JP2002073212A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor which can be made resistant to any impact from the outside. SOLUTION: This information processor is provided with a first case body 3 and a second case body 2 connected to each other so as to be freely openable/ closable and a protecting means 17 arranged at the peripheral edge part of the first case body 3 for protecting the first case body 3 and the second case body 2 by absorbing any impact from the peripheral edge direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and is suitably applied to, for example, a notebook personal computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in personal computers,
2. Description of the Related Art There is a notebook computer (hereinafter, referred to as a notebook personal computer) in which a display unit having a thin display means such as a liquid crystal display panel is rotatably provided in a flat plate-shaped main body containing a motherboard and a hard disk drive.

In a notebook personal computer having such a configuration,
At the time of use, by expanding the display unit with respect to the main body, the keyboard provided on the upper surface of the main body can be used and the display means can be viewed by facing the user. , At the time of the carrying,
By closing the display unit with respect to the main unit, the main unit and the display unit are integrated to reduce the overall shape of the notebook computer,
It is designed to improve portability.

[0004]

However, in a notebook personal computer having such a configuration, a shock may be received from the outside while being carried, and the CPU (Central Processing Unit) or hard disk drive built in the main body may be damaged by the shock. There was a problem that sometimes.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to propose an information processing apparatus that is robust against an external impact.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a first and second housings which are connected to each other so as to be openable and closable, and are provided on a peripheral portion of the first housing, and are provided in a peripheral direction. And protection means for absorbing the impact from the first and second housings to protect the first and second housings.

[0007] By absorbing the impact from the peripheral direction by the protection means provided on the peripheral portion of the first casing, the first and second casings are protected.
Can be protected.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a notebook personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a personal computer) to which the present invention is applied.
This is referred to as a notebook computer), and includes a main body 2 and a display unit 3 provided to be freely opened and closed with respect to the main body 2.

A main body 2 serving as a second housing has a keyboard 4 having a plurality of operation keys for inputting various characters, symbols, numbers, and the like on its upper surface, which is used for moving a mouse cursor and a mouse cursor. A touch pad 6, a left click button 7 and a right click button 8 corresponding to a left button and a right button of a normal mouse, and a push button type power switch 9 are provided.

A claw 10 is provided near the right side of the touch pad 6 at the front end of the upper surface of the main body 2 and a hole 11 is provided at a predetermined position of the display unit 3 corresponding to the claw 10.
The claw 10 is fitted into the hole 11 and locked in a state where the display unit 3 is closed with respect to the main body 2, so that the display unit 3 is held in a closed state. I have.

Further, a slide lever 12 is provided on the front side surface of the main body 2, and by sliding the slide lever 12, the lock of the claw 10 fitted in the hole 8 is released, and the display unit 3 is opened. Can be opened with respect to the main body 2.

On the other hand, the display unit 3 as the first housing has
TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liqu
A liquid crystal display 15 using a liquid crystal display panel of id Cryctal Display is provided.

On the periphery of the display section 3 except for the hinge section 16 with the main body 2, there is provided a periphery protection member 17 formed by molding a synthetic resin such as ABS into a bent round pipe shape. I have.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral protection member 17 as a protection means has an outer periphery projecting outward from the outer peripheral portion of the main body 2 so that the outer peripheral member 17 is externally attached when the notebook computer 1 is carried. The main body 2 containing a precision device such as a hard disk drive is protected from the impact by receiving the impact applied from the device.

The peripheral protective member 17 is formed so that the inside thereof is hollow throughout its entire length, and its weight is reduced, and the peripheral protective member 17 is appropriately deformed in response to the received impact to absorb the impact. .

Here, in general, when manufacturing a bent pipe-shaped member such as the peripheral edge protection member 17, a plurality of pipe members 50A to 50C divided into a relatively simple shape as shown in FIG. It can be constructed by bonding, or
As shown in (B), it is conceivable that the upper and lower half members 51A and 51B having a U-shaped cross section are joined together.

However, in all of these manufacturing methods, it is necessary to join each member by a method such as bonding or welding, which causes a problem that the strength and appearance quality of the joined portion are reduced and the manufacturing process is complicated. There is.

