WO2020153344A1

WO2020153344A1 - Communication device for vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2020153344A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/001903
Authority: WO
Inventors: 山下　拓也; 亨小池
Original assignee: 株式会社デンソー
Priority date: 2019-01-22
Filing date: 2020-01-21
Publication date: 2020-07-30

Abstract

A communication device for a vehicle is provided with: a housing (4) provided in a vehicle (1); a communication unit (14) incorporated in the housing; and a heat dissipation component (15) provided so as to be in a thermal conducting state with the communication unit, wherein the heat dissipation component has a heat dissipation unit (15b) that functions as an antenna of the communication unit.

Description

Vehicle communication device

Cross-reference of related applications

This application is based on Japanese application No. 2019-008504 filed on January 22, 2019 and Japanese application No. 2020-004402 filed on January 15, 2020, and the description content thereof is here. Is used.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle communication device.

As vehicle communication devices, for example, types that are installed on the roof of the vehicle and types that are installed inside the vehicle are provided, and miniaturization of them is demanded.

JP, 2017-152810, A

Since this type of vehicle communication device is a sealed type, the heat generated by the communication circuit built into the housing becomes a problem. Therefore, a heat radiating component is provided in the housing, and heat from the communication circuit is radiated to the outside via the heat radiating component.

On the other hand, in recent years, for example, in vehicular communication devices of the type installed on the roof of a vehicle, multi-functionalization is being advanced by adding functions such as inter-vehicle communication and road-to-vehicle communication. Due to such multi-functionalization, heat generation of the communication circuit incorporated in the housing increases, and the temperature inside the housing tends to become higher. Cooling of communication circuits has become a major issue because communication performance may deteriorate in a high temperature environment.

In Patent Document 1, in a vehicular communication device of a type to be installed on a roof of a vehicle, a part of a heat dissipation component mounted in a housing is exposed to the outside of the housing, and then a awning is provided above the heat dissipation component. By providing a structure, we are trying to improve the heat dissipation performance of the heat dissipation parts.

However, in the heat dissipation structure of Patent Document 1, when the roof has a high temperature due to the effect of sunlight irradiation, the vehicle communication device is likely to receive heat from the roof and the communication circuit easily has a high temperature.
On the other hand, for example, in the case of a vehicle communication device installed in an instrument panel, the communication device is installed directly under the windshield, and the communication circuit is likely to reach a high temperature due to the effect of sunlight irradiation through the windshield.

As described above, in a vehicle communication device, the temperature of the communication circuit tends to become high, so a heat dissipation component for dissipating the heat from the communication circuit is important, but the antenna and the elements of the antenna are arranged in the housing. However, it is difficult to reduce the overall size while disposing the heat dissipation components.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicular communication device capable of achieving downsizing as a whole while disposing a heat dissipation component that dissipates heat from a communication unit.

In the first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication unit is built in the housing, and a heat dissipation component is provided in a heat conductive state with the communication unit. In this case, since the heat dissipation part of the heat dissipation part functions as an antenna of the communication part, the overall size can be reduced while disposing the heat dissipation part.

In the second aspect of the present disclosure, the antenna is arranged in the housing, and the heat dissipation portion of the heat dissipation component functions as an element of the antenna, so that the overall size can be reduced while disposing the heat dissipation component.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Its purpose is
FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a vehicle communication device according to a first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a rear view of the vehicle communication device, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a rear portion of the vehicle, FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view (part 1) of a vehicle communication device showing a modification. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional side view (part 2) of the vehicular communication device showing a modification. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the vehicle communication device according to the second embodiment, FIG. 7 is a rear view of the vehicle communication device showing a modified embodiment, FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the vehicle communication device according to the third embodiment, FIG. 9 is a rear view of the vehicle communication device, FIG. 10 is a rear view showing the vehicle communication device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a rear view showing the vehicle communication device according to the fifth embodiment, FIG. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the vehicle communication device according to the sixth embodiment, FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the vehicle communication device according to the seventh embodiment, FIG. 14 is a rear view of the vehicle communication device, FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional side view showing the vehicle communication device according to the eighth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing the vehicle communication device according to the ninth embodiment.

A plurality of embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In some embodiments, the functionally and/or structurally corresponding parts are provided with the same reference symbols.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The first embodiment is characterized by being applied to a vehicular communication device of a type installed on a roof of a vehicle, for example. An antenna device can be cited as this type of vehicle communication device.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle communication device 3 is mounted on the outer surface of the rear end of the roof 2 of the vehicle 1. The housing 4 of the vehicular communication device 3 has a streamlined so-called shark fin shape from the front to the rear of the vehicle for the purpose of reducing air resistance when the vehicle is running and improving the appearance design. Has been formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 4 is configured by attaching a cover 7 to a base 6 integrated with a main plate 5, and an airtight closed space 8 is formed inside. The cover 7 is made of a resin having a radio wave transmitting property and an insulating property, such as an acrylic resin.

