effect that the appearance of the hub is beautiful.

In addition, since the upper and lower ends of the grill are respectively coupled to the cover and the base in a fitting manner, there is an effect that the grill can be fixed without a separate fastening member such as a bolt.

In addition, in the process of combining the cylindrical metal grill with the cover and the base, the upper and lower ends of the grill are shaped using the plasticity of the metal material itself, thereby simplifying shaping of the grill.

In addition, by arranging the main PCB between the base and the body, space utilization is improved.

In addition, through communication with the accessory provided separately from the home appliance, by utilizing the function provided through the accessory, it is possible to manage the state of the home appliance or control the operation, in particular, the accessory. Even if the type of home appliance is changed, if the interface configuration is changed, it can be applied to changed devices, and thus, versatility and scalability are improved.

In addition, since the upper end of the grill and the cover are formed on a continuous curved contour, a sense of unity of the exterior is improved.

In addition, by providing an interface screen that displays information exchanged through a communication module that communicates wirelessly with peripheral devices, it is possible to manage various types of peripheral devices and easily understand information obtained from Internet of Things devices. to provide.

In addition, since the window disposed on the upper surface of the hub and exposing the screen functions as a button for operating the interface, there is no need to install a separate button, thereby realizing a simple appearance.

In addition, specific regions on the window that transmits the screen of the display may function as buttons for manipulating the interface, so that the manipulation of the interface may be performed more intuitively. For example, the window may function as a button in four areas, front, back, left, and right, based on the area to which the interface screen is exposed, so that the menus displayed on the interface can be scrolled in four directions, A menu selection can be made easily.

In addition, there is an effect that the operability of each region of the window serving as a button is equalized, and this uniform operability also means that the operation of each contact switch made in response to pressing each region is accurately performed.

In addition, in the hub of the present invention, the window disposed inclined with respect to the horizontal plane and the inner surface of the cover housing surrounding the side surface of the window are formed in parallel to form a gap between the window and the inner surface of the cover housing. Since it can be made constant in any part, there is an effect that the appearance of the upper surface of the hub becomes beautiful.

In particular, even when the window is circular, it is possible to maintain a constant distance between the window and the inner surface of the cover housing.

In addition, even if the hub is moved or an impact is applied to the hub from the outside, the display panel that outputs the interface screen does not shake and can maintain a predetermined position, so that the interface screen viewed through the window of the window is tilted to one side. It has a preventable effect.

In addition, the installation position of the display panel can be grasped through the ribs formed on the partition plate supporting the display panel, so that assembly defects in the manufacturing process can be prevented.

In addition, in the window on which the screen of the display panel is projected, a certain portion (sight window) through which the interface screen is visible is transparent, and a film may be attached or colored to the other portion. In this case, the display panel By installing it in an accurate position, defects such as tilting of the screen to one side within the sight glass do not occur, and the correct position of the screen is maintained.

In addition, the hub of the present invention has an effect of avoiding interference or blocking of signals by the metal grill by positioning the antenna of the communication module on the outside of the metal grill. In addition, by arranging the antenna connected to the communication module on the inner surface of the cover housing located on the upper side of the grill, the antenna is not exposed to the outside of the hub, thereby making the appearance of the hub beautiful.

In addition, by separating the antenna from the display PCB disposed inside the cover housing as much as possible, there is an effect of reducing signal interference due to a magnetic field generated by a current flowing in the display PCB.

In particular, the side wall may be configured in a form in which the height from the top of the grill gradually increases from the front to the rear. sufficient distance can be secured.

In the hub of the present invention, since the upper surface of the hub on which the interface screen is displayed is formed to be inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, compared to the horizontal case, the user's gaze and the upper surface located in the front can form a larger angle, thus, There is an effect that the distortion of the screen felt by the user is minimized.

In addition, the shape of the horizontal cross section of the grill is formed to correspond to the shape in which the inclined upper surface is orthogonally projected on the horizontal surface, so that when viewed from above, the appearance of the hub forms a cylindrical unity as a whole.

In addition, by forming the grill so that the horizontal cross section has an elliptical shape in which the length in the left and right direction is longer than the length in the front and rear direction, the area emitting the sound output from the speaker inside the grill in the front is equal to the horizontal area of the grill There is an effect that the cross section is further increased compared to the case of a circular shape.

In addition, by configuring the bottom surface of the base in an elliptical shape longer in the left and right directions than in the front and rear directions, there is an effect that the hub is not easily overturned by an external force acting in the left and right directions.

The hub of the present invention processes the grill to form a pattern in which the first through hole and the second through hole having a smaller diameter than the first through hole are continuously repeated in all directions, so that the sound output from the speaker disposed in the grill is emitted. By increasing the area, there is an effect that more improved sound quality can be obtained.

In addition, even if a large number of through holes are formed in the grill, there is an effect that the rigidity of the grill can be sufficiently secured.

In addition, the grill, the upper end and the lower end respectively coupled to the cover and the base is formed with a region in which the through-holes are not formed, therefore, there is an effect that the coupling with the cover and the base is made solid.

The hub of the present invention has an effect of dissipating heat generated from various electronic components such as a control unit (or a controller) through a heat sink.

In addition, since the main body is provided with a speaker, a space is provided between the main body and the base in order to avoid, if possible, that the output vibration of the speaker is directly transmitted to the base. By installing the main PCB and the heat sink in this space, a dead space can be reduced and the space can be used as a space where the heat emitted from the heat sink is dissipated.

In addition, by separating the flat portion of the heat sink from the bottom surface of the main body, it is possible to suppress the output vibration of the speaker from being transmitted to the flat portion, and thus, there is an effect of reducing vibration of the heat sink and noise caused thereby.

The hub of the present invention has an effect that the hub is not easily overturned due to the frictional force acting between the support rubber and the floor on which the hub is disposed.

In addition, even if the hub is mounted on the wet floor, since the base body is spaced apart from the floor by the support rubber, it is possible to prevent the base body from getting wet.

In addition, since the adapter provided in the power cord is accommodated in the groove formed in the bottom of the hub, it is effective to prevent clutter around the hub due to the adapter.

In addition, since a groove for fixing the power cord is formed in the base body, even if the power cord is pulled by an unnecessary external force or the hub is lifted, tension is dispersed, so that the power cord is not easily separated.

1 illustrates a home network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 illustrates a home network system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view illustrating a hub according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a front view (a) of the hub, and a cross-sectional view (b) taken along A1-A1 shown in (a).
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4 .
6A is a right side view of the hub;
6B is a cross-sectional view of the grill taken at each part shown in FIG. 6A.
7 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship between main parts constituting a hub.
8 is an exploded perspective view of the cover;
9 shows the cover from which the window is removed.
10A is a perspective view showing an upper surface of the window support;
10B is a perspective view showing a bottom surface of the window support.
10C is a right side view of the window support.
10D is a bottom view of the window support.
11 is a view of the cover shown in FIG. 9 from the front.
12A is a cross-sectional view taken along line B3-B3 shown in FIG. 11 .
12B is a cross-sectional view taken along A3-A3 shown in FIG. 11 .
12C is a cross-sectional view taken along line C3-C3 shown in FIG. 11 .
12D is a cross-sectional view taken along D3-D3 indicated in FIG. 11 .
13 is a right side view of the cover;
14A is a cross-sectional view taken along F1-F1 of FIG. 13 .
14B is a cross-sectional view taken along F2-F2 of FIG. 13 .
FIG. 15 shows the window support removed from the assembly shown in FIG. 9 ;
Figure 16 shows the display removed from the assembly shown in Figure 15;
17 is a plan view of the display PCB.
18 is a perspective view showing a bottom surface of the display PCB.
19 is an exploded perspective view of the cover and the volume button;
20 is a plan view (a) and a perspective view (b) of the cover housing.
21 is a rear view of the cover housing;
22 is a perspective view showing the main body so that the upper surface is visible.
23 is a perspective view showing the main body so that the bottom surface is visible.
24 shows a front case (a) and a rear case (b).
25 shows the rear surface of the main body.
26 is a view showing the positions of the antennas connected to the Wi-Fi module.
27 is a view showing positions of an antenna connected to a Bluetooth module and an antenna connected to a Zigbi module.
28 is an exploded perspective view of the main body, the heat sink, the main PCB, the base body, and the support rubber.
29 is an enlarged perspective view of the support tab of the heat sink;
30 is a view showing a coupling structure between the body and the base.
31 is a view of the base from the front;
32 is a cross-sectional view showing the coupling structure of the main body, the grill, and the speaker case.
33 shows the bottom of the base.
34 is an exploded perspective view of the base;

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

In addition, expressions such as “first” and “second” described in the claims are given according to the order described in the claims, and when the same word is written after them, it is only for the purpose of distinguishing them from each other, and the following It is not combined with a word to form a proper noun. therefore. It specifies that the word to which expressions such as “first”, “second”, etc. refer to should be understood through the limitations described in the claims and the detailed description of the invention.

1 illustrates a network system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A network system is an aggregate of devices that construct a network by mutual communication within a certain space, such as a home or office. As an embodiment of such a network system, FIG. 1 shows a home network system built in a home.

Hereinafter, the device 1 is exemplified by a hub 1 for a communication network having a sound output function, but is not necessarily limited thereto. It is specified that the device 1 may be referred to as a sound output device depending on the viewpoint.

1, the network system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an accessory (accessary, 2, 3a, 3b), a gateway (gateway, 4), an access point (Access Point, 7) and a hub (1) or sound It may include an output device.

Accessories 2 , 3a , 3b , gateway 4 , access point 7 and/or hub 1 can communicate with each other according to a predetermined protocol, and such communication is Wi-Fi , Ethernet, Zigbee, Z-wave, Bluetooth, and the like.

Wi-Fi is a brand name of Wi-Fi Alliance, but is a term commonly used as a wireless communication technology. It refers to a series of technologies that support LAN connection, device-to-device connection (Wi-Fi P2P), wireless LAN connection between devices, and PAN/LAN/WAN configuration. Hereinafter, “Wi-Fi module” is defined as a device that performs wireless communication based on Wi-Fi technology.

Ethernet is a networking technology according to the 802.3 standard of the International Association of Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and is the most representative standard of local area network (LAN) hardware, protocols, and cables. Ethernet mainly uses a carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) method for data transmission. Hereinafter, “Ethernet module” is defined as a device that communicates based on Ethernet technology.

Zigbee is a wireless network technology for constructing and communicating with a personal communication network using a small, low-power digital radio, and is a communication method according to the regulations set by IEEE 802.15. Due to its small size, low power consumption and low cost, it is attracting attention as a ubiquitous construction solution for home networks and other applications.

The Zigbi protocol consists of a physical layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, a network layer, and an application layer. Zigbi's physical layer and MAC layer are defined in the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

Zigbee network layer supports routing and addressing for tree structure and mesh structure, and ZigBee Home Automation Public Profile and ZigBee Smart Energy Profile are typically used as application profiles. In addition, RF4CE, a new Zigbi specification, defines a solution for remote control of home appliances and a simple network stack for star topology. RF4CE uses a frequency band of 2.4GHz and provides security using AES-128.