In contrast, the notebook computer 1 of the present invention
In the above, the peripheral protective member 17 is injection-molded by using a hollow molding method called a gas assist molding method, whereby the peripheral protective member 17 can be integrally and hollowly formed without being divided. The strength and appearance quality of the material 17 can be improved.

FIG. 4 shows the principle of the gas assist molding method. After filling the cavity 53 of the mold 52 with a smaller amount of molten resin 54 than the volume of the cavity 53 from the injection nozzle 55 (FIG. 4 (A)). )), A hollow portion 57 is formed inside the molded product 56 by injecting an inert gas such as a nitrogen gas (FIG. 4B).

Thus, in the notebook personal computer 1, the peripheral protective member 17, which is hollow and integrally molded by using the gas assist molding method, is provided around the display section 3 so as to protrude beyond the outer periphery of the main body 2. The main body 2 and the display unit 3 are reliably absorbed by the peripheral protection material 17 to absorb external impact.
To protect.

As shown in FIG. 5, an indicator 20 for displaying the operating state of the notebook computer 1 is housed inside the hinge cover 18 of the main body 2.

FIG. 6 shows the structure of the indicator section 20,
It comprises a light guide 21, a light shield 22 and a mask seal 23.

The light guide 21 has a shape in which four square rod-like light guide members 21A formed in a substantially S-shape are connected by a connection member 21B, and is integrally formed of an acrylic resin having a good light guide property. I have. The light guide 21 is connected to the chassis 25 in the main body 2.
LED arranged in four apertures 25A provided in
(Light Emitting Diode) 27 receives the illumination light emitted from the light receiving surface 21C of the corresponding light guide member 21A, guides the light, and emits the light from the emission surface 21D.

The light shield 22 is a substantially trapezoidal tubular black plastic member corresponding to the outer shape of the light guide 21, and the light guide 21 is housed inside the light shield 21 except for the entrance surface 21C and the exit surface 21D. To prevent unnecessary light leakage.

Further, mounting claws 22A are provided on both left and right side surfaces of the light shielding body 22, and are fitted into the claw holes 25B of the chassis 25 so as to hold the housed light guide 21 at a predetermined position. I have.

The mask seal 23 is made of a transparent sheet material such as vinyl chloride and is attached so as to cover the opening 23B of the light shield 22. One surface of the mask seal 23 has a power mark 23A indicating that the notebook computer 1 is turned on, and a battery mark 23B indicating the charged state of the battery.
Each pattern of the HDD access mark 23C indicating the access state to the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is printed in black.

The power supply mark 23A, the battery mark 23B, and the HDD access mark 23C are provided at positions corresponding to the emission surfaces 21D of the corresponding three light guide members 21A, and the illumination emitted from the emission surfaces 21D. By being illuminated with light, each design is illuminated and displayed.

On the other hand, the hinge portion cover 18 is formed of a transparent plastic material such as polycarbonate colored in deep purple, and a thin-walled portion having a rectangular back surface is provided in a region facing the mask seal 23. 18A is provided, and the luminescent marks 23A to 23C are made visible through the thin portion 18A to the user. For this reason, in the notebook computer 1, only the emitting marks 23A to 23C are visually recognized through the hinge cover 18, and the unlit marks 23A to 23C and the light shield 22 are visually recognized by being shielded by the hinge cover 18. I can't get it.

Here, as the structure of the indicator section in the conventional notebook personal computer, the number of display holes corresponding to the mark to be displayed is provided in the housing, and the tip of the light guide is inserted into the display hole. In general, the display is exposed to the surface, and illumination light from a light source such as an LED provided inside the housing is guided to the outside of the housing by a light guide to display.

However, in the indicator section having such a structure, it is necessary to provide a number of display holes in the housing corresponding to the marks. Therefore, there is a problem that the number of display holes must be changed in accordance with the requirement, and the design of the housing itself must be changed.

On the other hand, the notebook computer 1 of the present invention
In the above, the indicator portion 20 is provided inside the hinge portion cover 18, and the marks 23A to 23C are displayed through the hinge portion cover 18, so that the mask seal can be changed without changing the hinge portion cover 18. 2
The number and design of marks can be changed only by changing the print pattern of No. 3.

