JP7783782B2 - electronic equipment - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to electronic devices used in digital picking systems.

Digital picking systems are used in factories, logistics warehouses, and other locations to efficiently pick parts used in product assembly and items to be transported. Digital picking systems include electronic devices attached to storage shelves where parts or items are stored, and a control device that sends instructions to each electronic device regarding the parts or items to be picked. Workers follow the instructions from the electronic device to retrieve the parts or items. The electronic device includes a display unit for issuing picking instructions, a control circuit board that controls the display on the display unit, an antenna for wireless communication with the control device, and a solar cell that supplies power to the antenna and board.

In electronic devices equipped with an antenna and a solar cell, the antenna and solar cell must be positioned so that they do not affect each other, in order to prevent attenuation of communication radio waves and coupling between the antenna and solar cell. For example, in Patent Document 1, in a solar cell unit consisting of an antenna, solar cell, and control circuit board, the antenna and solar cell are positioned on the front and back surfaces of the control circuit board so that they do not overlap when viewed from the surface, and the antenna portion is positioned on a non-conductor part of the board. This prevents the radio waves emitted by the antenna from being attenuated by the solar cell.

Patent No. 6975859

However, with electronic devices used in digital picking systems, it is desirable to have the display unit, control circuit board, antenna, and solar cell all concentrated on the front side of the electronic device's housing, due to the location of the electronic device and visibility for workers. In particular, it is desirable to place the display unit, antenna, and solar cell near the surface of the housing on the front side. For this reason, it is not possible to use a configuration such as that described in Patent Document 1, where the antenna and solar cell are respectively placed on the front and back sides of the control circuit board. With such electronic devices, there is a problem in that it is difficult to arrange the display unit, control circuit board, antenna, and solar cell in the limited space within the housing while still satisfying the required functions and performance.

This disclosure was made in consideration of the above-mentioned issues, and aims to provide an electronic device that allows for miniaturization and space-saving while still satisfying the required functionality and performance of each component.

According to the present disclosure, the electronic device comprises a housing having a front panel and a top panel, a control circuit board housed in the housing and facing the front panel, an antenna extending left and right above the control circuit board at a position spaced forward from the control circuit board, and a solar cell disposed on the top panel.

This disclosure allows each component to be made smaller or take up less space while still meeting its required functionality and performance.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is a perspective view showing the electronic device of FIG. 1 with a front panel, a top panel, and a display unit removed. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the III-III cross section of the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, identical or equivalent parts will be designated by the same reference symbols and descriptions will not be repeated.

In this embodiment, the electronic device is used in a digital picking system as a display that indicates the part or item to be picked. However, the use of the electronic device is not limited to digital picking systems.

The electronic device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 shows the electronic device 1 with the front panel 11, top panel 13, and display unit 50 removed. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the III-III cross section of the electronic device 1 in Figure 1. Figure 3 omits the connection wires that electrically connect the components of the electronic device 1 and the support members that support the components. In the following description, the vertical direction when the electronic device 1 is placed in a generally used state is defined as the up-down direction. Furthermore, the front-rear direction is defined with the side of the electronic device 1 on which the display unit 50 is provided as the front side. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction and the left-right direction is defined as the left-right direction.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, electronic device 1 includes a housing 10, a control circuit board 20, an antenna 30, and a solar cell 40. Electronic device 1 may further include a display unit 50 and a battery 60. The control circuit board 20, antenna 30, solar cell 40, display unit 50, and battery 60 included in electronic device 1 are components of electronic device 1.

The housing 10 is a hollow member composed of a front panel 11, a rear panel 12, a top panel 13, a bottom panel 14, and a pair of side panels 15. The housing 10 is approximately the same size as the housing of a display device in a known digital picking system. There are no particular restrictions on the material of the housing 10, but it can be made of synthetic resin, for example.

The front panel 11 has openings 111 for attaching the display units 50. The openings 111 have a shape that is roughly the same as the outer shape of the display units 50. The same number of openings 111 are formed as there are display units 50 to be attached.

The top panel 13 has an opening 131 for attaching the solar cell 40. The opening 131 has a shape that is approximately the same as the outer shape of the solar cell 40. The top panel 13 is also inclined relative to the horizontal plane so that the rear end is positioned higher than the front end. The angle of inclination is preferably approximately the same as the angle of inclination of the solar cell 40, which will be described later.