Zigbi is mainly used in fields that require a long battery life and security while sufficient at a low transmission speed, and is suitable for periodic or intermittent data transmission or data transmission for simple signal transmission such as sensors and input devices. Applications include wireless light switches, household electricity meters, traffic management systems, and other personal and industrial devices requiring short-range, low-speed communication. Zigbee has the advantage of being relatively simpler and cheaper than other WPAN technologies such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Hereinafter, the “Zigbi module” is defined as a device that performs wireless communication based on the Zigbi technology.

Z-wave is a wireless transmission method designed for devices that require low power and low bandwidth, such as home automation and sensor networks, to provide reliable communication between one or more nodes and control units in a wireless network. for the main purpose G-Wave consists of a physical layer, media access control (MAC) layer, transport layer, routing layer, and application layer. , and provides a speed of 200 kbps. Hereinafter, the “G-Wave module” is defined as a device that performs wireless communication based on the G-Wave technology.

The accessory 2 may be installed at any location desired by the user, and may include various sensors such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a vibration sensor, a proximity sensor, and an infrared (IR) sensor. The information obtained by these sensors may be transmitted to the hub 1 through a network, and conversely, it is also possible that a signal for controlling the sensors from the hub 1 is transmitted to the accessory 2 .

In addition, the accessory 2 may be configured to enable remote control of home appliances located in the vicinity. For example, the accessory 2 may include a transmitting device that transmits an infrared signal according to a control signal transmitted through a network.

On the other hand, the infrared sensor may include a transmitter for irradiating infrared rays and a receiver for receiving the infrared rays irradiated from the transmitter when the object hits and is reflected.

The access point (Access Point, 7) is a device that relays wireless equipment to connect to the network, and connects the home network to the Internet. The home appliance 5, the hub 1, the accessory 3b, and the like may be connected to the access point 7 by wire (eg, Ethernet) or wirelessly (eg, Wi-Fi).

The gateway 4 is a device that connects these networks to each other so that networks with different protocols can exchange information with each other. For example, the accessories 2 and 3b and the access point 7 may be relayed by converting a Zigbee (or G-Wave) signal received from the accessories 2 and 3b into a Wi-Fi signal.

Meanwhile, the home network system may be connected to the Internet through the access point 7 , and may be connected to the server 8 providing a service through the Internet. The server (or cloud) 8 may be managed by a manufacturer who manufactures accessories 2, 3a, 3b and/or hub 1, a seller who sells them, or a service provider contracted with the manufacturer or seller. have. The server 8 stores software and data, and the data may be received from a home network. Upon request from the hub 1, the server 8 may transmit the stored software or data to the home network via the Internet.

The server 8 may exchange information with a mobile terminal such as a personal computer (PC) or a smart phone connected to the Internet. Information transmitted from the hub 1 or the accessories 2 , 3a , 3b may be stored in the server 8 , and such information may be transmitted to the mobile terminal 6 connected to the server 8 . In addition, information transmitted from the mobile terminal 6 may also be transmitted to the hub 1 or the accessories 2, 3a, 3b via the server 8, and thus the hub 1 via the mobile terminal 6 ) or accessories (2, 3a, 3b) can also be controlled.

As a kind of mobile terminal 6, a smartphone (smart phone), which has been widely used recently, provides a graphic-based convenient UI, and thus controls the accessories 2, 3a, 3b through the UI, or It is possible to process and display the information received from 2, 3a, 3b). In addition, by updating an application mounted on the smartphone, functions that can be implemented through the accessories 2 , 3a , 3b may be expanded or changed. However, it is also possible to control the accessories 2, 3a, 3b with only the hub 1 without using the mobile terminal 6, or to process and display information received from the accessories 2, 3a, 3b.

Through the gateway 4 and the access point 7, communication between the hub 1 and the accessories 2, 3a, 3b may be made, and specifically, a signal output from the accessories 2 and 3b (or . to be transmitted to the accessories (2, 3b). According to an embodiment, communication between the accessories 2 , 3a , 3b and the hub 1 is possible even when the network is disconnected from the Internet.

In addition to the accessories 2, 3a, and 3b described above, various types of accessories may be provided according to embodiments. For example, the accessory may be configured to include an air quality sensor that detects air quality, a smart plug, a CT sensor, a nest temperature controller, a sleep sensor, and the like.

The accessory may be attached to the household appliance 5 . For example, by attaching an accessory having a vibration sensor to the washing machine, vibration generated during operation of the washing machine may be sensed, and a signal output from the vibration sensor may be transmitted to a network according to the sensed vibration.

Not limited to this, the accessory may be attached to a place other than the home appliance 5 . For example, when it is desired to detect opening and closing of a door in a residence, an accessory having a motion detection sensor (eg, an infrared sensor) may be attached to a wall surface to detect the opening/closing operation of the door. If the opening/closing operation of the door in the dwelling is not detected for a long period of time, there is a possibility that an emergency has occurred to the resident, and this situation may be notified to the preset mobile terminal 6 .

Furthermore, when the opening/closing operation of the refrigerator door is sensed using the accessory having the motion detection sensor, and the opening/closing operation of the refrigerator door is not detected for a long period of time, there is a possibility that an accident has occurred to the resident; Such circumstances may be notified to the preset mobile terminal 6 .

In such various embodiments, the signal transmitted from the accessory through the network may be received by the mobile terminal 6 , and an application mounted on the mobile terminal 6 analyzes the received signal, and the home appliance 5 ) operation status (eg, unbalance of washing machine) or door opening/closing information can be grasped, and results derived from processing such information or information (eg, warning indicating abnormal operation of washing machine, or long-term A bar that the door is not opened, a notification requesting confirmation of the resident's identity, etc.) may be displayed through the display or speaker of the mobile terminal 6 .

On the other hand, the hub 1 may include a microphone (not shown), extract a command from the voice input through the microphone according to a pre-loaded voice recognition program, and perform control accordingly.

2 illustrates a home network system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The home network system according to another embodiment of the present invention is different from the above-described embodiment in that the gateway 4 is not provided and the hub 1 serves as the gateway 4 functions. and other features are substantially the same as in the case of the above-described embodiment.

Accessories (2, 3b) do not share a gateway (4, see Fig. 1), it is possible to communicate directly with the hub (1). Preferably, the accessories 2 and 3b and the hub 1 communicate through a jigbi method. In this case, the accessories 2 and 3b and the hub 1 may each be provided with a jigbi module.

3 is a perspective view illustrating a hub according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a front view (a) of the hub, and a cross-sectional view (b) taken along A1-A1 shown in (a). FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4 . 6A is a right side view of the hub; 6B is a cross-sectional view of the grill taken at each part shown in FIG. 6A. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a control relationship between main parts constituting a hub. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the cover; 9 shows the cover from which the window is removed.

3 to 9 , the hub (or hub 1 ) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a cover 10 , a body 40 , a grill 20 , and a base 30 . . The main body 40 is supported by the base 30 located at the lower side, and the cover 10 may be coupled to the upper portion of the main body 40 .

The body 40 is disposed within the grill 20 . The entire body 40 does not have to be completely disposed within the grill 20 , and as in the embodiment, a portion of the body 40 may protrude through the top of the grill 20 . The grill 20 is formed with a plurality of through-holes (20h), is formed in a vertical long cylindrical shape, and surrounds the main body (40).

A porous filter (not shown) may be attached to the inner surface of the grill 20 so that dust does not enter the grill 20 through the through hole 20h. The filter may be made of a material having fine pores, such as mesh or nonwoven fabric. The filter may be attached to the inner surface of the grill 20 by an adhesive member such as a double-sided tape. The filter also serves to conceal the components of the speakers 43 and 44 and the body cases 41 and 42 disposed in the grill 20 from being seen from the outside through the through hole 20h.

On the other hand, in FIG. 3, a through hole 20h is formed in a part of the grill 20, and is omitted in another part, but this is omitted to avoid complicating the drawing to the last, and the through hole 20h is the grill 20. (see FIG. 38.), the sound output from the speakers 43 and 44, which will be described later, can be evenly spread in front, rear, left, right, and all directions through the through holes 20h.

The cover 10 may include a window 11 , a window support 12 , a display 13 , a display printed circuit board (PCB) 14 , and a cover housing 15 . The window 11 , the window support 12 , the display 13 , and the display PCB 14 may be disposed in the cover housing 15 .

4 to 5 , the cover housing 15 is made of synthetic resin and is coupled to the upper portion of the main body 40 , and an opening 15h is formed on the upper surface. The cover housing 15 has a cylindrical shape, the upper end of which is a side wall 151 defining an opening 15h, and a partition plate extending from the inner surface of the side wall 151 to divide the inside of the side wall 151 into upper and lower portions ( 152) may be included. The display PCB 14 , the display 13 , the window support 12 , and the window 11 are disposed above the partition plate 152 . (For the detailed configuration of the cover housing 15, further refer to FIGS. 19 to 20.)

The lower end 151a of the side wall 151 is preferably in contact with the upper end of the grill 20, but a fine play due to tolerance may exist between the two. When viewed from above, the lower end 151a of the side wall 151 at least partially overlaps the upper end of the grill 20 . Although there is a gap between the outer surface of the side wall 151 and the outer surface of the grill 20, except for the gap, the outer surface of the side wall 151 and the outer surface of the grill 20 as a whole are one form a continuous shape.

The upper holding part 153 extends downward from the lower end 151a of the side wall 151 and is coupled to the grill 20 . As such, the coupling of the upper end holding part 153 and the grill 20 does not use a separate fastening member such as a bolt, but the upper end holding part 153 is inserted into the opening of the upper end of the grill 20 (or , fitted), and preferably, the grill 20 or the upper holding part 153 itself is an interference fit method using the elastic / restoring force.

The upper holding part 153 is located more inside than the lower end of the side wall 151 (that is, the outer surface of the cover housing 15 is recessed from the lower end 151a of the side wall 151 ) of the upper holding part 153 . ), thus, at the lower end of the side wall 151 , extending from the outer surface of the side wall 151 to the upper end holding portion 153 , a surface 157 facing the upper end of the grill 20 is formed do.

A protrusion 154 may protrude from the inner surface of the side wall 151 of the cover housing 15 , and a protrusion insertion groove 418 coupled to the protrusion 154 may be formed on the front portion of the main body 40 . . In the process of assembling the cover housing 15 and the main body 40, the protrusion 154 moves along the outer surface of the main body 40 and reaches the protrusion insertion groove 418, the cover housing 15 itself made of a synthetic resin material. Due to the elasticity of the projection is inserted into the insertion groove (418).

Since the outer surface of the upper holding part 153 is in contact with the inner surface of the grill 20, the shape of the upper end of the grill 20 is maintained. In particular, when the grill 20 is made of a metal material, since the grill 20 is deformed corresponding to the shape of the upper holding part 153 , the upper end of the grill 20 corresponds to the upper holding part 153 . can be kept in shape.

