JP2001228950A - Waterproof mechanism for information equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent electrical troubles when coffee, etc., is spilt on a keyboard 1 in a field of information equipment such as a personal computer. SOLUTION: This waterproof mechanism has an action capable of preventing a liquid from reaching an internal wiring substrate 8 and consequently preventing the liquid from causing the electrical troubles such as a short circuit by sticking a water absorption member 10 on a lower surface of the keyboard 1 in the shape of a sheet and catching the liquid such as coffee spilt and infiltrated from a gap between a keyboard unit 1 and a keyboard unit holding part by the water absorption member 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a waterproof mechanism for a keyboard mounting portion of information equipment such as a personal computer and a word processor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a waterproof mechanism when coffee or the like is spilled on a keyboard, a sealing material is sandwiched between a lower surface of the keyboard and an upper cover to completely seal a fastening portion between the lower cover and the upper cover. By doing so, the liquid did not reach the lower circuit board to prevent an electrical trouble.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of a waterproof structure in a conventional notebook personal computer. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 51 denotes a keyboard unit, 52 denotes a housing, 53 denotes a sealing material made of an elastic body such as rubber, and 54 denotes a wiring board. Case 52
Is provided with an opening 56, and a shelf-like holding portion 55 for holding the keyboard unit 51 is provided around the opening 56. Keyboard unit 51 and wiring board 54
Are electrically connected by a cable not shown. A ring-shaped sealing material 53 is placed on the holding portion 55, and the bottom surface of the keyboard unit 51 is placed thereon,
The holding portion 55 has a waterproof structure by being tightened with the screw 57. This protects the wiring board 54 and the like built in the housing 52 from water and prevents an electrical trouble due to runaway of the CPU, short circuit of the power supply circuit, and the like.

When the conventional waterproof structure is applied to a lightweight, thin and small notebook personal computer, the following problems occur. In the conventional structure, in order to completely prevent the liquid from permeating from the joint of the holding portion 53, it is necessary to apply a strong pressure to the keyboard unit 51 to eliminate a gap and sufficiently maintain airtightness. For this reason, the rigidity of the holding portion 53 is increased, and mechanically complicated, such as fixing a plurality of portions with the screws 57, it takes time to assemble, and the thickness of the sealing material 53 and the thickness of the product also increase. was there. Further, in the case where the key arrangement portion of the keyboard unit is not waterproof, it is not sufficient just to make the peripheral portion waterproof.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides a waterproof structure suitable for information devices such as personal computers and word processors which are required to be lightweight, thin and small.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a water absorbing member around a fastening portion between a keyboard unit and a housing so that water entering through a gap between the fastening portions can be absorbed by the water absorbing member. Electric circuits such as wiring boards
It prevents water from contacting electrical components.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a keyboard unit, a housing, and a water absorbing member, wherein the housing has a holding portion for holding the keyboard unit, a circuit board, And a storage portion for storing the water-absorbing member, wherein the water-absorbing member is provided in contact with the periphery of the holding portion, and when a liquid such as coffee spills on the keyboard, the water-absorbing member is Since it absorbs water, it is possible to prevent the circuit board and electronic components housed under the keyboard from getting wet with water. Therefore, it has an effect that an electrical trouble such as a short circuit can be prevented. In addition, since the water absorbing member is provided around the holding portion, the thickness is not increased, the airtightness is about normal, and the structure is simple.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the water-absorbing member has a water-permeable top sheet and a water-impermeable back sheet. The back sheet is made impermeable to water, so that the water absorbed by the water-absorbing polymer does not drip and wet the circuit board and the electronic components.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the water-absorbing member is detachable, and the water-absorbing member absorbs water or becomes moist due to long-term use. , The water absorbing member can be replaced when the water absorbing ability is reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, an adhesive layer is provided on the water-absorbing member, and the adhesive layer is easily attached and peeled off. I can take it.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the absorbing member has an area covering the entire bottom surface of the keyboard unit.
It has the function of making a keyboard unit whose key arrangement portion is not waterproof structure waterproof.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a housing having an opening, a lid member, and a water absorbing member, wherein the opening has a holding portion for holding the lid member, A water-proof mechanism of the information processing apparatus, wherein the water-absorbing member is provided in contact with the periphery of the holding unit, and a lid member that covers an opening provided upward, for example, a flat input device of a notebook computer, An object of the present invention is to provide a simple waterproof structure that can prevent water spilled from around a click button or the like from being accidentally spilled into an information device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a waterproof keyboard device embodying an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the keyboard unit viewed from the back, and FIG.
The figure is a sectional view of the water absorbing member.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a keyboard unit,
2 is a key, 3 is a keyboard frame, 4 is a keyboard bottom, 5
Is an upper housing, 6 is a lower housing, 7 is a keyboard unit holding portion, 8 is a wiring board, 9 is an electronic component, and 10 is a water absorbing member.

