JP2002108505A - Information processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus having a simple constitution and high mechanical strength. SOLUTION: This information processing apparatus 1 is provided with a main body case 30 constituting the outer wall of the body 2 of the information processor 1 and an inside chassis 31 housed inside the body case 30 and provided with a box-shaped housing part in which at least part of electronic components constituting the information processing apparatus 1 is housed. Thus, it is not necessary for the body case 30 to share any mechanical strength, and it is possible to provide the information processing apparatus whose constitution is simple and whose mechanical strength is high while maintaining the flexibility of the case body design.

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,
In use, the keyboard provided on the upper surface of the main body is made usable by unfolding the display unit with respect to the main body, and the display means is made to be visible to the user in opposition to the keyboard. , When carrying it,
By closing the display unit with respect to the main body, the main body and the display unit are integrated, so that the overall shape of the notebook computer 1 can be reduced in size, and portability can be improved.

[0004]

In a notebook personal computer having such a structure, the housing is generally made of AB material.
A synthetic resin such as S or a metal material such as magnesium is used.

However, in a notebook personal computer using a synthetic resin housing, the rigidity of the synthetic resin is relatively low, so that the degree of freedom of the housing design (for example, the shape of the opening) is required to secure the strength of the entire housing. And the area, thickness of the housing, etc.).

[0006] Further, in a notebook personal computer using a metal housing, there is a problem that processing of metal material is more difficult than processing of synthetic resin, so that the degree of freedom in housing design is restricted.

[0007] Further, in a notebook personal computer using a metal housing, it is necessary to apply a coating process to the surface of the housing in order to secure the appearance quality, and thus the manufacturing process of the housing becomes complicated. was there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is intended to propose an information processing apparatus having a simple configuration and high mechanical strength.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a main body case forming an outer wall of a main body of an information processing apparatus, and a main body case accommodated in the main body case.
And an internal chassis having a box-shaped storage portion for storing at least a part of electronic components constituting the information processing apparatus.

Since the internal chassis is provided inside the main body case of the information processing apparatus so that the mechanical strength of the main body of the information processing apparatus is borne by the internal chassis, it is not necessary to provide the main body case with the mechanical strength. High mechanical strength can be obtained with a simple configuration while securing the flexibility of the housing design.

[0011]

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 whole) to which the present invention is applied.
This is referred to as a notebook personal computer), and includes a main body 2 and a display unit 3 provided at the rear end of the upper surface of the main body 2 so as to be freely opened and closed with respect to the main body 2.

The main body 2 has a keyboard 4 having a plurality of operation keys for inputting various characters, symbols, numbers, and the like on its upper surface, two speakers 5, a touch pad 6 used to move a mouse cursor, and a normal pad. Left-click button 7 and right-click button 8 corresponding to left and right buttons of a mouse, and push-button power switch 9
Is provided.

A detachable battery pack BP is inserted on the right side of the main body 2 and a compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM) is mounted on the left side of the main body 2.
) A drive CDD is provided.

Further, a retractable 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 claw hole 11 is provided at a predetermined position of the display unit 3 corresponding to the claw 10. ing.

In the notebook personal computer 1, the slide unit 12 provided on the front side surface of the main body 2 is slid in the direction of the arrow L with the display unit 3 closed with respect to the main body 2, thereby being stored. The claw 10 stands up and engages with the claw hole 11, whereby the main body 2 and the display section 3
Are securely locked to prevent the display unit 3 from being opened unexpectedly when carrying it.

Further, in the notebook personal computer 1, by operating the slide lever 12 in the direction of arrow R, the raised claw 10 is housed, the engagement with the claw hole 11 is released, and the display unit 3 is moved to the main body. 2 can be opened.

On the other hand, the display unit 3 has a TFT-
LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Cryctal Displa
y) Liquid crystal display 1 using liquid crystal display panel
5 are provided.

The peripheral portion of the display unit 3 excluding the hinge portion 16 which is a connection portion with the main body 2 is, for example, AB
A peripheral protection member 17 formed by bending a synthetic resin such as S into a bent round pipe shape is provided around the periphery.

As shown in FIG. 2, the peripheral edge protecting member 17 has an outer periphery projecting outward from the peripheral edge of the main body 2 so that the display unit 3 is closed with respect to the main body 2 (for example, as shown in FIG. 2). When the notebook computer 1 is carried), the main body 2 having a built-in precision device such as a hard disk drive is protected from the shock by receiving the shock applied from the peripheral direction.

The peripheral protective member 17 is formed so that the inside thereof is hollow throughout its entire length, so that 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-like 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 joint 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 from the outer periphery of the main body 2. The impact from the peripheral direction is reliably absorbed by the peripheral protective material 17 to protect the main body 2 and the display unit 3.