On the other hand, when the upper holding part 153 extends in an oval shape along the lower end 151a of the side wall 151, a metal plate is rolled to form a cylindrical grill 20 having a circular cross-section, and then the grill 20 ), when the upper end is inserted into the upper holding part 153 , the shape of the grill 20 is also transformed into an oval shape corresponding to the shape of the upper holding part 153 , and can be maintained in this deformed state.

As in the embodiment, a circular window 11 having a radius of r is provided at a predetermined angle with respect to a predetermined horizontal plane (indicated by θ1 in FIG. 6A, which is an acute angle. Hereinafter, also referred to as a “first angle”). In the case where the vector Vh obtained by orthogonally projecting the normal vector Vs to the upper surface of the window 11 on the horizontal plane is directed forward, the form in which the window 11 is orthogonal projected on the horizontal plane is rcosθ1 in the front-rear direction. It becomes an ellipse having a minor radius and a major radius of r in the left and right directions. Therefore, for a sense of unity of the outer shape of the hub 1, it is preferable that the cross section of the grill 20 also has a shape corresponding to the ellipse (that is, a shape in which the ratio of the minor radius to the major radius is cosθ1: 1), and the upper holding part 153 ) by forming a shape corresponding to the ellipse, it is possible to maintain the shape of the cross section of the grill 20 in a shape corresponding to the ellipse. Here, the term "corresponding shape" includes not only the case where the shapes of both shapes completely coincide with each other, but also the case where both shapes are similar to each other (for example, when the ratio of the minor radius to the major radius is the same), Hereinafter, it is defined with the same meaning.

Here, the angle θ1 at which the window 11 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane is determined in consideration of the user's gaze in a general use environment, and the hub 1 is mounted on a cradle having a height of about 1 m, such as a kitchen counter or dining table. In this case, the gaze of a general adult located in front of the hub 1 is determined to form an angle close to 90 degrees with the upper surface of the window 11 , and preferably, about 20 degrees, but it is not necessarily limited thereto. .

Meanwhile, the display panel 131 may be disposed to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal so that the displayed screen faces upward in the front, and is preferably inclined at the same angle θ1 as the window 11 . The window support plate 121 to be described later is also inclined at the same angle as the display panel 131 (or the window 11 ).

More specifically, referring to FIGS. 6A to 6B , the upper end of the side wall 151 of the cover housing 15 has a circular shape with an outer diameter L1, and the outer diameter of the lower end 151a of the side wall 151 is in a horizontal plane. It is inclined at an angle θ2 (θ2 < θ1. Hereinafter, θ2 is also referred to as a “second angle”.), and has a diameter of La in the left-right direction and a diameter of Lb in the front-rear direction. Here, since the outer surface of the side wall 151 is inclined at a predetermined angle θ3 to the vertical line, the form in which the cross-section S1 of FIG. 6B is orthogonally projected on the horizontal plane and the form in which the cross-section S2 is orthogonally projected on the horizontal surface of FIG. 6B do not exactly match, but , θ3 has a sufficiently small value (preferably 5 degrees or less), La has a value close to L1, hereinafter, it is assumed that La=L1. Furthermore, if the difference between θ1 and θ2 is sufficiently small (preferably 5 degrees or less), Lb also has a value close to L1. Hereinafter, it is assumed that Lb=L1.

Here, θ3 indicates an angle formed by the outer surface of the side wall 151 with a vertical line, and may have a constant value in the entire section of the outer surface of the side wall 151, but the value varies along the circumference of the side wall 151 It is also possible to be variable.

Meanwhile, referring to cross-sections S3 and S4 of FIG. 6B , the grill 20 has an elliptical outer diameter (L1>L2), and has a long diameter of L1 in the left-right direction and a short diameter of L2 in the front-rear direction. Here, as assumed above, when La=L1 and Lb=L1, L2 becomes L1cosθ1. That is, the outer shape of the grill 20 projected on the horizontal plane becomes an ellipse having a diameter L2 in the front-rear direction shorter than a direct spacing L1 in the left-right direction. Even though the window 11 is disposed at an angle, when the hub 1 is viewed from above, the overall shape becomes an elliptical shape to form a sense of unity.

Since the side wall 151 is located on the upper side of the grill 20 , it forms the exterior of the hub 1 , but the top holding part 153 is completely inserted into the grill 20 and covered by the grill 20 . As a result, the appearance of the hub 1 is invisible.

The positioning protrusion 156 may protrude from the lower end of the side wall 151, and the positioning protrusion 156 (refer to FIG. 21.) is inserted into the upper end of the grill 20 in a state in which the grill 20 is positioned. Positioning grooves 26 (see Fig. 38) may be formed.

The window 11 may be disposed in the opening 15h of the cover housing 15 . The window 11 is made by processing a transparent plate of a certain thickness, and a side surface (or an outer circumferential surface) is orthogonal to an upper surface and a lower surface.

The inner surface of the cover housing 15 has a certain portion 151b extending downward from the upper end of the cover housing 15 in the direction in which the upper surface of the window 11 faces (that is, the direction in which the normal vector Vs in FIG. 6A is directed) ) is parallel to The inner surface 151a of the upper end of the sidewall 151 is a surface defining the opening 15h. Hereinafter, the inner surface 151a of the upper end of the sidewall 151 is referred to as an opening limiting surface. The opening limiting surface 151a has a cylindrical shape extending from the periphery of the opening 15h, and the window 11 is disposed inside surrounded by the opening limiting surface 151a. Preferably, the top surface of the window 11 belongs to the same plane as the top of the cover housing 15 (or the plane to which the opening 15h belongs), so that the top surface of the hub 1 is made of a single plane. A sense of unity is created.

The opening limiting surface 151a is formed of a plane parallel to the vector Vs at any position. That is, even if the cover housing 15 is cut in an arbitrary plane parallel to the vector Vs, the opening limiting surface 151a on the cross-section is parallel to the vector Vs.

Since the side surfaces of the opening limiting surface 151a and the window 11 are parallel to each other, if the center of the window 11 and the center of the opening limiting surface 151a are aligned along the vector Vs, the entire section of the side surface of the window 11 is There is an effect that a constant distance g can be maintained with the opening limiting surface 151a. When the hub 1 is viewed from above, a certain distance g is maintained between the window 11 and the upper end of the cover housing 15 , and thus, the product appears to have a high degree of completion. The gap g is such that the side surface of the window 11 does not interfere with the opening limiting surface 151a when the window 11 is pressed to operate the contact switches 181a, 181b, 181c, and 181d. It is desirable to set it to a minimum.

When the cover housing 15 is cut in an arbitrary vertical plane, on the cut surface, the outer surface of the side wall 151 is parallel to the normal vector Vs, or is progressively further away from the normal vector Vs as it goes downward. can be achieved When the cover housing 15 is injection molded, the cover housing 15 is taken out from the first mold forming the side wall 151 in a vertical downward direction. Therefore, in order for the cover housing 15 to be easily removed from the first mold, the outer surface of the side wall 151 should have the above shape.

On the other hand, in order to form the opening 15h on the upper surface of the cover housing 15, a separate second mold having a core inserted into the opening 15h is required. In a state in which the first mold is removed, the cover housing 15 can be separated from the second mold by moving the second mold. In this case, the movement of the second mold is equal to the normal vector Vs. made in the direction

10A is a perspective view showing an upper surface of the window support; 10B is a perspective view showing a bottom surface of the window support. 10C is a right side view of the window support. 10D is a bottom view of the window support. 11 is a view of the cover shown in FIG. 9 from the front. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along line B3-B3 shown in FIG. 11 . 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along A3-A3 shown in FIG. 11 . 12C is a cross-sectional view taken along line C3-C3 shown in FIG. 11 . 12D is a cross-sectional view taken along D3-D3 indicated in FIG. 11 . 13 is a right side view of the cover; 14A is a cross-sectional view taken along F1-F1 of FIG. 13 . 14B is a cross-sectional view taken along F2-F2 of FIG. 13 . FIG. 15 shows the window support removed from the assembly shown in FIG. 9 ; Figure 16 shows the display removed from the assembly shown in Figure 15; 17 is a plan view of the display PCB. 18 is a perspective view showing a bottom surface of the display PCB. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the cover and the volume button; 20 is a bottom view (a) and a perspective view (b) of the cover housing. 21 is a rear view of the cover housing; Hereinafter, reference is made to FIGS. 10 to 21 .

8 and 15 to 18 , the display PCB 14 is disposed on the upper surface of the partition plate 152 to support the display 13 from the lower side. The display PCB 14 includes a circuit electrically connected to the display 13 , and the display 13 is connected to the circuit through a connector 132 . Four contact switches 181a, 181b, 181c, and 181d may be disposed on the upper surface of the display PCB 14 in front, rear, left, and right directions with respect to the display 13 .

The display PCB 14 may be formed in a cross shape extending from the center to the front, rear, left, and right sides. In more detail, the substrate 140 on which the circuit of the display PCB 14 is configured includes a first substrate arm 145 and a second substrate arm 146 that extend in all directions of the rear, front, left, and right sides, respectively, from approximately the center. , a third substrate arm 147 and a fourth substrate arm 148 may be included. The substrate 140 has an approximately cross shape, but this shape is not necessarily symmetrical.

15 to 16 , on the upper surface of the partition plate 152 of the cover housing 15 , a rib 152a protruding from a position in contact with the circumference of the display PCB 14 may be formed. The rib 152a does not necessarily have to be formed in a shape corresponding to the entire circumference of the display PCB 14 , and may only be in contact with a portion of the circumference of the display PCB 14 , and as in the embodiment, the circumference of the display PCB 14 . It may be formed at a plurality of points along the In particular, the rib 152a may be formed at positions in contact with the side sides of the substrate arms 145 , 146 , 147 , and 148 (ie, sides extending outwardly from the center of the substrate 140 ).

A first contact switch 181a, a second contact switch 181b, a third contact switch 181c, and a fourth contact switch 181d are disposed on each of the substrate arms 145, 146, 147, and 148. can The contact switches 181a , 181b , 181c , and 181d are electrically connected to a circuit formed on the substrate 140 .

An NFC module 540 (refer to FIG. 7 ) may be disposed on the display PCB 14 . The NFC module 540 enables NFC communication and may be disposed on the NFC mounting unit 146a formed on the second substrate arm 146 . NFC (Near Field Communication) is a contactless communication technology that uses a frequency band of 13.56 MHz as one of radio tag (RFID) technologies. It is a next-generation short-distance communication technology that is attracting attention due to its relatively good security and low price due to its short communication distance. Since both data reading and writing functions can be used, a dongle (reader), which was previously required for RFID use, is not required. It is similar to existing short-distance communication technologies such as Bluetooth, but has the advantage of not having to set up between devices like Bluetooth.