The upper housing 5 has an opening covered by the keyboard unit 1, and a keyboard unit holding portion 7 for mounting the keyboard unit 1 is provided around the opening. The keyboard unit 1 has a key 2 for input, a keyboard frame 3 in which the key 2 is incorporated, and a keyboard bottom surface 4 that supports a circuit board 8 for detecting ON / OFF of the key 2. The area of the keyboard bottom surface 4 is smaller than the area of the opening provided in the upper housing 5, and when the keyboard unit 1 is placed on the keyboard unit holding portion 7, the periphery of the keyboard frame 3 is Ride on. The circuit board 8 is housed in a space formed by the upper housing 5 and the lower housing 6. A large number of electronic components 9 such as semiconductor packages are mounted on the circuit board 8.

A boss 11 is provided on the keyboard bottom surface 4, and a boss 12 corresponding to the boss 11 is provided on the lower housing 6.
A screw hole is cut in the boss 11 so that the boss 11 can be screwed from the outside of the lower housing 6. The wiring board 8 is fixed to the lower housing 6 by screws (not shown).

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the water absorbing member 10, and FIG.
(B) shows a cross-sectional view in the direction of arrow A. In FIG. 2, 2
1 is a water-permeable top sheet made of pulp material, 22 is a water-impermeable back sheet made of polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or the like, and 23 is a cotton-like pulp containing a water-absorbing polymer 25 inside. The ends of the top sheet 21 and the back sheet 24 are joined by lamination to form a bag. The water absorbing member 10 is ring-shaped,
The inner periphery of the water absorbing member 10 is formed corresponding to the outer periphery of the keyboard bottom surface 4, and the outer periphery of the water absorbing member 10 is formed corresponding to the inner periphery of the keyboard unit holding portion 7. An adhesive layer 26 is provided on a laminated portion of the top sheet 21 and the back sheet 24.

The procedure for assembling the keyboard device having the above configuration will be described. The keyboard frame 3 is fitted into the opening of the upper housing 5, and the keyboard unit 1 is temporarily fixed to the upper housing 5 by an engaging means not shown. The water absorbing member 10 is pushed into a groove formed by the outer periphery of the keyboard bottom surface 4 and the inner periphery of the keyboard unit holding portion 7, and the adhesive layer 26 is formed.
Thus, one end of the water absorbing member 10 is attached to the keyboard unit holding portion 7 and the other end is attached to the keyboard bottom surface 4. As described above, the water absorbing member 10 is
Of the keyboard bottom 4
The gap formed by the keyboard unit holding portion 7 and
The water absorbing member 10 is covered with the water permeable surface sheet 21. After the lower housing 6 and the upper housing 5 to which the wiring board 8 is fixed with screws are temporarily fixed by engaging means (not shown),
Then, the information device with the waterproof mechanism of the first embodiment is assembled.