Here, since the peripheral edge protective member 17 is provided only on the display portion 3, an impact applied to the peripheral edge protective member 17 from the peripheral edge direction causes a lateral displacement force for laterally displacing the display portion 3 with respect to the main body 2. Act as

Then, the lateral displacement force acts concentratedly on the hinge portion 16 which is a connection portion between the display portion 3 and the main body 2,
As a result, the hinge 16 may be damaged.

For this reason, in the notebook computer 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a bar-shaped lateral displacement prevention shaft 13 is vertically provided near the claw 10 on the upper surface of the main body 2, and the rod-shaped lateral displacement prevention shaft 13 is supported. A shaft hole 14 is provided at a predetermined position of the display unit 3 to be closed, and a lateral slip prevention shaft 13 is fitted into the shaft hole 14 with the display unit 3 closed with respect to the main body 2. The lateral displacement is prevented, and the hinge 16 is prevented from being damaged by an impact.

The shaft 13 for preventing lateral displacement is provided at the front end of the upper surface of the main body 2 and is provided as far as possible from the hinge portion 16 provided at the rear end of the upper surface of the main body 2. The impact applied to the peripheral edge protection member 17 from the peripheral direction is distributed and received by the lateral displacement prevention shaft 13 and the hinge portion 16, thereby reliably preventing the hinge portion 16 from being damaged.

In the notebook personal computer 1, the anti-lateral slip shaft 13 is stored and extended with the storage and standing of the claw 10 in accordance with the sliding operation of the slide lever 12.

FIG. 5 shows a detailed structure of a latch portion 18 comprising a slide lever 12, a claw 10, and a lateral displacement prevention shaft 13. The slide lever 12 is provided with an arc-shaped guide groove 12A. Guide pin 10 provided on claw 10 in accordance with the sliding operation of
A is pushed while sliding in the guide groove 12A, whereby the claw 10 rotates around the rotation shaft 10B.

The slide lever 12 is provided with a linear guide groove 12B, and a guide pin 13A provided on the anti-lateral slip shaft 13 slides in the guide groove 12B in accordance with the slide operation of the slide lever 12. While the shaft 13 is prevented from moving.
Reciprocate up and down.

FIG. 5A shows that the slide lever 12 has an arrow R
The state at the movement limit position in the direction shown in FIG.
A is pushed in the direction of arrow R by the guide groove 12A, whereby the claw 10 rotates counterclockwise and is housed inside the main body 2. In addition, the guide pin 13A is
B is pushed downward by the main body 2, whereby the lateral displacement prevention shaft 13 moves downward in the main body 2 and is housed inside the main body 2.

When the slide lever 12 is moved in the direction of the arrow L, the guide pin 10A is pushed in the direction of the arrow L by the guide groove 12A as shown in FIG. Turns clockwise and stands up. Further, the guide pin 13A is pushed upward by the guide groove 12B, whereby the lateral displacement prevention shaft 13 moves upward in the main body 2 and extends.

FIG. 5C shows that the slide lever 12 has an arrow L
The state at the movement limit position in the direction shown in FIG.
A is pushed in the direction of arrow L by the guide groove 12A, whereby the claw 10 is completely erected and the tip 1
0C is engaged with the claw hole 11 of the display unit 3, and thus the main body 2 and the display unit 3 are fastened by the claw 10. Also,
The guide pin 13 </ b> A is pushed upward by the guide groove 12 </ b> B, whereby the lateral displacement prevention shaft 13 moves upward and completely extends, and fits into the shaft hole 14 of the display unit 3.

Thus, when the notebook personal computer 1 is used, the claw 10 and the side slip prevention shaft 13
Is housed inside the main body 2 so that the claws 10 and the lateral displacement prevention shaft 13 do not hinder the keyboard operation.

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 20 provided with various connectors such as an AN (Local Area Network) is provided, and a handle 21 made of a substantially arcuate columnar member is provided on the hinge 16 on the back surface 1A. The main body 2 is provided rotatably within a predetermined angle range. Here, the rotation axis of the display unit 3 and the rotation axis of the handle 21 are provided on the same axis, and the outer diameter of the peripheral protection member 17 and the outer diameter of the handle 21 are the same. As the edge protection material 1
7 and the handle 21 have a continuous outer shape.

As for the handle 21, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8A, by standing up parallel to the main body 2, the grip 21 </ b> A is separated from the back surface 1 </ b> A so that it can be used as gripping means when carrying the notebook computer 1. (This rotation position is referred to as a carrying position P1).