∙ The bottom plate 5 is formed with the screw portion 9 and the roof 2 is formed with the hole portion 10. With the vehicle communication device 3 mounted on the roof 2 at a predetermined position, the bolt 12 is passed through the hole 10 of the roof 2 through the cylindrical spacer 11 and then screwed into the screw portion 9 for the vehicle. The communication device 3 is fixed to the roof 2.

A wiring board 13 is arranged in a closed space 8 formed inside the housing 4. A socket (not shown) connected to the wiring board 13 is attached to the lower surface of the main plate 5, and the vehicle communication device 3 and the communication device 3 are connected to the socket by connecting the socket connected to the cable from the communication device (not shown). And are electrically connected.

On the wiring board 13, for example, a communication module 14 that constitutes an inter-vehicle communication circuit is mounted. The communication module 14 corresponds to a communication unit. Since the communication module 14 has a heat resistant temperature of, for example, 85° C., it is necessary to radiate heat so as not to exceed the heat resistant temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to dissipate the heat of the communication module 14 by disposing the heat dissipating component in the closed space 8. However, if the heat dissipating component is arranged in the housing 4, the vehicle communication device 3 becomes large and the design is poor. May be damaged.

Also, the antenna will be placed after the heat-dissipating parts are placed, and it is necessary to avoid the heat-dissipating parts and properly place the antenna in order to secure the antenna characteristics. Therefore, the number of parts of the vehicle communication device 3 is increased and the structure is complicated, which leads to an increase in size of the entire device.

Under such circumstances, the heat dissipation component 15 made of metal is provided in the communication module 14 in a heat conducting state, and a part of the heat dissipation component 15 is exposed to the outside of the housing 4 so as to function as an antenna.
That is, the heat dissipation component 15 has an L-shape including the heat transfer part 15a and the heat dissipation part 15b. The heat transfer portion 15a of the heat dissipation component 15 is arranged on the back surface of the wiring board 13 so as to face the mounting portion of the communication module 14. A heat-dissipating gel 16 having insulating properties, for example, is interposed between the wiring board 13 and the heat-dissipating component 15, and the communication module 14 and the heat-dissipating component 15 are provided in a heat-conducting state.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heat dissipation part 15b of the heat dissipation component 15 is exposed to the outside in a linear shape along the height direction of the rear surface of the housing 4. The heat radiating portion 15b is provided so as to be flush with the outer surface of the cover 7 from the viewpoint of design, but it may be projected. The outer surface of the cover 7 corresponds to the wall surface.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the heat dissipation component 15 is electrically connected to the communication module 14 to function as an antenna for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. For this reason, the effective dimension in the height direction of the housing 4 in the heat radiating portion 15b is set to be a length capable of transmitting and receiving a radio wave of 720 MHz, which is a center frequency of 715 to 725 MHz which is a frequency band used in the inter-vehicle communication system. ing.

In the operating state of the communication module 14 of the vehicle communication device 3, the communication module 14 generates heat and reaches a high temperature. However, the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 provided in the communication module 14 in a heat conductive state is provided outside the housing 4. Since it is exposed, the heat generated in the communication module 14 can be efficiently radiated to the outside from the heat radiating portion 15b.

By the way, although the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 is exposed to the outside of the housing 4 as described above, the roof 2 becomes high in temperature when the vehicle 1 is exposed to the sunlight, so that the inside of the housing 4 is exposed. There is concern that the temperature of the communication module 14 will rise due to the temperature rise.

However, in the present embodiment, since the heat dissipation portion 15b is provided along the height direction of the outer surface of the housing 4, the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat dissipation portion 15b can be increased and the temperature rise of the communication module 14 can be suppressed. ..

According to such an embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.
Since the communication module 14 and the heat radiating component 15 are provided in a heat conductive state, the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 is exposed to the outside in a linear shape along the height direction of the housing 4. The component 15 can be made to function as an antenna. As a result, it is possible to reduce the overall size while disposing the heat dissipation component 15.

As shown in FIG. 4, the heat transfer portion 15a of the heat dissipation component 15 may be provided in a heat conductive state via the heat dissipation gel 16 and the upper surface side of the communication module 14, or the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the communication module 14 may be provided. Both may be provided in a heat conductive state.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 may be provided in a heat conductive state along the height direction of the inner surface of the housing 4 via the heat radiating gel 16. In this case, the inner surface of the housing 4 corresponds to the wall surface.

