JP2001128272A - Waterproof structure for electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an excellent acoustic characteristic by preventing a waterproof membrane from being elongated more than required or damaged due to an external pressure even when the area of the waterproof membrane is increased. SOLUTION: The waterproof structure consists of a device case 1 where an acoustic through-hole 2 is formed at prescribed part, a waterproof membrane 3 that clogs the through-hole 2 in the device case 1, and a protection member 5 that have porosity to restrict deformation of the waterproof membrane 3 and provided in an inner side of the device case 1 from the waterproof membrane 3. Thus, in the case that an external pressure such as water pressure and atmospheric pressure is higher than an inner pressure in the device case 1 when the external pressure is applied to the waterproof membrane 3, even if the waterproof membrane 3 is going to be deformed so as to be pushed toward the inside of the device case 1, since the protection member 5 provided in the inside limits deformation of the waterproof membrane 3, even when the area of the waterproof membrane 3 is increased, the waterproof membrane 3 is surely prevented from being elongated more than required or damaged thereby obtaining an excellent acoustic characteristic.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof structure for electronic equipment such as a portable telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electronic device such as a portable telephone has a device case 1 as shown in FIG. The equipment case 1 has a through hole 2 for sound such as a sound emission hole of a speaker or a sound collection hole of a microphone.
The waterproof case 3 is attached to the inner surface of the device case 1 by closing the through hole 2 with a double-sided adhesive tape 4. In this case, the through hole 2 has an outer side formed in the small-diameter portion 2a and an inner side formed in the large-diameter portion 2b, thereby forming a step. Further, the waterproof membrane 3 is formed of a thin and pliable membrane in order to have a waterproof property and improve sound passage, and the outer peripheral portion thereof is located at the periphery of the large diameter portion 2 b of the through hole 2. 1 is adhered to the inner surface with a double-sided adhesive tape 4.

[0003]

However, in such a waterproof structure of an electronic device, it is necessary to increase the area of the waterproof film 3 in order to secure acoustic characteristics. Since a force proportional to the area is applied, the pressure resistance of the waterproof film 3 is reduced. For this reason, when the external pressure such as water pressure or atmospheric pressure, that is, the external pressure outside the device case 1 is larger than the internal pressure inside the device case 1, the waterproof film 3 is deformed toward the inside of the device case 1 by the external pressure. Not only does the waterproof film 3 extend, so that sufficient acoustic characteristics cannot be obtained. In the worst case, there is a problem that the waterproof film 3 is broken as shown in FIG.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to prevent the waterproof film from being unnecessarily elongated or damaged by external pressure even if the area of the waterproof film is increased, so that good acoustic characteristics can be obtained. .

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus case having a through hole for sound at a predetermined location, and a waterproof film provided in the apparatus case to cover the through hole. And a protective member provided on the inside of the device case with respect to the waterproof film and having air permeability for restricting deformation of the waterproof film. According to the present invention, when the external pressure such as water pressure or atmospheric pressure is larger than the internal pressure in the device case, when the external pressure is applied to the waterproof film, the waterproof film attempts to deform so as to be pushed toward the inside of the device case. However, since the protection member provided inside limits the deformation of the waterproof film, even if the area of the waterproof film is increased,
It is possible to reliably prevent the waterproof film from being unnecessarily stretched or damaged, thereby obtaining good acoustic characteristics.

[0006] In this case, as described in claim 2, if another protective member having air permeability for restricting deformation of the waterproof film is provided between the inner surface of the device case and the waterproof film, If the external pressure, such as water pressure or air pressure, is smaller than the internal pressure inside the equipment case, the internal pressure will try to deform the waterproof membrane so that it will be pushed out of the equipment case. Since the deformation of the waterproof membrane is limited, even if the external pressure changes with respect to the internal pressure in the equipment case and the waterproof membrane is deformed in either the outside or inside direction of the equipment case, the waterproof membrane extends more than necessary. It is possible to prevent the waterproof film from being damaged or damaged, so that good acoustic characteristics can be obtained even if the area of the waterproof film is increased.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an equipment case having a through hole for sound at a predetermined location, a waterproof film located in the equipment case and corresponding to the through hole, A waterproof elastic member provided at the outer periphery of the membrane and having higher elasticity than the waterproof membrane attached to the inner surface of the device case. According to the invention,
When the external pressure such as water pressure or atmospheric pressure changes with respect to the internal pressure in the equipment case, the waterproof elastic member expands and contracts in accordance with the change in the external pressure to prevent deformation of the waterproof film. In addition, it is possible to prevent the waterproof film from being stretched or damaged, thereby obtaining good acoustic characteristics.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] A first embodiment of a waterproof structure for electronic equipment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the conventional example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals and described. The waterproof structure of this electronic device is a structure in which a protective member 5 for restricting deformation of the waterproof film 3 is provided in the device case 1, and is otherwise the same as the conventional example.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the protective member 5 is made of a mesh made of metal or a hard synthetic resin, and has a structure having sufficient air permeability. The protective member 5 is located on the inner side (lower side in the figure) of the device case 1 than the waterproof film 3, and its peripheral edge portion is adhered to the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface of the waterproof film 3 with a double-sided adhesive tape 6. . The double-sided adhesive tape 6 has a predetermined thickness, and is formed to be thicker than the double-sided adhesive tape 4 for bonding the waterproof film 3 to the inner surface of the device case 1. Thereby, the protective member 5 has a predetermined space inside the device case 1 relative to the waterproof film 3, that is, a space corresponding to the thickness of the double-sided adhesive tape 6, in order to make the waterproof film 3 vibrable. Attached to the waterproof membrane 3.