As for the handle 21, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8B, the notebook PC 1 is turned downward and folded to reduce the size of the notebook computer 1 in the depth direction, and further, as shown in FIG. The main body 2 is tilted while the notebook computer 1 is placed on a desk or the like.
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. 10, a handle storage groove 22 is provided at a position corresponding to the vertical portion 21B of the handle 21, and at the tilt stand position P2, the vertical portion 21B is provided with the handle storage groove. 22, so that the handle 21 does not protrude from the back surface 1A of the notebook computer 1.

Thus, when the notebook computer 1 is carried, the handle 21 is raised to the carrying position P1, whereby the grip portion 21A is sufficiently separated from the back surface 1A to improve the grip of the handle 21, and By folding the handle 21 to the tilt stand position P2 during use, the vertical portion 21B of the handle 21 is housed in the handle housing groove 22 to reduce the size of the notebook computer 1 in the depth direction and to tilt the main body 2 The operability of the keyboard 4 can be improved.

Here, assuming that the inclination angle of the main body 2 when the handle 21 is turned to the tilt stand position P2 in FIG. 9 is α, the turning angle range of the handle 21 is as follows.
From a state parallel to the main body 2 (that is, the carrying position P1), 9
The handle 21 is at an obtuse angle (90 ° + β−α) with respect to the mounting surface A at the tilt stand position P2 at 0 ° + β (here, β> α).

As a result, the handle 21 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.

Since the handle 21 is provided above the input / output port 20 in the notebook computer 1, the input / output cable 23 is connected to the input / output port 20 while the handle 21 is in the carrying position P1. (FIG. 11
(A)) After that, when the handle 21 is turned to the tilt stand position P2, the handle 21 and the input / output cable 23 come into contact with each other, and not only cannot the handle 21 be turned to the tilt stand position P2, I / O port 2
0 and the input / output cable 23 may be damaged (FIG. 11B).

For this reason, in the notebook computer 1, the turning resistance of the handle 21 is set such that the handle 21 naturally turns downward by its own weight when the notebook computer 1 is positioned substantially horizontally. Thus, when the notebook computer 1 is placed on a table or the like, the handle 21 automatically rotates to the vicinity of the tilt stand position P2, so that interference between the handle 21 and the input / output cable 23 can be prevented. It has been done.

Next, the internal structure of the main body 2 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the main body 2 of the notebook personal computer 1, an internal chassis 31 made of a magnesium die-cast product is housed in a main body case 30 constituting an outer wall of the main body 2. .

The main body case 30 includes an upper half 30A and a lower half 30B made of an injection molded product of a polycarbonate resin.
Consists of The upper half 30A and the lower half 30
B is attached to the internal chassis 31 by screwing mounting screws inserted through a plurality of screw holes provided therein to female screws provided in the internal chassis 31. For this reason, in the main body case 30, an insert nut (embedded nut) for mounting the main body case 30 is not required, whereby the structure of the main body case 30 can be simplified and recycling can be easily performed. ing.

The internal chassis 31 has box-shaped storage portions 32 and 33 for storing the CD-ROM drive CDD and the battery pack BP, respectively.

The storage sections 32 and 33 are respectively composed of a plurality of planes 32A to 32C and 33A to 33C. Therefore, the internal chassis 31 has a three-dimensional structure formed by combining a plurality of planes three-dimensionally as a whole. And thus have high rigidity against bending and torsion.

The latch section 1 is provided on the front side of the internal chassis 31.
8 is attached, a handle 21 is rotatably attached to the rear end of the upper surface of the internal chassis 31 via two handle bases 21C, and a display unit 3 (see FIG. (Not shown) are attached so as to be rotatable.

The lower surface of the internal chassis 31 has a CP
A circuit board 34 on which a U (Central Processing Unit), a hard disk drive, various connectors and the like are disposed is attached.

Here, in the notebook computer 1, the display unit 3, the latch unit 18, and the handle 21 are directly attached to the internal chassis 31 having high rigidity, and the internal chassis 31 bears the mechanical strength of the main body 2. It has been made like that. Therefore, in the notebook computer 1, there is no need to provide the main body case 30 with mechanical strength, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in designing the main body case 30 and providing a large opening in the main body case 30.

That is, the lower half 30B of the main body case 30
The opening 3 has substantially the same shape as the contour of the circuit board 34.
5 is provided, and an access lid 36 is provided in the opening 35.
By being fitted and attached, the lower half 3
The outer cover of the main body 2 is constituted by the OB and the access lid 36 integrally.