A microcomputer (not shown) and memory (not shown) are mounted on the control circuit board 20. The microcomputer mounted on the control circuit board 20 controls the supply of power to the antenna 30 and display unit 50, and the display on the display unit 50. The control circuit board 20 operates on power from a solar cell 40 and/or a battery 60. The control circuit board 20 is housed in the housing 10 and is positioned close to and opposite the front panel 11.

The antenna 30 is a communication device for wireless communication. The antenna 30 is formed from a conductor and has a linear shape. More specifically, the antenna 30 is composed of a thin, rod-shaped conductor. In this embodiment, the antenna 30 is formed by bending both ends of a rod-shaped conductor in the same direction, resulting in a roughly U-shaped configuration in a plan view. The antenna 30 is preferably an antenna that can receive highly diffracting UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band frequencies and has both wide directivity and gain; for example, a half-wave dipole antenna is preferable. This allows for highly accurate communication even if there are many obstacles affecting communication in the area where the electronic device 1 is located.

The antenna 30 is mounted on the upper part of the control circuit board 20, extending left and right at a position spaced forward from the control circuit board 20. Specifically, both ends of the antenna 30 are mounted on the front side of the control circuit board 20, and the part of the antenna 30 that corresponds to the bottom of its U-shape extends left and right at a position spaced forward from the control circuit board 20. The antenna 30 operates by receiving power from the solar cell 40 and the battery 60.

The solar cell 40 is an electric power device that converts light into electricity using the photovoltaic effect. The solar cell 40 is, for example, a solar cell panel. The solar cell 40 generates electricity by receiving light on its light-receiving surface 41, and the generated electricity is supplied to the control circuit board 20 from electrodes (not shown) provided on the solar cell 40 via conductive members. This solar cell 40 is approximately the same size as solar cell panels installed in known electronic devices.

The solar cell 40 is disposed on the upper panel 13. Specifically, the solar cell 40 is disposed so that the light-receiving surface 41 is exposed to the outside through the opening 131 of the upper panel 13. In this case, the solar cell 40 is preferably disposed in a position where the front end 40a of the solar cell 40 is separated a predetermined distance rearward from the front end 30a of the antenna 30. This prevents the antenna 30 and the solar cell 40 from bonding together. From this perspective, the distance between the front end 40a of the solar cell 40 and the front end 30a of the antenna 30 is preferably, for example, 9 mm or more.

It is also preferable that the solar cells 40 be arranged so that their light-receiving surfaces 41 face diagonally upward and forward, tilted at a predetermined angle relative to the horizontal. This allows the solar cells 40 to receive light efficiently. From this perspective, it is preferable that the inclination angle of the light-receiving surfaces 41 of the solar cells 40 relative to the horizontal be between 20° and 45°.

The display unit 50 has an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 51 that lights up to indicate the part or item to be picked, and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 52 that displays the number of parts or items to be picked. An opening 111 for mounting the LED 51 and an opening 111 for mounting the LCD 52 are formed below the antenna 30 on the front panel 11. The LED 51 and LCD 52 are mounted on the control circuit board 20 below the antenna 30 and are exposed to the outside of the housing 10 through the opening 111.

Battery 60 is, for example, a primary battery such as a dry cell battery. Battery 60 is preferably a high-power density, large-capacity battery that does not require replacement over the expected life of electronic device 1. This eliminates the need for maintenance associated with replacing battery 60, allowing electronic device 1 to operate maintenance-free for a long period of time equivalent to that of an electronic device that does not have battery 60.

The battery 60 is located behind the control circuit board 20 inside the housing 10. The battery 60 is electrically connected to the antenna 30 via the control circuit board 20 so as to supply power to the antenna 30.

As described above, in the electronic device 1 of the present disclosure, the antenna 30 is disposed forward of the control circuit board 20 facing the front panel 11, and the solar cell 40 is disposed on the top panel 13. This allows a certain distance between the antenna 30, the solar cell 40, and the control circuit board 20, thereby reducing the antenna 30's influence from the solar cell 40 and the control circuit board 20. Furthermore, because the antenna 30 is disposed near the front panel 11 within the housing 10, the wireless communication performance of the antenna 30, which generally communicates wirelessly with devices located in front, is ensured. Furthermore, because the solar cell 40 is disposed on the top panel 13 of the housing 10, there is no interference with receiving light generally irradiated from above and in front. As a result, the required functionality and performance of the antenna 30 and the solar cell 40 can be met. Furthermore, by arranging the antenna 30 and the solar cell 40 in this manner, the housing 10 can be made approximately the same size as known housings, preventing the electronic device 1 from becoming too large and achieving conventional miniaturization and space-saving.