In such a waterproof structure of an electronic device, an external pressure such as water pressure or air pressure outside the device case 1 is applied to the device case 1.
When the internal pressure is larger than the internal pressure, when the external pressure is applied to the waterproof membrane 3, the waterproof membrane 3 tends to deform toward the inside of the device case 1 as shown in FIG. Since the provided protection member 5 limits the deformation of the waterproof film 3, even if the area of the waterproof film 3 is increased, it is possible to reliably prevent the waterproof film 3 from being unnecessarily elongated or damaged, Thereby, good acoustic characteristics can be obtained.

[Second Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG.
A second embodiment of the waterproof structure of the electronic device according to the present invention will be described. In this case, the same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. The waterproof structure of this electronic device has a structure in which another protective member having air permeability (hereinafter referred to as an external-side protective member 7) is provided in the large-diameter portion 2b of the through hole 2 formed in the device case 1.
Except for this, the structure is almost the same as that of the first embodiment.
That is, the large diameter portion 2 b of the through hole 2 is located inside the device case 1, and the hole diameter is formed to be almost the same size as the outer diameter of the prevention film 3. The outer peripheral portion of the protection member 7 on the outer side is adhered to the outer peripheral portion of the upper surface in the large diameter portion 2b by a double-sided adhesive tape 8. Like the protection member 5 of the first embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the protection member 5 on the inside), the protection member 7 on the outer side is a mesh-like member made of metal or a hard synthetic resin, and has sufficient air permeability. It has a structure to have.

Further, the inner peripheral portion of the outer protective member 7 located inside the device case 1 (the lower peripheral portion in FIG. 3).
, The outer peripheral portion of the waterproof film 3 is adhered by a double-sided adhesive tape 9. The double-sided adhesive tape 9 has a predetermined thickness, and is formed to be thicker than the double-sided adhesive tape 8 for bonding the outer protective member 7 in the large-diameter portion 2b on the inner side of the through hole 2. ing. Thereby, the waterproof film 3 has a predetermined space inside the device case 1 relative to the protection member 7, that is, a space corresponding to the thickness of the double-sided adhesive tape 9, in order to enable the vibration of the waterproof film 3 itself. To the protection member 7 on the outside. In addition, on the inner surface of the waterproof membrane 3,
As in the first embodiment, the inner protective member 5 is attached at a predetermined interval by a double-sided adhesive tape 6.

In such a waterproof structure of an electronic device, when an external pressure such as a water pressure or an atmospheric pressure is larger than an internal pressure in the device case 1, when the external pressure is applied to the waterproof film 3, the same as in the first embodiment, The inner protective member 5 provided inside the waterproof film 3 restricts the deformation of the waterproof film 3, and when the external pressure is smaller than the internal pressure in the equipment case 1, as shown in FIG. Although the waterproof film 3 tends to be deformed so as to be pushed out of the device case 1 by the internal pressure, the outer protective member 7 located outside the device case 1 limits the deformation of the waterproof film 3. To prevent the waterproofing membrane 3 from being unnecessarily stretched or damaged even if the waterproofing membrane 3 is deformed toward the outside or the inside of the device case 1 due to the change of the external pressure with respect to the internal pressure of the waterproofing membrane. Therefore, the area of the waterproof membrane 3 can be increased. Also, it is possible to obtain good acoustic characteristics.

In the first and second embodiments, the protection members 5 and 7 are formed in a mesh shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of protection members 5 and 7 may be formed on a hard plate made of metal or hard synthetic resin. It may have a structure in which holes are formed. It is needless to say that the same operation and effect as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained even if the protective member having such a structure is used.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the waterproof structure for electronic equipment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Also in this case, the same parts as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. In the waterproof structure of this electronic device, a waterproof elastic member 10 having higher elasticity than the waterproof film 3 is provided on the outer periphery of the waterproof film 3, and the waterproof elastic member 10 is attached to the inner surface of the device case 1 with an adhesive 11. Thereby, the waterproof film 3 has a structure corresponding to the through hole 2 of the device case 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the waterproof elastic member 10 has a structure in which a ring-shaped resin sheet having elasticity such as rubber is bent in a wave shape, and an outer peripheral portion of the waterproof film 3 is attached to an inner peripheral edge thereof. In this state, the outer peripheral edge of the waterproof elastic member 10 is attached by an adhesive 11 to the inner surface of the equipment case 1 located at the periphery of the large diameter portion 2b of the through hole 2 of the equipment case 1 as shown in FIG. .