Instead of making the heat dissipation component 15 function as an antenna for vehicle-to-vehicle communication, it may be made to function as an antenna for road-to-vehicle communication or mobile phone system communication. For example, since the operating frequency of the antenna for connecting the mobile phone system is 700 MHz to 960 MHz, the length of the heat radiating portion 15b that functions as the antenna is appropriately set depending on the communication target.
A director or a reflector may be arranged inside the housing 4.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The second embodiment is characterized in that the heat dissipation component 15 functions as an element of the antenna of the communication module 14.

The heat dissipation component 15 is not electrically connected to the communication module 14 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and does not function as an antenna as in the first embodiment.
That is, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication antenna 17 is arranged in the housing 4 at a position on the straight line in the front-rear direction of the housing 4 with respect to the heat dissipation portion 15b of the heat dissipation component 15, and the heat dissipation portion 15b is disposed in the communication module 14. It is designed to function as an antenna element.

If the heat dissipation component 15 also functions as a director, set the length of the heat dissipation component 15 in the height direction shorter than the antenna 17, and if it also functions as a reflector, set it longer than the antenna 17. When the heat dissipation component 15 functions as a director, the directivity to the rear of the vehicle can be enhanced, and when it functions as a reflector, the directivity to the front can be enhanced. A typical value of the distance in the front-rear direction between the heat dissipation component 15 and the antenna 17 is λ/4, where λ is the wavelength of the radio wave, but other values may be set.

According to such an embodiment, since the heat dissipation component 15 is made to function as an antenna element such as a reflector or a director, the overall size can be reduced while disposing the heat dissipation component 15.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of heat dissipation portions 15b may be provided along the height direction of the rear surface of the housing 4. With such a configuration, when the heat dissipation component 15 functions as a reflector or a director, it is possible to control the characteristics of the reflector or the director.

(Third Embodiment)
A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The third embodiment is characterized in that the heat radiation performance of the heat radiation portion 15b of the heat radiation component 15 is improved.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 has a sub heat radiating portion 15b1 whose upper end is bent forward of the housing 4 and extends along the upper surface of the housing 4.

According to such an embodiment, the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 has the sub heat radiating portion 15b1 extending along the front of the housing 4, so that the heat radiating performance of the heat radiating component 15 can be maintained without impairing the design. Can be increased.

(Fourth Embodiment)
A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The fourth embodiment is characterized in that the heat dissipation portion 15b of the heat dissipation component 15 is formed in a planar shape.
As shown in FIG. 10, the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 is formed on the rear surface of the housing 4 in a triangular surface shape, for example.

According to such an embodiment, since the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 is formed in a surface shape on the rear surface of the housing 4, the heat radiating performance of the heat radiating portion 15b can be improved without impairing the design.
The surface shape of the heat dissipation portion 15b is not limited to the triangular shape, and may be a polygonal shape, a circular shape, or a plurality of surface shapes.

(Fifth Embodiment)
The fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The fifth embodiment is characterized in that the heat dissipation portion 15b of the heat dissipation component 15 is formed in a frame shape.
As shown in FIG. 11, the heat dissipation part 15b of the heat dissipation component 15 is formed on the rear surface of the housing 4 in a polygonal frame shape along the height direction.

According to such an embodiment, since the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 is formed in the polygonal frame shape on the rear surface of the housing 4, the electric wave radiated from the antenna 17 to the rear side without impairing the design. The permeability can be increased.
The heat radiating portion 15b is not limited to the polygonal frame shape, and may have a circular frame shape or a plurality of frame shapes.

(Sixth Embodiment)
A sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The sixth embodiment is characterized in that a balancer for a reflector or a waveguide is arranged.

When the heat dissipation component 15 functions as an antenna as shown in FIG. 12, the director 18 is arranged in the housing 4, and the balancer 19 is arranged in front of the director 18. The balancer 19 is provided to adjust the radiation characteristic of the radio wave radiated from the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 and passing through the director 18.

According to such an embodiment, since the balancer 19 is arranged in the housing 4 so as to correspond to the director 18, the characteristics of the director 18 can be adjusted.
When the heat dissipation component 15 functions as a reflector, the antenna is arranged in the housing 4, and the balancer 19 is arranged at a position in front of the antenna.

(Seventh embodiment)
The seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. The seventh embodiment is characterized in that the heat dissipation portion 15b of the heat dissipation component 15 is provided on the side surface of the housing 4.
As shown in FIG. 14, the heat dissipation portion 15b of the heat dissipation component 15 is exposed to the outside in a plane shape along the height direction of the side surface of the housing 4. In this case, the side surface of the housing 4 corresponds to the wall surface.