Furthermore, in the electronic device 1 of the present disclosure, because the antenna 30 is provided above the control circuit board 20, the display unit 50 can be provided on the front panel 11 below the antenna 30. This allows the display unit 50, which displays instructions to workers, to be positioned in an easily visible position on the front of the electronic device 1, satisfying the required functions and performance, and also allowing the display unit 50 to be placed in the empty space below the antenna 30, thereby achieving miniaturization and space savings.

Furthermore, because the antenna 30 is made of a thin, rod-shaped conductor and is formed in a roughly U-shape in plan view, the antenna 30 can be separated from the control circuit board 20 and directly mounted on the control circuit board 20 without the use of cables or other attachments. This eliminates the need to secure storage space for cables or other attachments in the housing 10, allowing for miniaturization and space savings.

In addition, the electronic device 1 of the present disclosure houses a battery 60 inside the housing 10. The housing 10 is also provided with a solar cell 40. This allows the control circuit board 20 and antenna 30 to operate on power from the battery 60 and/or the solar cell 40. Additionally, the light-receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 is tilted from the horizontal plane. This allows the angle between the light-receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 and the light irradiation direction to approach 90°, improving the power generation efficiency of the solar cell 40 and enabling the solar cell 40 to generate large amounts of power. As a result, a large amount of power can be stably supplied to the control circuit board 20 and the antenna 30. Therefore, the antenna 30 can communicate wirelessly using an active method. The adoption of active wireless communication significantly extends the communication distance of wireless communication, improving the performance and stability of wireless communication. Furthermore, by using a high-power-density, high-capacity battery as the battery 60, maintenance associated with battery 60 replacement is unnecessary, enabling long-term, maintenance-free, and stable operation equivalent to that of electronic devices without a battery 60.

Embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all of the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, the components shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within the scope of not substantially departing from the configuration of the present disclosure.

In the above embodiment, the solar cell 40 is arranged with the light-receiving surface 41 inclined at a specific angle relative to the horizontal plane, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the solar cell 40 may be configured so that the angle of the light-receiving surface 41 relative to the horizontal plane can be changed. The angle between the light-receiving surface 41 of the solar cell 40 and the light irradiation direction of the electronic device 1 often changes depending on the installation location. By being able to change the inclination angle of the light-receiving surface 41, it is possible to change the angle of the light-receiving surface 41 so that the maximum amount of light can be received according to the light irradiation angle when the electronic device 1 is installed. This can further improve the efficiency of the solar cell 40.

In the above embodiment, the antenna 30 is formed from a conductor, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the antenna 30 may be composed of an antenna substrate and a conductor pattern formed on the antenna substrate.

This disclosure can be used in the field of electronic devices used in digital picking systems, etc.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 electronic device 10 housing 11 front panel 111 opening 13 upper panel 20 control circuit board 30 antenna 40 solar cell 41 light receiving surface 50 display unit 60 battery

Claims (7)

a housing having a front panel and a top panel;
a control circuit board accommodated in the housing and facing the front panel;
an antenna extending laterally above the control circuit board at a position spaced forward from the control circuit board;
and a solar cell disposed on the top panel. the front panel has an opening;
The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display unit mounted on the control circuit board below the antenna and exposed to the outside of the housing through the opening. The electronic device described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the solar cell is positioned so that its front end is spaced a predetermined distance rearward from the front end of the antenna. The electronic device described in claim 3, wherein the solar cell is positioned at an angle relative to the horizontal plane so that the light-receiving surface faces diagonally upward and forward. a battery disposed inside the housing and behind the control circuit board;
3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit board operates on power from the battery. The electronic device described in claim 5, wherein the control circuit board operates using power from the solar cell. The electronic device described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the antenna is formed from a conductor, has a generally U-shape in plan view, and both ends of the antenna are mounted on the control circuit board.