In such a waterproof structure of an electronic device, when an external pressure such as a water pressure or an atmospheric pressure changes with respect to an internal pressure in the device case 1, the waterproof elastic member 10 expands and contracts in accordance with the change in the external pressure. The waterproof film 3 is prevented from being deformed. in this case,
In particular, since the waterproof elastic member 10 has a structure in which a ring-shaped resin sheet having elasticity such as rubber is bent into a wave shape, the waterproof elastic member 10 is rich in elasticity as compared with the waterproof membrane 3, and therefore, according to a change in external pressure. Since the waterproof elastic member 10 expands and contracts, deformation of the waterproof film 3 can be prevented. Thereby, even if the area of the waterproof film 3 is increased, the waterproof film 3 can be prevented from being elongated or damaged, and good acoustic characteristics can be obtained.

In the third embodiment, the elastic resin sheet such as rubber is bent in a wave shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the elastic resin sheet such as rubber may be compared with the waterproof film 3. If it is highly elastic, it is not always necessary to bend it into a wave shape, and it may be used as it is flat.

[0018]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an equipment case having a through hole for sound at a predetermined location, and a through hole provided in the equipment case. Waterproof membrane, and a protective member that is provided on the inner side of the equipment case and that has air permeability that regulates the deformation of the waterproof membrane. When the external pressure is applied to the waterproof membrane, the protective member provided inside limits the deformation of the waterproof membrane even if the waterproof membrane attempts to be deformed so as to be pushed toward the inside of the device case. Therefore, even if the area of the waterproof film is increased, it is possible to reliably prevent the waterproof film from being unnecessarily elongated or damaged, thereby obtaining good acoustic characteristics.

In this case, by providing another protective member having air permeability between the inner surface of the device case and the waterproof film to restrict the deformation of the waterproof film, the external pressure is smaller than the internal pressure in the device case. However, even if the waterproof film attempts to be deformed so as to be pushed out of the device case due to its internal pressure, the other protective members located outside the device case limit the deformation of the waterproof film. Even if the external pressure changes and the waterproof membrane is deformed in either the outside or inside direction of the equipment case, the waterproof membrane can be surely prevented from being stretched or damaged more than necessary. Good acoustic characteristics can be obtained even if the area of the film is increased.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an equipment case having a through hole for sound at a predetermined location, a waterproof film located in the equipment case and corresponding to the through hole,
By providing a waterproof elastic member that is provided on the outer periphery of this waterproof membrane and has higher elasticity than the waterproof membrane attached to the inner surface of the equipment case, external pressure such as water pressure and air pressure is reduced to the internal pressure inside the equipment case. If it changes, the waterproof elastic member expands and contracts in accordance with the change of the external pressure to prevent deformation of the waterproof membrane. Therefore, even if the area of the waterproof membrane is increased, the waterproof membrane is prevented from being stretched or damaged. Thus, good acoustic characteristics can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part showing a first embodiment of a waterproof structure of an electronic device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which an external pressure greater than an internal pressure in a device case is applied to the waterproof film of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a main part showing a state in which an internal pressure greater than an external pressure is applied to a waterproof film in a second embodiment of the waterproof structure of the electronic device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part showing a third embodiment of the waterproof structure of the electronic apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of a waterproof membrane and a waterproof elastic member of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part showing a waterproof structure of a conventional electronic device.

7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which an external pressure greater than the internal pressure in the device case is applied to the waterproof film of FIG. 6 and the waterproof film is damaged.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device case 2 Through-hole 3 Waterproof membrane 5, 7 Protective member 6, 8, 9 Double-sided adhesive tape 10 Waterproof elastic member

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A device case having a through hole for sound at a predetermined location, a waterproof film provided in the device case to cover the through hole, and a waterproof film provided inside the device case with respect to the waterproof film. A waterproof structure for electronic equipment, comprising: a protective member having a gas permeability and provided to restrict deformation of the waterproof film. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein another protective member having air permeability for restricting deformation of the waterproof film is provided between the inner surface of the device case and the waterproof film. Waterproof structure for electronic devices. 3. An equipment case provided with a through hole for sound at a predetermined location, a waterproof film located in the equipment case corresponding to the through hole, and the equipment provided on an outer periphery of the waterproof film. A waterproof structure for an electronic device, comprising: a waterproof elastic member having higher elasticity than the waterproof film attached to an inner surface of a case.