In the notebook personal computer 1, just by removing the access cover 36, almost the entire surface of the circuit board 32 is exposed, and the CPU and hard disk drive attached to the circuit board 32 can be easily replaced. .

In the notebook computer 1, the CPU
The generated heat is transferred to the internal chassis 31 and dispersed throughout the internal chassis 31 to prevent a specific portion of the main body case 30 from being heated to a high temperature.

In the above configuration, in the notebook computer 1, the upper half 30A of the main body case 30 formed of an injection molded product of a synthetic resin constituting the outer wall of the main body 2 is mounted on the inner chassis 31 formed of a magnesium die cast product. And the lower half 30B.

Thus, in the notebook computer 1, there is no need to provide the main body case 30 with mechanical strength, so that the degree of freedom in the design of the main body case 30 is increased and a large opening can be provided in the main body case 30. Further, in the notebook computer 1, the impact applied to the main body 2 is applied to the internal chassis 31 via the main body case 30.
To the circuit board 32 and the CD.
-The ROM drive CDD and the battery pack BP can be protected.

In the notebook computer 1, the display 3, the latch 18, and the handle 21 are directly attached to the internal chassis 31.

Since the internal chassis 31 has the box-shaped storage portions 32 and 33, the internal chassis 31 has a three-dimensional structure formed by combining a plurality of planes three-dimensionally as a whole, and is resistant to bending and twisting. High rigidity.

Therefore, in the notebook computer 1, since the handle 21 is directly attached to the internal chassis 31, it is possible to have sufficient strength to hold and suspend the handle 21 when carrying the notebook personal computer.

In the notebook computer 1, since the display unit 3 and the latch unit 18 are directly attached to the internal chassis 31, the peripheral protection member 1 provided around the display unit 3 is provided.
7 receives an impact, the hinge 1
6 can be prevented.

According to the above configuration, the upper half 30A and the lower half 30B of the main body case 30 constituting the outer wall of the main body 2 are attached to the inner chassis 31 having high rigidity against bending and torsion. In addition, since the display unit 3 and the handle 21 are directly attached to the internal chassis 31, the strength of the notebook computer 1 can be increased as a whole.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a notebook personal computer in which the main body and the display unit are openably and closably connected has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is not limited to this. PDA (Personal Data Assitant) with integrated display means such as a display
The present invention may be applied to various other information processing apparatuses.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where magnesium is used as the material of the inner chassis 31 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a press-molded metal plate or carbon fiber Various materials that can bear the mechanical strength of the notebook computer 1 such as a molded product of a reinforced resin may be applied to the internal chassis 31.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the polycarbonate resin is used as the material of the main body case 30 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
Various other materials such as BS resin and metal plate
May be applied.

[0068]

As described above, according to the present invention, a main body case constituting an outer wall of a main body of an information processing apparatus, and at least a part of electronic components housed inside the main body case and constituting the information processing apparatus. By providing an internal chassis having a box-shaped storage section for storing the information, the mechanical strength of the main body of the information processing apparatus is borne by the internal chassis, so that the main body case does not need to be borne by the mechanical strength. An information processing apparatus having high mechanical strength with a simple configuration can be obtained while securing the degree of freedom in body design.

[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 diagram illustrating a structure of a latch unit.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the back surface of the notebook computer.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a turning state of a handle.

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

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a rotation angle of a handle.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a handle housing groove.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an interference state between a handle and an input / output cable.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the main body.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... notebook computer, 2 ... body, 3 ... display unit, 4
... keyboard, 5 ... speaker, 6 ... touch pad, 10 ... claw, 11 ... claw hole, 12 ... slide lever, 13 ... side slip prevention shaft, 14 ... shaft hole, 15 ... liquid crystal display , 16 ... hinge part,
Reference numeral 17: Peripheral protection material, 18: Latch portion, 20: Input / output port portion, 21: Handle, 22: Handle storage groove, 30, Body case, 31, Internal chassis, 3
2, 33 ... storage section, 34 ... circuit board, 35 ... opening, 36 ... access lid.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yuzo Ozaki 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo F-term in Sony Corporation (reference) 4E360 AA02 AB14 AB17 AB42 AB43 AB51 AD06 AD15 EC14 ED02 ED12 EE04 EE05 GA12 GA14 GA53 GB46 GC04 GC08

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A main body case forming an outer wall of a main body of an information processing device, and a box-shaped storage portion housed in the main body case and storing at least a part of electronic components forming the information processing device. An information processing apparatus comprising: an internal chassis having the information processing apparatus. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit rotatably provided with respect to the main body, wherein the display unit is directly attached to the internal chassis. . 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a handle rotatably provided with respect to the main body, wherein the handle is directly attached to the internal chassis.