According to such an embodiment, since the heat dissipation portion 15b of the heat dissipation component 15 is provided so as to be exposed to the outside along the height direction of the side surface of the housing 4, the area of the heat dissipation portion 15b can be greatly expanded. The heat dissipation performance can be improved.

(Eighth Embodiment)
The eighth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The eighth embodiment is characterized in that the rear surface of the housing 4 is bulged rearward.

The shape of the housing 4 is improved every day in order to reduce air resistance and improve the appearance design, and it is expected that the shape of the housing 4 will change. In particular, it is expected that the rear surface of the housing 4 will be provided with a portion projecting rearward in order to reduce air resistance.
As shown in FIG. 15, when the bulging portion 20 protruding rearward is formed on the rear surface of the housing 4, the heat radiating portion 15 b of the heat radiating component 15 is connected to the outside along the height direction of the outer surface of the bulging portion 20. To expose.

According to such an embodiment, in the configuration in which the bulging portion 20 protruding rearward is provided on the rear surface of the housing 4, the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 is arranged along the height direction of the outer surface of the bulging portion 20. Therefore, even if the shape of the housing 4 changes, the heat dissipation performance of the heat dissipation component 15 can be maintained following the change.

(9th Embodiment)
The ninth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This ninth embodiment is characterized by being applied to a vehicle communication device of a type installed in a vehicle. An example of this type of vehicle communication device is a TCU (Telematics Communication Unit).

As shown in FIG. 16, the housing 4 of the vehicle communication device 3 has a box shape in which the lower housing 4a and the upper housing 4b are integrated. The wiring board 13 is sandwiched between the lower housing 4a and the upper housing 4b in a positioned state. The vehicle communication device 3 is installed, for example, immediately below the windshield inside the instrument panel, and is easily affected by sunlight irradiation through the windshield.

The communication module 14 is mounted on the wiring board 13, and the heat transfer part 15 a of the heat dissipation component 15 is provided in the communication module 14 in a heat conductive state via the heat dissipation gel 16. The heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 has a linear shape along the inner surface of the housing 4, and is provided on the inner surface of the housing 4 in a heat conductive state via the heat radiating gel 16. The heat dissipation component 15 is electrically connected to the communication module 14, and the heat dissipation unit 15b functions as an antenna.

According to such an embodiment, the heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 for radiating the heat from the communication module 14 to the outside can be made to function as an antenna. be able to.

As in the above embodiments, the heat dissipation portion 15b of the heat dissipation component 15 may be exposed to the outside of the housing 4, or the heat dissipation portion 15b may be formed in a surface shape or a frame shape.
The heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 may function as an antenna element such as a director or a reflector.

(Other embodiments)
The heat radiating portion 15b of the heat radiating component 15 may be provided in the horizontal direction so as to function as an antenna or an antenna element.
The shape of the housing 4 in the first to eighth embodiments is not limited to the shark fin shape, and may be a box shape or a hemispherical shape.
A heat pipe may be used as the heat radiating component, or a component obtained by applying metal plating to a high thermal conductive resin may be used.
The number of antenna elements is not limited to one, and a plurality of elements may be arranged.

Although the present disclosure has been described according to the embodiment, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment or the structure. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within an equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and forms, and other combinations and forms including only one element, more, or less than them are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

A housing (4) installed in the vehicle (1),
A communication unit (14) built in the housing,
The communication unit and a heat dissipation component (15) provided in a heat conductive state,
The said heat dissipation component is a vehicle communication device which has a heat dissipation part (15b) which functions as an antenna of the said communication part.
A housing (4) installed in the vehicle (1),
A communication unit (14) built in the housing,
An antenna (17) of the communication unit,
The communication unit and a heat dissipation component (15) provided in a heat conductive state,
The said heat dissipation component is a vehicle communication device which has a heat dissipation part (15b) which functions as an element of the said antenna.
The vehicle communication device according to claim 2, further comprising a balancer that adjusts characteristics of the element of the antenna.
The vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat dissipation portion is provided along a wall surface of the housing.
The vehicle communication device according to claim 4, wherein the heat dissipation portion is provided along a height direction of the wall surface.
The communication device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heat dissipation portion has a linear shape.
The vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heat dissipation portion has a surface shape.
The vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heat dissipation portion has a frame shape.
The housing has a bulging portion (20) protruding rearward on a rear surface,
The vehicular communication device according to claim 1, wherein the heat dissipation portion is provided along a height direction of a wall surface of the bulging portion.
The vehicle communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the heat dissipation portion has a sub heat dissipation portion (15b1) along an upper surface of the housing.