The display 13 is a device that displays an image by receiving an electrical signal, is connected to a circuit of the display PCB 14, and displays an image according to a control signal input through the circuit. The display 13 may include a display panel 131 and a connector 132 connecting the display panel 131 to a circuit of the display PCB 14 (refer to FIG. 8 ). The display panel 131 may be attached to the upper surface of the display PCB 14 by an adhesive member (eg, a double-sided tape 171 (refer to FIG. 17 )).

The display PCB 14 is circuit-connected to the main PCB 48 to be described later through a predetermined cable (not shown), and thus, the control unit for controlling the display 13 is the display PCB 14 or the main PCB 48 . ) can be mounted anywhere. Hereinafter, as an example, the display 13 is controlled by the control unit 82 (refer to FIG. 7 ) mounted on the main PCB 48 . A groove 429 for accommodating the cable may be formed long in the vertical direction on the side surface of the main body 40 .

Various types of information may be displayed on the screen of the display panel 131 . The control unit 82 may control not only the driving of the display panel 131 according to the program stored in the memory 84 , but also the overall operation of the electrical components constituting the hub 1 . A user interface (UI) may be displayed through the display panel 131 , and this interface is implemented by executing the program.

The interface may display reproduction information of the speakers 43 and 44 . For example, various information such as a music play/stop/tune selection menu, a playback state, a song name, singer/album information, lyrics, and volume may be displayed.

When the communication module 50 is provided in the hub 1 , the interface may display information exchanged through the communication module 50 . For example, the interface displays a menu for controlling the accessories 2, 3a, 3b communicating with the communication module 50, or is processed based on information transmitted from the accessories 2, 3a, 3b. information can be displayed. Specifically, information such as the network connection state of the communication module 50 and the temperature, humidity, and brightness sensed by the sensor provided in the accessory 2 may be displayed through the interface. In addition, a menu for controlling the output of the speakers 43 and 44 may be displayed through the interface, for example, a menu for selecting a song or album to be output through the speakers 43 and 44, the album Alternatively, information related to a song (eg, a song title, an album name, a singer), the size of the volume being output, and the like may be displayed.

Manipulation of the menus displayed on the interface is possible through the contact switches 181a, 181b, 181c, and 181d. How the output signal of each of the contact switches 181a, 181b, 181c, and 181d is processed is determined by a program pre-stored in the memory 84 . For example, menus displayed left and right on the interface may be selected according to operation signals of the first and second contact switches 181a and 181b, and operation signals of the third and fourth contact switches 181c and 181d Accordingly, menus displayed vertically on the interface may be selected.

A user may communicate with the Bluetooth module 50b using an external device such as a smart phone or a notebook computer, and various data such as music and images may be stored in the memory 84 through this. In particular, the controller 82 may control the speakers 43 and 44 so that the music stored in the memory 84 is output, and various functions such as music selection, reproduction, and stop are performed by the contact switches 181a, 181b, 181c. , 181d) can be implemented.

Meanwhile, a through hole 140h through which a support boss 122b formed in a window support 12 to be described later passes may be formed in the substrate 140 of the display PCB 14 . The through hole 140h may be formed in the first substrate arm 145 .

Referring to FIG. 18 , a pair of volume control switches 185a and 185b may be provided on the bottom surface of the substrate 140 . The volume control switches 185a and 185b are for adjusting the volume of the speakers 43 and 44 provided in the main body 40 , and may each be configured as a contact switch, and are connected to the circuit of the display PCB 14 . have. The volume control switches (185a, 185b) are the first volume control switch (or the volume increase switch (185a)) that increases the volume of the speaker (43, 44) whenever it is pressed, and the speaker (43, 44) may include a second volume control switch (or the volume reduction switch 185b) that reduces the volume.

The volume control switches 185a and 185b may be disposed on the fourth board arm 148 of the display PCB 14 , and the movable terminals of the volume control switches 185a and 185b (parts pressed for a switching operation) may protrude toward the sidewall 151 of the cover housing 15 .

19 to 20 , an opening 151h in which the volume button 16 is installed may be formed in the sidewall 151 of the cover housing 15 . The volume button 16 may include a dome 161 and an elastic pad 162 .

The elastic pad 162 may be formed of one component made of a material having elasticity (preferably, rubber). The elastic pad 162 has a plate-like shape elongated along the circumferential direction of the sidewall 151, and includes a support portion 162a disposed inside the housing 15, and a pair protruding from the inner surface of the support portion 162a. of the switch movable protrusions 162b and 162c, and a dome fixing protrusion 162d protruding from the outer surface of the support 162a and exposed to the outside through the opening 151h. The support portion 162a is larger than the opening 151h and does not escape to the outside of the cover housing 15 through the opening 151h unless it is bent by an external force.

The dome 161 is made of synthetic resin, a groove is formed on one surface, and a dome fixing protrusion 162d is inserted into the groove. Preferably, the dome fixing protrusion 162d is press-fitted into the groove, and even if a separate adhesive means is not applied, it is easily removed from the dome 161 by the elasticity or restoring force of the material itself of the dome fixing protrusion 162d. not separated However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the dome 161 and the dome fixing protrusion 162d may be coupled to each other by an adhesive member such as a double-sided tape.

The dome 161 may have an anti-separation protrusion 161c protruding from the upper surface and/or the lower surface. The separation preventing protrusion 161c is located inside the cover housing 15 , and by being caught around the opening 151h, the dome 161 is more reliably prevented from being separated from the cover housing 15 . In the embodiment, a pair of separation prevention protrusions 161c are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the dome 161, respectively, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In a state in which the elastic pad 162 is positioned in the opening 151h, the pair of switch movable protrusions 162b and 162c correspond to the first volume control switch 185a and the second volume control switch 185b, respectively. When the volume increase operation unit 161a or the volume decrease operation unit 161b of the dome 161 is pressed, the switch movable protrusions 162b and 162c of the elastic pad 162 are the volume increase switch 185a. Alternatively, the volume reduction switch 185b is operated, and the volume of the speakers 43 and 44 is adjusted accordingly.

8 to 14 , an approximately circular window support 12 may be disposed above the display 13 . The window support 12 is an injection product of a synthetic resin material, and is preferably formed as a single part. An opening 12h is formed in the window support 12 , and the screen of the display 13 is exposed through the opening 12h.

The opening 12h is formed at a position corresponding to the display panel 131 disposed under the window support 12 , and preferably has a size slightly smaller than that of the display panel 131 . A screen displayed on the display panel 131 may be viewed through the opening 12h.

The display panel 131 is formed in a rectangular shape in which the horizontal width in the left and right directions is longer than the vertical length in the front and rear directions. desirable.

The window support 12 includes a window support plate 121 having an opening 12h formed in the center and a window 11 disposed on an upper surface thereof, and manipulation protrusions 126a and 126b protruding downward from the window support plate 121; 126c and 126d) and a plurality of support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, and 122d protruding downward from the window support plate 121 may be included.

The support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, and 122d may extend vertically downward. Like the window 11 , the window support plate 121 may be inclined at a first angle θ1 with respect to the horizontal plane, and in this case, the support bosses 122a , 122b , 122c , and 122d are the window support plate 121 . ) is not orthogonal to, and preferably forms a complementary angle (90-θ1) of the window support plate 121 and θ1.

Hereinafter, each part of the window support plate 121 is, as shown in FIG. 9 , a first area SE1 positioned at the rear with the opening 12h as a center, a second area SE2 positioned at the front, and a left side of the window support plate 121 . It is divided into a third area SE3 located at , and a fourth area SE4 located on the right side.

At least one support boss 122a , 122b , 122c , and 122d may be formed in each of the first area SE1 and the second area SE2 . Four support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, 122d may be formed so that the window support plate 121 can be stably supported without being shaken, and among them, the first support boss 122a and the second support boss The 122b may be positioned in the first area SE1 , and the third support boss 122c and the fourth support boss 122d may be formed in the second area SE2 .

The support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, and 122d are coupled to the cover housing 150 to support the window support plate 121 , and in this case, the window support plate 121 may be spaced apart from the display PCB 14 . At least one of the support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, and 122d may pass through a region divided by the substrate arms 145, 146, 147, and 148 to be coupled to the partition plate 152, and at least the other It may be coupled to the partition plate 152 through the through hole 140h formed in the substrate arm 145 .

Referring to FIG. 17 , the inside of the cover housing 15 is divided into four regions P1 , P2 , P3 , and P4 by four cross-shaped substrate arms 145 , 146 , 147 , and 148 . Hereinafter, each quadrant is given an order so as to conform to the conventional definition of a quadrant, and P1 is defined as the first quadrant, P2 as the second quadrant, P3 as the third quadrant, and P4 as the fourth quadrant. do.

The first support boss 122a, the third support boss 122c, and the fourth support boss 122d pass through the second quadrant region P2, the third quadrant region P3, and the fourth quadrant region P4, respectively. Thus, it is coupled to the partition plate 152 , and the second support boss 122b passes through the through hole 140h formed in the first substrate arm 145 and is coupled to the partition plate 152 .

The coupling between the support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, 122d and the partition plate 152 of the cover housing 15 is such that the support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, 122d are directly coupled to the partition plate 152. It is also possible, as in the embodiment, the support bosses (122a, 122b, 122c, 122d) can be achieved by being coupled to the insertion bosses (154a, 154b, 154c, 154d) formed in the partition plate (152).

In the partition plate 152 of the cover housing 15, at positions corresponding to the first support boss 122a, the second support boss 122b, the third support boss 122c, and the fourth support boss 122d, respectively. A first insertion boss 154a, a second insertion boss 154b, a third insertion boss 154c, and a fourth insertion boss 154d may be formed. The insertion bosses 154a, 154b, 154c, and 154d may protrude downward from the partition plate 152, and each may extend in parallel with the corresponding support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, and 122d.

The first support boss (122a), the second support boss (122b), the third support boss (122c), and the fourth support boss (122d) are respectively a first insertion boss (154a), a second insertion boss (154b), It is inserted into the 3 insertion boss (154c) and the 4th insertion boss (154d). A fastening hole to which a bolt is fastened may be formed at the lower end of each insertion boss (154a, 154b, 154c, 154d), and the bolt 19 passes through each of the fastening holes from below to support bosses (122a, 122b, 122c, 122d) and may be engaged.

15 to 17 , the cover housing 15 may include at least one ribs 152a, 152b, 152c, 152d, 152e, and 152f protruding upward from the partition plate 152 .

At least one of the ribs 152a, 152b, 152c, 152d, 152e, and 152f (152b, 152c, 152d, 152e, 152f) may be in contact with the circumference of the display panel 131 . However, since the display PCB 14 is disposed on the upper surface of the partition plate 152 , in order for the ribs 152b, 152c, 152d, 152e, and 152f to contact the periphery of the display panel 131, the display PCB 14 should not interfere with To this end, in the present invention, the regions P1, P2, P3, and P4 divided by the cross-shaped display PCB 14 are formed, and the ribs 152b, 152c, 152d, 152e, and 152f are formed on the display PCB 14. It is proposed to use it as a path through which it does not interfere with the

The ribs 152b , 152c , 152d , 152e , 152f may be in any one of the regions P1 , P2 , P3 , P4 divided by the substrate arms 145 , 146 , 147 , 148 of the display PCB 14 . Through the , it may come into contact with the edge of the display panel 131 . The ribs 152b, 152c, 152d, 152e, and 152f function to set the position of the display panel 131 and to maintain the display panel 131 in its original position without being shaken.