When a liquid such as coffee is accidentally spilled on the keyboard 1 of the information device, the keyboard bottom 4
The liquid that has permeated through the gap formed between the keyboard and the keyboard unit holding portion 7 travels through the fibers of the topsheet 21 and the cotton-like pulp 23, and is absorbed by the water-absorbing polymer 25. Moisture transmitted on the surface of the top sheet 21 is blocked by the laminate section and the impermeable back sheet 22, and does not reach the circuit board 8. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an electrical trouble such as a short circuit from occurring.

If water is accidentally spilled on the keyboard and the water-absorbing member 10 gets wet, or if the water-absorbing member 10 becomes wet due to long-term use, the screws 13 are removed and the housing 6 is used as the upper housing 5. Is easily separated from the water absorbing member 10
Can be replaced.

The ring-shaped water absorbing member 10 shown in FIG.
4 and 5 omitting the top sheet 21 and the back sheet 22
Like, the adhesive layer 26 is directly applied on the water absorbing member 30,
The adhesive layer 26 may be attached to the keyboard unit to absorb water from the end surface 30a of the water absorbing member 30.

Further, instead of the ring-shaped water absorbing member 10 shown in FIG. 2, a cushion-shaped water absorbing member 30 having the shape shown in FIG. 3 can be used. In the case of the water absorbing member 30, even if the keyboard unit 1 has a fine hole, it absorbs the liquid that spills from around the keyboard unit 1 and the gap between the input keys 2. Can be protected from In this case, the water absorbing member 30
It is preferable to provide the pressure-sensitive adhesive 31 in the vicinity of the surface sheet and the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 32 in an island shape inside the topsheet.

The waterproof mechanism in the keyboard device has been described above. However, not only the keyboard device but also the information device has a lid-like device provided on the operation surface and engaged with an upward opening, such as a flat input device and a click button. Needless to say, it can be used as a mechanism.

As described above in connection with one embodiment, the present invention is to be installed as an insurance in case of an emergency, and it is like an air bag of a car. In the unlikely event of an accident, safety is ensured, but the airbag can be replaced again to restore its original function.

Most of the water-absorbing members can be safely used for their life without being wetted by coffee, but if a spill occurs, protect the circuit, open the housing, and replace the water-absorbing members. Only the original function can be restored.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, if a liquid such as coffee is spilled on the keyboard, and if moisture permeates down from the gap with the upper housing or from the fine hole of the keyboard, Since the water absorbing member absorbs moisture to protect the circuit board, an advantageous effect that an electrical trouble such as a short circuit can be prevented can be easily obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of a main part of an information device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a plan view of the water absorbing member according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a water absorbing member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a main part of the information equipment according to the embodiment of the present invention;

5A is a plan view of a water-absorbing member according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of a main part of an information device according to a conventional embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 51 Keyboard unit 5, 22 Upper housing 6 Lower housing 7, 55 Keyboard unit holding part 8, 54 Wiring board 9 Electronic component 10, 30 Water absorbing member 21 Top sheet 24 Back sheet 26, 31, 32 Adhesive layer

Claims (6)

[Claims] An electronic device comprising a keyboard unit, a housing, and a water absorbing member, wherein the housing has a holding portion for holding the keyboard unit, and a housing portion for housing a circuit board. A waterproof keyboard device provided in contact with a periphery of the holding portion. 2. The water-absorbing member has a water-permeable top sheet and a water-impermeable back sheet, and contains a water-absorbing polymer between the top sheet and the back sheet. A waterproof keyboard device as described. 3. The waterproof keyboard device according to claim 2, wherein the water absorbing member is detachable. 4. The waterproof keyboard device according to claim 3, wherein an adhesive layer is provided on the water absorbing member. 5. The waterproof keyboard device according to claim 2, wherein the absorbing member has an area covering the entire bottom surface of the keyboard unit. 6. A housing having an opening, a lid member, and a water absorbing member, wherein the opening has a holding portion for holding the lid member, and the water absorbing member is provided around the holding portion. A waterproof mechanism for an information processing device, which is provided in contact with the information processing device.