That is, the light guide 21 is composed of the four light guide members 2.
1A, three marks 23A to 23C are printed on the mask seal 23, and the light guide member 21A at the right end is unused.

When the number of marks to be displayed is increased to four due to a change in the specifications of the notebook computer 1, the print pattern of the mask seal 23 is changed to a new mark at a position corresponding to the right end light guide member 21A. It is possible to cope with a change in specifications simply by providing. Similarly, even when the number of marks to be displayed is reduced, it is possible to cope with a specification change only by changing the print pattern of the mask seal 23.

Further, in the structure of the indicator section in the conventional notebook personal computer, since the tip of the light guide is inserted into the display hole, the positioning of the light guide when assembling the notebook personal computer 1 becomes complicated. However, since the structure of the indicator section 20 of the present invention is completed inside the hinge section cover 18, even if the relative position between the hinge section cover 18 and the indicator section 20 is slightly shifted, there is no problem in assembly. Accordingly, there is an advantage that the assembling of the notebook computer 1 becomes easy.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
On the back 1A of the USB, Universal Serial Bus (USB) or L
An input / output port unit 30 provided with various connectors such as an AN (Local Area Network) is provided, and a handle 31 made of a substantially arcuate columnar member is provided on the hinge unit 16 on the back surface 1A. The main body 2 is rotatably pivoted within a predetermined angle range. Here, the rotation axis of the display unit 3 and the rotation axis of the handle 31 are provided on the same axis (that is, the rotation axis B shown in FIG. 10), and the outer diameter of the peripheral edge protection member 17 and the handle 31 The outer diameter is the same, and the outer periphery protection member 17 and the handle 31 have a continuous outer shape as a whole.

As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9A, the notebook PC 1 can be used as a grip when carrying the notebook computer 1 by standing up in parallel with the main body 2 (this rotation position is set to this rotation position). Carrying position P1).

As for the handle 31, FIG.
By turning downward and folding as shown in FIG. 9B, the dimension in the depth direction of the notebook computer 1 is reduced, and as shown in FIG. With the notebook computer 1 placed on a desk or the like, the main body 2 is tilted and the keyboard 4
Can be used as a tilt stand for improving the operability of the camera (this rotation position is referred to as a tilt stand position P2).

Here, in the main body 2, as shown in FIG. 11, a handle storage groove 32 is provided at a position corresponding to the vertical portion 31B of the handle 31, and at the tilt stand position P2, the vertical portion 31B is provided with the handle storage groove. 32, so that the handle 31 does not protrude from the back surface 1A of the notebook computer 1.

Thus, when the notebook computer 1 is carried, the handle 31 is raised to the carrying position P1 so that the grip portion 31A is sufficiently separated from the rear surface 1A to improve the grip of the handle 31, and When the handle 31 is folded to the tilt stand position P2 during use, the vertical portion 31B of the handle 31 is stored in the handle storage groove 32 to reduce the size of the notebook computer 1 in the depth direction, and the main body 2 is tilted. The operability of the keyboard 4 can be improved.

Here, assuming that the inclination angle of the main body 2 when the handle 31 is rotated to the tilt stand position P2 in FIG. 10 is α, the rotation angle range of the handle 31 is in a state parallel to the main body 2 (that is, when the handle 31 is carried). From the position P1), it is set in a range of 90 ° + β (here, β> α), so that the handle 31 forms an obtuse angle (90 ° + β−α) with respect to the mounting surface A at the tilt stand position P2. .

As a result, the handle 31 is stabilized by receiving a force in the direction of arrow F by the weight of the notebook computer 1,
Thus, in the notebook computer 1, the handle 31 can be prevented from unexpectedly turning from the tilt stand position due to an external force.

In the notebook computer 1, since the handle 31 is provided above the input / output port 30, the input / output cable 33 is connected to the input / output port 30 while the handle 31 is in the carrying position P1. (FIG. 12
(A)) Then, when the handle 31 is to be turned to the tilt stand position P2, the handle 31 and the input / output cable 33 are in contact with each other, and the handle 31 cannot be turned to the tilt stand position P2. I / O port 3
0 and the input / output cable 33 may be damaged (FIG. 12B).