The display panel 131 may have a rectangular shape, and at least one of four sides of the display panel 131 may contact the ribs 152b, 152c, 152d, 152e, and 152f.

Among the four sides of the display panel 131 , a pair of sides parallel to each other may be in contact with the ribs, respectively. In the embodiment, horizontal sides (or sides extending in the left and right directions) of the display panel 131 are in contact with the ribs 152b, 152c, and 152d. The ribs 152b , 152c , and 15d may extend long along the horizontal side of the display panel 131 .

The ribs 152b , 152c , and 152c may pass through different regions among the four regions P1 , P2 , P3 , and P4 partitioned by the substrate arms 145 , 146 , 147 , and 148 , respectively. In an embodiment, the rib 152b passes through the second quadrant P2, the rib 152c passes through the third quadrant P3, and the rib 152d passes through the fourth quadrant P4. Accordingly, the display panel 131 is in contact with the rear side (upper horizontal side in the drawing), the left side, and the front side (lower horizontal side in the drawing) of the display panel 131 , respectively.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a rib that passes through the first quadrant P1 and/or the fourth quadrant P4 and contacts the right side of the display panel 131 may be further formed.

A rib (eg, 152b) in contact with one side of the display panel 131 and a rib (eg, 152c) in contact with the other side of the display panel 131 are the substrate arms 145, 146, and 147 , 148 ) may pass through different areas (eg, P2 and P3) among the areas P1, P2, P3, and P4.

The window support plate 121, due to the characteristics of the material, may be bent around each of the support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, and 122d when pressure is applied within a certain limit, and this deformation occurs when the pressure is removed. It is elastic that restores its shape to its original state.

The first operation protrusion 126a, the second operation projection 126b, the third operation projection 126c, and the fourth operation projection 126d of the window support 12 are first contacts arranged on the display PCB 14, respectively. The switch 181a, the second contact switch 181b, the third contact switch 181c, and the fourth contact switch 181d are disposed at positions corresponding to, and thus, the window support 12 through the window 11 is When pressure is applied to any one of the first area SE1, the second area SE2, the third area SE3, and the fourth area SE4, the area to which the pressure is applied (eg, the first area ( SE1)), the operating protrusion (eg, the first operating projection 126a) operates the contact switch (eg, the first contact switch 181a) located thereunder.

The window support 12 may further include a first tab 125a, a second tab 125b, a third tab 125c, and a fourth tab 125d extending downward from the window support plate 121 . The tabs 125a , 125b , 125c , and 125d may protrude in a vertical direction from the bottom surface of the window support plate 121 , respectively. Tab insertion grooves (not marked) may be formed on the upper surface of the partition plate 152 of the cover housing 15 at positions corresponding to the tabs 125a, 125b, 125c, and 125d, respectively.

On the other hand, the window 11 is a circular transparent plate, and transmits the screen of the display 13, and the material is preferably acrylic. The user may see the screen displayed on the display 13 through the window 11 . The entire area of the window 11 need not be transparent. The window support 12 is not visible from the appearance of the hub 1 , and only the screen of the display panel 131 exposed through the opening 12h of the window support 12 can be seen. Only a predetermined region 11b at a position substantially corresponding to the opening 12h is transparent, and the other regions 11a may be colored opaque or translucent so as to be concealed, or a film or the like may be attached (see FIG. 3 ).

The window 11 may be adhered to the upper surface of the window support plate 121 of the window support 12 using a double-sided tape or the like. The window 11 may be elastically bent when pressure is applied within a certain limit due to the characteristics of the synthetic resin material. This bending allows the contact switches 181a, 181b, 181c, and 181d to operate more smoothly. However, since the bending of the window 11 is elastic, it is restored to its original shape when the pressing pressure is removed.

On the other hand, since the length of the opening 12h formed in the window support plate 121 in the horizontal direction (or left-right direction) is longer than the length in the front-back direction (or vertical direction), the opening 12h corresponds to the left and right sides of the opening 12h. The third area SE3 and the fourth area SE4 are not suitable for installing the support bosses. Because, considering that the shape of the window 11 is circular, the third area SE3 and the fourth area SE4 are formed from the periphery of the opening 12h to the third manipulation protrusion 126c or the fourth manipulation protrusion 126d. ) is shorter than the distance from the periphery of the opening 12h to the first manipulation protrusion 126a or the second manipulation protrusion 126b in the first region SE1 and the second region SE2, , Therefore, if the support boss is formed in the third area SE3 or the fourth area SE4, since the distance between the third operation projection 126c and the fourth operation projection 126d is too close to the support boss, , because a large pressure is applied to the window support plate 121 to operate the manipulation protrusion.

For this reason, the first support boss 122a and the second support boss 122b are formed in the first area SE1, and the third support boss 122c and the fourth support boss 122d are formed in the second area SE2. ) is preferably formed.

On the other hand, when viewed from above, the first manipulation protrusion 126a is located further outside than the first support boss 122a and the second support boss 122b in the cover housing 15, and the second manipulation protrusion 126b ) is located more outside than the third support boss 122c and the fourth support boss 122d.

In each of the first area SE1 and the second area SE2 , slits 121a and 121b may be formed between the manipulation protrusions 126a and 126b and the support bosses 122a , 122b , 122c and 122d.

Referring to FIG. 10D , the support bosses 122a , 122b , 122c , and 122d are located in the first area SE1 or the second area SE2 , so the third manipulation protrusion 126c or the fourth manipulation protrusion It is relatively closer to the first operation projection 126a or the second operation projection 126b rather than (126d). For example, when pressure is applied to the first region SE1 of the window support plate 121, the window support plate 121 is bent around the first support boss 122a and the second support boss 122b. , At this time, the turning radius (moment arm) of the first operation protrusion 126a with respect to the first support boss 122a is r11, and the turning radius with respect to the second support boss 122b is r12. In the embodiment, r12 is shorter than r11 because the first operation protrusion 126a is closer to the second support boss 122b than the first support boss 122a. In addition, in the third operation projection 126c, the distance to the first support boss 122a is r31 (r31>r11>r12), and the distance r33 to the third support boss 122c is substantially equal to r31.

The operability of each of the manipulation protrusions 126a, 126b, 126c, and 126d is greatly affected by the distance to the nearest supporting bosses. If there are no slits 121a and 121b, as in the above example, when r31 is greater than r12, even if the same pressure is applied to the first region SE1 and the third region SE3, the third region ( SE3 is more curved than the first region SE1, so that the third manipulation protrusion 126c is more easily moved downward than the first manipulation protrusion 126a, and the third contact switch 181c is the first contact switch ( 181a), it will operate more smoothly. For the same reason, the operation of the second contact switch 181b may not be performed more smoothly than the third contact switch 181c or the fourth contact switch 181d.

In order to solve this problem, the first slit 121a and the second slit 121b are formed in the first area SE1 and the second area SE2 of the window support plate 121 , respectively. In these regions SE1 and SE2, the slits 121a, 121b are located between the supporting bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, 122d and the manipulation protrusions 126a, 126b, 126c, 126d in the regions.

As shown in FIG. 10D , a diameter extending in the left and right direction passing through the center (c) of the window support plate 121 is referred to as a horizontal diameter (D1), and a diameter extending in the front-rear direction is defined as a vertical diameter (D2). In this case, the first support boss 122a and the second support boss 122b are arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the horizontal diameter D1 in the first area SE1, and the third support boss 122c and The fourth support boss 122d may be arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the horizontal diameter D1 in the second area SE2 . In addition, the first slit 121a and the second slit 121b may extend in a direction substantially parallel to the horizontal diameter D1, respectively.

As the slits 121a and 121b are formed, when the first area SE1 or the second area SE2 is pressed, the bending of the window support plate 121 is located adjacent to both ends of the slits 121a and 121b. In particular, since this bending occurs mainly in a narrow area between the ends of the slits 121a and 121b and the outer periphery of the window support plate 121, the slits 121a and 121b are not formed compared to the case, There is an effect that the window support plate 121 is more smoothly curved.

In addition, there is an effect that the distance between the manipulation protrusions 126a and 126b and the portion where the bending occurs is increased. For example, in the case of the first manipulation protrusion 126a, the distance to one end of the first slit 121a ( rs) becomes longer than the distance r12 to the second support boss 122b, which is the moment arm of the force applied to the first region SE1 for the portion where the bending occurs in the first region SE1. As a result of the increase in length, it contributes to allowing the first operation protrusion 126a to be lowered more smoothly.

Also, as in the embodiment, even when the support bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, and 122d of the first area SE1 and the second area SE2 are asymmetrically disposed, the support bosses 122a, 122b, Since the slits 121a and 121b are formed between the 122c and 122d and the manipulation protrusions 126a and 126b, the bending of the window support plate 121 in the first area SE1 and the second area SE2 is supported. The bosses 122a, 122b, 122c, and 122d are substantially more affected by the positions and shapes of the slits 121a and 122b than the influences of the positions, and thus, the first slit 121a and the second slit 121a When the slits 121b are substantially symmetrical to each other, the operability of the first contact switch 181a and the second contact switch 181b is equalized.

3 to 5 , the body 40 is supported by the base 30 disposed on the lower side, and the upper end may be coupled to the cover housing 15 . The main body 40 may include speaker cases 41 and 42 that form a cavity 49 inside, and at least one speaker 43 and 44 disposed in the cavity 49 . In the embodiment, two speakers 43 and 44 are arranged vertically in the speaker cases 41 and 42, the speaker 43 arranged on the upper side is a tweeter that outputs a high-pitched tone, and the speaker arranged on the lower side. Reference numeral 44 denotes a woofer outputting a low-pitched sound.

22 is a perspective view showing the main body so that the upper surface is visible. 23 is a perspective view showing the main body so that the bottom surface is visible. 24 shows a front case (a) and a rear case (b). 25 shows the rear side of the main body. 26 is a view showing the positions of the antennas connected to the Wi-Fi module. 27 is a view showing positions of an antenna connected to a Bluetooth module and an antenna connected to a Zigbi module. 28 is an exploded perspective view of the main body, the heat sink, the main PCB, the base body, and the support rubber. 29 is an enlarged perspective view of the support tab of the heat sink; 30 is a view showing a coupling structure between the body and the base. 31 is a view of the base from the front; 32 is a cross-sectional view showing the coupling structure of the main body, the grill, and the speaker case. 33 shows the bottom of the base. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the base;

22 to 25 , the speaker cases 41 and 42 may include a front case 41 and a rear case 42 forming a cavity 49 between the front case 41 and the front case 41 . A pair of sound output ports for exposing the tweeter 43 and the diaphragm (eg, membranes) of the woofer 44 up and down in the front case 41 may be formed to open toward the front.