For this reason, in the notebook personal computer 1, the turning resistance of the handle 31 is set such that the handle 31 naturally turns downward by its own weight when the notebook personal computer 1 is positioned substantially horizontally. Thus, when the notebook computer 1 is placed on a table or the like, the handle 31 automatically rotates to the vicinity of the tilt stand position P2, and thus interference between the handle 31 and the input / output cable 33 is prevented. ing.

In the above configuration, in the notebook computer 1, a pipe-shaped peripheral protective member 17 is provided on the peripheral portion of the display unit 3 except for the hinge portion 16 with the main body 2, and the outer peripheral portion is the outer peripheral portion of the main body 2. It was installed so that it protruded outward.

Accordingly, in the notebook computer 1, the main body 2 and the display unit 3 are protected from the impact by receiving the impact applied from the outside when the notebook computer 1 is carried or the like by the peripheral protection member 17.

Further, in the notebook personal computer 1, the peripheral protective member 17 was injection-molded integrally and in a hollow manner by using the gas-assist molding method without dividing.

Accordingly, in the notebook personal computer 1, the strength and appearance quality of the peripheral protective member 17 can be improved and the weight thereof can be reduced, and the peripheral protective member 17 is appropriately deformed in response to a received impact. Thereby, the shock transmitted to the main body 2 and the display unit 3 by absorbing the shock can be reduced.

According to the above configuration, the peripheral protection member 17 is provided on the peripheral portion of the display portion 3 so as to protrude from the peripheral portion of the main body 2. Is received by the peripheral protection member 17 to protect the main body 2 and the display section 3 from impact, thus realizing a notebook computer which is strong against external impact.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a notebook personal computer has been described.
The present invention is not limited to this. For example, a PDA (Personal Data
The present invention may be applied to various other portable information processing devices such as an Assitant and a word processor.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the peripheral protective material 17 in the shape of a round pipe is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the peripheral protective material having various cross-sectional shapes such as an elliptical pipe and a square pipe is used. 17 may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the peripheral protective member 17 is provided around the peripheral portion of the display section 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the peripheral protective member 17 is provided around the peripheral portion of the main body 2. May be set.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, the protection means is provided on the peripheral portion of the first housing, so that the protection means absorbs the impact from the peripheral direction, and the first and second housings are protected. Thus, it is possible to realize an information processing device that is strong against external shocks.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a notebook computer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relationship between a peripheral edge protection member and a main body.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a method for manufacturing a pipe-shaped member.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of a gas assist molding method.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a relationship between a hinge cover and an indicator.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of an indicator unit.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the back surface of the notebook computer.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a turning state of a handle.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a turning state of a handle.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a rotation angle of a handle.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a handle storage groove.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an interference state between a handle and an input / output cable.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... notebook computer, 2 ... body, 3 ... display unit, 4
... keyboard, 5 ... speaker, 6 ... touch pad, 10 ... claw, 11 ... hole, 12 ... slide lever, 15 ... liquid crystal display, 16 ... hinge,
17 ... peripheral edge protection material, 18 ... hinge part cover, 20 ...
... indicator part, 21 ... light guide, 22 ... light shield,
23 ... mask seal, 25 ... chassis, 27 ... L
ED, 30 ... I / O port part, 31 ... Handle, 3
2 ... Handle groove.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Ryo Yamamoto 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Osamu Gomibuchi 6-35, Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation F term (reference) 4E360 AA02 AB03 AB08 AD05 BA03 CA03 EA12 GA28 GA52 GB26 GB46 GC14

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. First and second housings connected to be openable and closable, provided on a peripheral portion of the first housing, and absorbing the impact from the peripheral direction to the first and second housings. An information processing apparatus comprising: a protection unit that protects a housing. 2. The protection means is provided on the first housing so that when the first and second housings are closed, the protection means protrudes outward from a peripheral edge of the second housing. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said protection means is a pipe-shaped member provided around a peripheral portion of said first housing.