On the inner surface of the front case 41, the case coupling boss 411 protruding to the rear may be formed at a plurality of points. In the embodiment, case coupling bosses 411 are formed in two places on both sides of the left and right at a constant height, and in the same way, a pair of case coupling bosses 411 are formed at six different heights at three different heights, but, It is not necessarily limited to this.

In the rear case 42, insertion bosses 421 are formed at positions corresponding to the case coupling bosses 411 formed in the front case 41, respectively, and bolts are inserted from the rear of the rear case 42 to each insertion boss ( 421) and may be coupled to the case coupling boss 411.

A pair of fastening bosses 153c and 153d may be recessed rearwardly on the front part of the upper holding part 153 of the cover housing 15 on both left and right sides (refer to FIGS. 11 to 14.), and the rear part A pair of fastening bosses (153a, 153b) may be recessed forward on both the left and right sides of the .

Corresponding to these fastening bosses 153a, 153b, 153c, 153d formed in the cover housing 15, the first boss insertion groove 415 and the second boss insertion groove in the front case 41 of the main body 40 A 416 is formed, and a third boss insertion groove 425 and a fourth boss insertion hop 426 may be formed in the rear case 42 .

Referring to FIG. 22 , the first boss insertion groove 415 and the second boss insertion groove 416 are each recessed backward from the front surface (the surface facing the front of the hub 1) of the front case 41, the upper side The upper end is opened so that the fastening bosses 153c and 153d can be respectively inserted from the.

Referring to FIG. 25 , the third boss insertion groove 425 and the fourth boss insertion groove 426 are each recessed forward from the rear surface of the rear case 42 (the surface facing the rear of the hub 1 ), the upper side The upper end is opened so that the fastening bosses 153a and 153b can be respectively inserted from the.

A fastening hole through which a bolt passes may be formed in each of the boss insertion grooves 415 , 416 , 425 , and 426 . Although only the fastening hole 416h formed in the second boss insertion groove 416 is shown in the drawing, the fastening hole (hereinafter, not shown in the drawing) is also shown in the first boss insertion groove 415 in the same manner to avoid confusion of description. 416h as an indication number) is formed, and fastening holes 425h and 426h (refer to FIG. 25) may be formed in the other boss insertion grooves 425 and 426 as well.

Fastening bosses (153a, 153b, 153c, 153d) are, in a state inserted into each corresponding boss insertion groove (415, 416, 425, 426), the fastening hole (415h, 416h, 425h, 426h) and corresponding position, the bolt may pass through each of the fastening holes 415h, 416h, 425h, and 426h to be fastened to the fastening bosses 153a, 153b, 153c, and 153d.

25 to 27 , at least one communication module 50 may be disposed on the main body 40 . The communication module 50 may be connected to a circuit of the main PCB 48 and/or the display PCB 14 and controlled by the controller 82 . In the embodiment, as the communication module 50, a Wi-Fi module 50a, a Bluetooth module 50b, and a Zigbi module 530 were provided. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a G-Wave module may be provided.

The module assembly 510 is an assembly of the Wi-Fi module 50a and the Bluetooth module 50b, and may be disposed at the rear of the main body 40 . The module assembly 510 may be disposed on the rear case 42 .

The module assembly 510 may be integrally coupled to the rear case 42 or may be separated from the rear case 42 . However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the Wi-Fi module 50a and the Bluetooth module 50b may be provided separately from each other, and each may be independently combined with the main body 40 or separated from the main body 40 .

The module assembly 510 may include a pair of antennas 511a and 511b for transmitting/receiving signals. The pair of antennas 511a and 511b is provided in the module assembly 510 itself by default, but is not limited thereto, and at least one antenna 521 and 522 is provided at a position spaced apart from the module assembly 510. It is also possible to be further provided (see FIGS. 25 to 27.).

The module assembly 510 may include a first antenna connection terminal 513 and a second antenna connection terminal 514 of the Wi-Fi module 50a, and an antenna connection terminal 515 of the Bluetooth module 50b. Further, on the inner surface of the side wall 151 of the cover housing 15, a first antenna 521 and a second antenna 522 may be disposed on both the left and right sides of the rear part, respectively, and the first antenna 521 is The first antenna connection terminal 513 may be connected through the conducting line L1 , and the second antenna 522 may be connected with the second antenna connecting terminal 514 through the conducting line L2 .

Each of the first antenna 521 and the second antenna 522 is formed by coupling a thin film with a conductor having a predetermined pattern, and conductive wires L1 and L2 are connected to the conductor. The first antenna 521 and the second antenna 522 may be attached to the sidewall 151 of the cover housing 15 by a double-sided tape.

Since the side wall 151 of the cover housing 15 is located on the upper side of the grill 20 , it is not surrounded by the grill 20 , and thus, the first antenna 521 and the second antenna are formed on the side wall 151 . By disposing the 522, signal interference caused by the grill 20, which is a metal material, is reduced, so that the signal is transmitted and received more accurately.

In addition, the side wall 151 may be formed in a shape such that the height of the upper end of the side wall 151 is further away from the partition plate 152 from the front to the rear. In this case, the rear portion of the sidewall 151 may form a larger gap with the display PCB 14 mounted on the partition plate 152 compared to the front portion. Accordingly, by arranging the first antenna 521 and the second antenna 522 on the rear portion of the sidewall 151 , the antennas 521 , 522 can be further spaced apart from the display PCB 14 , and the display PCB (14) has the effect of reducing the signal interference caused by the magnetic field generated by the current flowing in the circuit.

On the other hand, a jigbi module 530 may be provided on either one of the left and right sides of the main body 40 . On the inner surface of the front part of the side wall 151 of the cover housing 15 , the third antenna 532 and the Bluetooth module 50b connected through the antenna connection terminal 531 of the Zigbi module 530 and the wire L3 and the antenna of the Bluetooth module 50b A fourth antenna 541 connected to the connection terminal 515 and the conductive line L4 may be provided.

Each of the third antenna 532 and the fourth antenna 541 is formed by combining a thin film with a conductor having a predetermined pattern, and conductive wires L3 and L4 are connected to the conductor. The third antenna 532 and the fourth antenna 541 may be attached to the sidewall 151 of the cover housing 15 by a double-sided tape.

28 to 29 , the main PCB 48 may be disposed in a space formed between the body 40 and the base 30 . The main PCB 48 controls the overall operation of the hub 1, and includes a control unit 82, a USB port 62, a data transmission port 64, various switches 76 and 77, a receptacle 390, and the like. It is mounted, and is circuit-connected with various electronic devices such as communication modules 50a and 530 , display PCB 14 , tweeter 43 , and woofer 44 .

A heat sink 33 may be disposed between the main PCB 48 and the body 40 . The heat sink 33 is made by processing a metal plate, and the material is preferably aluminum. The heat sink 33 dissipates the heat emitted from the main PCB 48 to the upper space (ie, the space between the bottom surface of the main body 40 and the heat sink 33 ).

A plurality of fastening bosses 45a, 45b, 45c, 45d may protrude from the bottom surface of the body 40 . The first fastening boss 45a and the second fastening boss 45b may protrude from the bottom surface of the rear case 42 , and the third fastening boss 45c and the fourth fastening boss 45d are the front case 41 . may protrude from the bottom of the The fastening bosses 45a, 45b, 45c, and 45d may be coupled to the base 30 .

When the bottom surface of the main body 40 is divided by a horizontal line and a vertical line passing through the center, the fastening bosses 45a, 45b, 45c, 45d may be respectively formed in four quadrants partitioned by the horizontal and vertical lines.

Insertion bosses 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d may be formed in the base 30 at positions corresponding to the fastening bosses 45a, 45b, 45c, and 45d, respectively. The fastening bosses 45a, 45b, 45c, and 45d may be respectively inserted into the insertion bosses 35a, 35b, 35c, and 35d, and in this inserted state, each of the insertion bosses 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d ) can be fastened with a bolt passing through from the lower side.

A plurality of heat sink coupling bosses (46b, 46c, 46d) may further protrude from the bottom surface of the main body (40). The heat sink support bosses 46b, 46c, and 46d may be disposed close to the fastening bosses 45a, 45b, 45c, and 45d, and in the embodiment, the heat sink support bosses 46b, 46c, and 46d) was formed, but the number is not necessarily limited thereto.

The heat sink 33 is made by processing a metal plate, and the material is preferably aluminum or stainless steel. However, other metallic materials are also possible. The heat sink 33 may include a horizontal flat plate portion 331 and a plurality of support tabs 332b , 332c , and 332d extending from the circumference of the flat plate portion 331 .

In the flat plate portion 331, the through-holes 335a, 335b, 335c, 335d, through which the fastening bosses 45a, 45b, 45c, and 45d, respectively, pass, hereinafter, if it is necessary to distinguish from other configurations, it is called a “fastening boss through hole” ) and through-holes 334b, 334c, and 334d through which the support bosses 46b, 46c, and 46d pass, respectively, hereinafter, if it is necessary to distinguish from other components, referred to as “support boss through-hole”) are formed. can be

Referring to FIG. 29 , the support bosses 46b , 46c , and 46d may be coupled to the support tabs 332b , 332c , and 332d on the upper side of the main PCB 48 , respectively. The support tabs 332b, 332c, and 332d may include a vertical portion 336 extending downward from the flat plate portion 331 and a horizontal portion 337 horizontally bent from the vertical portion 336 . A fastening hole 338 through which a bolt passes is formed in the horizontal portion 337 of each of the support tabs 332b, 332c, 332d, and after each bolt passes through the fastening hole 338 from the lower side, the support boss 46b , 46c, 46d) may be engaged.

In a state in which the support bosses 36b, 36c, and 36d are fastened to the support tabs 332b, 332c, and 332d, the flat plate part 331 is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the main body 40 located on the upper side, and is also located on the lower side. It is also spaced apart from the main PCB (48). Since the flat plate portion 331 is spaced apart from the bottom surface of the main body 40, even if the main body 40 vibrates by the output of the speakers 43, 44, the contact between the bottom surface of the main body 40 and the flat surface portion 331 No hitting noise is generated.

Through-holes 481a, 481b, 481c, and 481d may be formed in the main PCB 48 at positions corresponding to the through-holes 335a, 335b, 335c, and 335d of the heat sink 33, respectively. The fastening bosses (45a, 45b, 45c, 45d) are longer than the supporting bosses (46b, 46c, 46d), respectively, the through holes (335a, 335b, 335c, 335d) of the heat sink 33 and the main PCB ( 48), it may be inserted into the insertion bosses 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d of the base 30 after passing through the through holes (481a, 481b, 481c, 481d).

Referring to FIGS. 28 to 34 , the base 30 includes a base body 31 having an open top surface and having a predetermined space inside, and a support rubber 32 fixed to the bottom surface of the base body 31 . can do. The hub 1 is formed in a small size so that a user can lift it and move it, and may be mounted on a floor such as a table or shelf. The support rubber 32 provided on the lower side of the base body 31 increases friction with the floor, thereby preventing the hub 1 from falling or falling.

The insertion bosses (35a, 35b, 35c, 35d) protrude upward from the inner surface of the base body 31, and the insertion bosses 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d) and fasteners 351a, 351b, 351c, and 351d respectively communicating with each other may be formed.

After assembling the main body 40 and the heat sink 33, the fastening bosses 45a, 45b, 45c, and 45d are now passed through the fastening boss through holes 481a, 481b, 481c, 481d formed in the main PCB 48. . Then, each fastening boss (45a, 45b, 45c, 45d) is inserted into the insertion boss (35a, 35b, 35c, 35d) formed in the base (30). After that, a bolt (not shown) is inserted into the fastening hole 351a, 351b, 351c, 351d from the lower side of the base 30, and the fastening boss 45a, 45b, in the insertion boss 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d, 45c, 45d).

A rubber insertion groove 318 may be formed in the base bottom 310 of the base 30 . The rubber insertion groove 318 may extend along a predetermined circumference on the base bottom 310 . Preferably, the rubber insertion groove 318 is in the form of an arc extending from one end 318a to the other end 318b with a constant curvature, and the fastening holes 351a, 351b, 351c, 351d are in the rubber insertion groove 318. can be located.

The support rubber 32 is inserted into the rubber insertion groove 318 . The upper surface of the support rubber 32 may be attached to the bottom of the rubber insertion groove 318 by a double-sided tape.

The support rubber 32 includes a rubber body 321 elongated in a shape corresponding to the rubber insertion groove 318 , and a plurality of support protrusions 322 protruding from the rubber body 321 to the outside of the rubber insertion groove 318 . ) may be included. By placing the support protrusion 322 on the floor (eg, living room, sink, etc.) on which the hub 1 is mounted, the hub 1 is erected, and at this time, the support protrusion 322 from the rubber body 321 . ) corresponds to the protruding length, the base body 31 is spaced apart from the floor. When the hub 1 is mounted in a place that is easily in contact with water, such as a kitchen counter, it is effective to prevent the base body 31 from getting wet with water.

The plurality of support protrusions 322 are arranged at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the rubber body 321 , and are preferably arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the base bottom 310 of the base body 31 . In the embodiment, the four support protrusions 322 are arranged at intervals of 90 degrees, but the number of the support protrusions 322 is not necessarily limited thereto.

The base body 31 may include a base outer wall portion 311 extending upwardly from the circumference of the base bottom portion 310 . The outer diameter of the base outer wall portion 311 is gradually increased toward the upper side, and the outer diameter at the uppermost end is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the lower end of the grill 20 .

The base body 31 may include a lower holding part 313 that extends upwardly from the base outer wall part 311 and is coupled to the grill 20 . The combination of the lower holding part 313 and the grill 20 as described above does not use a separate fastening member such as a bolt, but the lower holding part 313 is inserted into the opening at the lower end of the grill 20 (or , fitted) method, preferably, the grill 20 or the lower holding part 313 itself is a force fit method using the elastic / restoring force.

Referring to FIG. 32 , the lower holding part 313 is located more inside than the upper end of the base outer wall part 311 (that is, the outer surface of the base body 31 is recessed from the upper end of the outer wall part 311 and the lower end It forms the outer surface of the holding part 313.) Thus, at the upper end of the outer wall part 311, it extends from the outer surface of the outer wall part 311 to the lower end holding part 311, the lower end of the grill 20 Opposing surfaces 312 are formed. A lower end of the grill 20 may be positioned on the surface 312 . The surface 312 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the lower end of the grill 20 on the upper end of the base outer wall part 311 , and the width of the surface 312 is substantially the same as the thickness of the grill 20 .

Since the outer surface of the lower holding part 313 is in contact with the inner surface of the grill 20, the shape of the lower end of the grill 20 is maintained. In particular, when the grill 20 is made of a metal material, since the grill 20 is deformed corresponding to the shape of the lower holding part 313 , the lower end of the grill 20 corresponds to the lower holding part 313 . can be kept in shape.

When the lower holding part 313 extends in an oval shape along the upper end of the outer wall part 311, a metal plate is rolled to form a cylindrical grill 20 having a circular cross-section, and then the lower end of the grill 20 is removed. When inserted into the lower holding part 313 , the shape of the grill 20 is also transformed into an elliptical shape corresponding to the shape of the lower holding part 313 , and thus the shape of the grill 20 may be maintained in a deformed state.

Annular ribs 315 may protrude upward toward the inner surface of the base body 31 . The rib 315 is formed inside the lower holding part 313 . In the main body 40, the insertion rib 47 may protrude downward from the bottom surface of the cases 41 and 42, and the insertion rib 47 is formed in a groove 314 between the lower holding part 313 and the rib 315. can be inserted into

In the base bottom 310 of the base body 31 , a depression 316 may be formed in an inner region surrounded by the rubber insertion groove 318 . The recessed portion 316 includes a groove side portion 316a extending upwardly from the periphery of the opening formed on the bottom surface of the base bottom portion 310, and a groove bottom portion extending horizontally from the groove side portion 316a to form the bottom of the groove ( 316b). The adapter may be accommodated in the depression 316 . Although not shown, the hub 1 may include an adapter that receives external commercial AC power and supplies DC power required for the operation of the hub 1 . A socket 391 into which an output terminal of a cord connected to the adapter is inserted may be provided in the groove side portion 316a.

A receptacle 390 having a socket 391 may be disposed on a bottom surface of the main PCB 48 . The receptacle 390 electrically connects the socket 391 with the circuitry of the main PCB 48 .

A cord fixing groove 37 may be formed in the base body 31 . The cord fixing groove 37 may be formed between one end 318a and the other end 318b of the rubber insertion groove 318 . The cord fixing groove 37 extends from the inner opening 371 formed in the side portion 316a to the outer opening 372 formed on the base outer wall portion 311, and an inner opening ( A cord insertion hole 373 connecting the 371 and the outer opening 372 is formed. That is, the cord fixing groove 37 does not have a closed cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the groove, but has a partially open cross-section due to the cord insertion hole 373 . In addition, the cross-section may have a maximum inner diameter greater than the interval (ie, the width of the cord insertion hole 373 ) of the open section of the cross-section inside the cord fixing groove 37 . In general, since the outer shape of the cord is made of a covering of a material having some elasticity, even if it has an outer diameter larger than the width of the cord insertion hole 373, if the difference does not exceed a certain range, it is deformed due to the flexibility of the material itself As this is done, it can pass through the code insertion hole 373, and in this way, once it is inserted into the code fixing groove 37, its shape is restored to its original state, so it cannot pass through the code insertion hole 373. Therefore, It is prevented from being detached from the cord fixing groove (37).

On the other hand, the outer opening 372 may be formed to be larger than the inner opening 371, and the code fixing groove 37 has a shape in which the size of the cross section gradually decreases from the outer opening 372 to the inner opening 371. can be done

The insertion hole reduction protrusions 319a and 319b may be formed on the inner surface of the cord fixing groove 37 . The insertion hole reduction protrusions 319a and 319b may be formed on at least one of both portions defining the cord insertion hole 373 . Since the distance between the cord insertion holes 373 is narrowed in the portion where the insertion hole reduction protrusions 319a and 319b are formed, it is possible to more effectively prevent the cord from being detached from the code fixing groove 37 .

Meanwhile, a Wi-Fi reset switch 77 may be provided on the bottom surface of the main PCB 48 . The Wi-Fi reset switch 77 may be configured as a contact switch, and when the Wi-Fi reset switch 77 is pressed, the controller 82 may initialize (reset) the Wi-Fi module 50a.

Referring to FIG. 30 , a Wi-Fi reset button 71 may be coupled to the bottom surface of the main PCB 48. The Wi-Fi reset button 71 is made of synthetic resin, and the arms extending to both sides of the button part 71a are It is coupled to the bottom surface of the main PCB (48). The button part 71a is located in a hole formed in the base bottom part 310 under the Wi-Fi reset switch 77 in a state resiliently supported by the arms. When the button portion 71a is pressed, the Wi-Fi reset switch 77 is switched.

A hub reset switch 76 may be disposed on the bottom surface of the main PCB 48 . The hub reset switch 76 may be configured as a contact switch, and is exposed through a hole formed in the base bottom 310 . When the hub reset switch 76 is pressed, the control unit 82 is initialized (reset).

35 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing a hub according to an embodiment of the present invention. 36 is a perspective view (a) of the main model, a metal flat plate (b) used for processing the grill, and a grill formed by etching the metal flat plate (c). FIG. 37 is an enlarged view of a part A shown in FIG. 36(c) (a) and an enlarged view of a part B (b). 38 is a perspective view (a), a plan view (b), a front view (c), and a rear view (d) of the grill. FIG. 39 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 38 .

35 to 38 , as described above, the hub 1 has a cylindrical metal grill 20 having a plurality of through-holes 20h (see FIG. 3 ) formed therein, and is disposed inside the grill 20 and , a main body 40 having at least one speaker (43, 44, see FIG. 22), and a cover 10 coupled to the upper portion of the main body 40 and displaying an interface screen through the upper surface, see FIG. 3 . ), and a base (30, see FIG. 3) for supporting the body 40 from the lower side may include.

Hereinafter, an upper end 610 formed by a circular opening on a plane PN2 inclined at a predetermined angle θ2 with respect to the horizontal plane PN1, see FIG. 6A, and the upper end 610 are orthographically projected onto the horizontal plane PN1 A cylinder having an elliptical lower end 620 as one shape is defined as a “main shape”. The main shape 600 has a shape corresponding to the grill 20 shown in FIG. 6A , and specifically has cross-sections as shown in FIG. 6B .

A method of manufacturing the hub 1 is as follows.

First, a metal plate 710 is prepared (step 1). The material is preferably stainless steel (SUS). In the embodiment, the metal flat plate 710 is rectangular, but the shape is not necessarily limited thereto.

Thereafter, the metal flat plate 710 is a form in which the main mold 300 is developed, and is processed to form a plurality of through holes 20h (step 2). Such processing may be performed by an etching method. That is, the metal plate 720 processed in the form shown in FIG. 36(c) can be obtained by eroding the area indicated by the hatched line in FIG. 36(b) and the area where the through hole 20h is formed.

Referring to FIG. 37 , the through-holes 20h formed in the grill 20 may include a first through-hole 20h1 and a second through-hole 20h2 having a smaller diameter than the first through-hole 20h1 . The pattern including the first through hole 20h1 and the second through hole 20h2 may be repeatedly arranged in all directions. That is, a four-way continuous pattern may be configured by the through holes 20h1 and 20h2.

In more detail, if the continuous through holes 20h1 and 20h1 in the vertical direction are referred to as columns, and the continuous through holes 20h1 and 20h1 in the horizontal direction are referred to as rows, each row and column is a first through hole. (20h1) and the second through hole 20h2 having a smaller diameter than the first through hole 20h1 are repeatedly arranged.

This four-way continuous pattern forms a second through hole 20h2 having a small diameter between the first through holes 20h1 having a relatively large diameter, thereby increasing the area in which the sound output to the speakers 43 and 44 is emitted. It has a broadening effect. While the deformation of the grill 20 (ie, the process of rolling into a cylindrical shape) can be smoothly made, the number of links connecting between the through holes 20h1 and 20h2 increases, thereby improving structural stability.

Referring to FIG. 36 ( b ), in the area from the lower end 722 of the grill 20 to the first boundary (BOL, imaginary lead.) parallel to the lower end 722 , through holes 20h1 and 20h2 ) This unformed lower peripheral portion LA may be formed. The lower holding part 313 of the base 30 may be in close contact with the inner surface of the lower perimeter LA. Since the lower peripheral portion LA is a portion that is deformed while being fitted in the lower holding portion 313 , the through holes 20h1 and 20h2 are not formed to have sufficient rigidity.

The upper perimeter UA in which the through holes 20h1 and 20h2 are not formed may be formed in an area extending from the upper end 721 to the second boundary BOU of the grill 20 . Here, the second boundary BOU is an imaginary line positioned above the first boundary BOL and is parallel to the first boundary BOL. Since the upper peripheral portion UA is a portion that is deformed while being fitted in the upper holding portion 153 , the through holes 20h1 and 20h2 are not formed to have sufficient rigidity.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 37 (a), in any one column in which the first through hole 20h1 and the second through hole 20h2 are repeated, two or more first through holes 20h1a, 20h1b, 20h1c have a first boundary ( As it approaches BOL), the diameter gradually decreases, so that the diameter of the one 20h1c closest to the first boundary BOL becomes the minimum. That is, in the grill 20, through holes are formed in a pattern in which the first through hole 20h1 and the second through hole 20h2 are repeated, and the first through hole 20h1 has a diameter adjacent to the first boundary BOL. As shown, the diameter decreases in the order of the through holes 20h1a, smaller than those indicated by 20h1), the through holes 20h1b, and the through holes 20h1c.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 37 (b), in any one column in which the first through hole 20h1 and the second through hole 20h2 are repeated, two or more first through holes 20h1a, 20h1b, 20h1c have a second boundary ( BOU), the diameter gradually decreases, and the diameter of the second boundary 20h1c closest to the BOU becomes the minimum. That is, in the grill 20, through holes are formed in a pattern in which the first through hole 20h1 and the second through hole 20h2 are repeated, and the first through hole 20h1 has a diameter adjacent to the second boundary BOU. As shown, the diameter decreases in the order of the through holes 20h1a, smaller than those indicated by 20h1), the through holes 20h1b, and the through holes 20h1c.

The outer shape of the metal plate 720 is processed so that both sides 723 and 724 are straight lines extending vertically from the center of the rear surface of the grill 20 . That is, when the processed metal plate 720 is rounded in a cylindrical shape, both sides 723 and 724 meet each other on a straight line VL perpendicular downward from the highest point Pm of the upper end.

Both sides 723 and 724 of the processed metal plate 720 are joined to each other so that the upper end 610 and the corresponding side 721 of the main form 600 become the upper end 21 , and the lower end of the main form 600 . A side 722 corresponding to the 620 constitutes a cylindrical grill 20 that becomes the lower end 22 (step 3). Since the cylindrical grill 20 configured at this time is deformed by rolling the metal flat plate 720 , its shape is determined by the plasticity and elasticity/restorative force of the material itself of the metal flat plate, and therefore, the upper end of the grill 20 . (21) and the lower end (22) are indefinite. However, when the thickness of the metal plate 720 is constant, the grill 20 is deformed almost uniformly in the entire area, so as shown in FIG. do.

The grill 20 is symmetrical left and right with respect to a predetermined vertical line VL in a shape viewed from the rear, and a portion LR extending from the bottom 22 to the top 21 along the vertical line VL with a constant width. The through hole (20h) is not formed.

In this way, the region LR in which the through hole 20h is not formed at the rear of the grill 20 is formed by the portions in which the through hole 20h is not formed in the left and right portions of the metal plate 720 in FIG. 36C .

In step 3, bonding between both sides 723 and 724 of the metal plate 720 may be made by welding. Such welding may be done using a welding rod, and in this case, a band-shaped welding mark (bead) formed by melting the base material (metal plate) and the welding rod is formed.

However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and resistance welding (for example, spot or projection welding) or laser welding is also possible. The welding heat input is very low, the heat influence range is narrow, and the welding marks are not left the most, so it is possible to perform very precise bonding between members.

The grill 20 formed through the above steps has a hole 25 for installing a USB port 62 (see FIG. 25 ) and/or a positioning protrusion 156 formed on the side wall 151 of the cover housing 150 ( FIG. 25 ). 21. A positioning groove 26 into which is inserted may be formed. The hole 25 and the positioning groove 26 for installing the USB port may be formed in an area (LR, see (d) of FIG. 38 ) in which the through hole 20h is not formed on the rear side of the grill 20 . The holes 25 and the grooves 26 may be formed by various known processing methods such as pressing, punching, and drilling.

The hole 25 may be machined in a portion where both sides 723 and 724 of the metal plate 720 are welded (step 4). The USB port 62 may be disposed on the main PCB 48 (see Fig. 28).

The groove 26 is formed by being depressed from the upper end 21 of the grill 20, and may be formed in the welded portion.

Thereafter, on the outer surface of the grill 20, the welded portion of both sides 723 and 724 of the metal plate 720 is polished (step 5). The welded portion is polished with abrasive paper of a predetermined particle size wound around the outer circumferential surface of the rotating roller to obtain a smooth surface from which weld marks are removed. However, since the inner surface of the grill 20 is not polished, the welding marks 28 are still left.

After removing the welding marks in this way, the entire area of the outer surface of the grill 20 may be polished to form a hairline (see FIG. 39 ) (step 6). The hairline is formed by cutting a metal surface with abrasive paper of a predetermined particle size, and may extend in a horizontal direction. The luster and texture peculiar to metal are emphasized on the outer surface of the grill 20 by the hairline.

The grill with the hairline can be painted (step 7). The painting of the grill 20 is preferably by electrodeposition. In the case of electrodeposition coating, a coating film can be formed on the entire surface of the grill 20 by putting the grill 20 in a tank containing a water-soluble resin paint and applying an electric current to the grill 20 .

A step of engraving a mark by laser processing on the outer surface of the painted grill 20 (step 8) may be further performed. The mark may include a symbol, a character, a figure, and the like.

A filter may be attached to the inner surface of the grill 20 formed through the above steps (step 9). The filter may be made of a material having fine pores, such as a mesh or nonwoven fabric, and may be attached by an adhesive member such as a double-sided tape.

On the other hand, referring to FIGS. 5 and 32 , as described above, the top holding part 153 of the shape corresponding to the top 610 of the main mold 600 is formed on the cover 10 , and the base 30 has A lower end holder 313 having a shape corresponding to the lower end 620 of the main mold 600 may be formed.

The step of inserting the grill 20 into the upper holding part 153 and the lower holding part 313 may be further carried out. In a state in which the cover 10 and the main body 40 are coupled, the main body 40 is inserted into the grill 20, and then the upper holding part 153 is inserted into the opening formed on the upper surface of the grill 20 (that is, the grill ( 20), the inner surface of the upper portion of the grill 20 is in close contact with the outer surface of the upper holding portion 153, as described above with reference to FIG. By deforming the upper end of the upper end to correspond to the shape of the upper holding part 153 , the upper end 610 of the main mold 600 is shaped to have substantially the same shape.

Similarly, when the lower holding part 313 is inserted into the opening formed on the lower surface of the grill 20 (ie, the area surrounded by the lower end of the grill 20 ), as described above with reference to FIG. 32 , the grill 20 ) As the inner surface of the lower part is in close contact with the outer surface of the lower holding part 313 , the lower end of the grill 20 is deformed corresponding to the shape of the lower holding part 153 , so that the lower end 620 of the main mold 600 and Orthopedic is made in substantially the same form.

Claims (13)

a main body having a speaker for outputting sound;
a communication module disposed on the main body and performing wireless communication with surrounding devices;
a base for supporting the main body from the lower side;
a cover coupled to the upper portion of the main body and displaying a screen based on information exchanged through the communication module through the upper surface; and
It consists of a vertical long cylindrical shape having a plurality of through holes, the main body is disposed on the inside, the upper end is coupled to the cover, and the lower end includes a grill coupled to the base,
The cover is
a cover housing coupled to the body and having an opening formed on an upper surface thereof;
a display panel disposed in the cover housing to output the screen;
a window disposed above the display panel within the opening of the cover housing to transmit the screen;
a display PCB disposed in the cover housing and having the display panel installed on an upper surface thereof; and
and a window support disposed in the cover housing and configured to support a bottom surface of the window from an upper side of the display panel. The method of claim 1,
The cover housing is
a cylindrical side wall extending in the vertical direction and disposed above the grill; and
and a top holding part extending from the sidewall, inserted into the grill from the upper side of the grill, and contacting the inner surface of the grill to maintain the shape of the top of the grill. 3. The method of claim 2,
The cover housing is
and a partition plate extending from an inner circumferential surface of the side wall to partition the inside of the side wall up and down, and on which the display PCB is disposed. 4. The method of claim 3,
The cover housing is
and a rib protruding from an upper surface of the partition plate, passing between the display PCB and the sidewall, and contacting a periphery of the display panel. 5. The method of claim 4,
The display PCB,
Includes substrate arms extending in all directions from the center to the front, rear, left, and right,
The rib is
A hub passing through the area divided by the substrate arms. 6. The method of claim 5,
The lower surface of the display panel is attached to the upper surface of the display PCB by a double-sided tape. The method of claim 1,
The window support is
a window support plate disposed on an upper side of the display panel, an opening exposing the screen is formed, and the window is disposed on the upper surface; and
and a plurality of support bosses protruding downward from the window support plate and coupled to the cover housing. 8. The method of claim 7,
At least one contact switch is disposed on the display PCB,
The window support is
The hub further comprising a manipulation protrusion protruding downward from a position corresponding to the at least one contact switch, respectively. 9. The method of claim 8,
The opening is
The length in the left and right direction is formed longer than the length in the front and rear direction,
The support boss,
At least one hub is formed in a front area and a rear area based on the opening of the window support plate. 10. The method of claim 9,
The window support plate,
A hub in which a slit extending in a left and right direction is formed in at least one of the front region and the rear region. The method of claim 1,
The grill is a metal hub. The method of claim 1,
The base is
a base body having a rubber insertion groove formed on a bottom surface of the bottom part, and an outer wall part extending upwardly from the periphery of the bottom part is coupled to a lower end of the grill; and
and a support rubber inserted into the rubber insertion groove and a part protruding outside the rubber insertion groove. 3. The method of claim 2,
The hub further comprising at least one antenna connected to the communication module, transmitting and receiving a wireless communication signal, and disposed on an inner surface of the sidewall.

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