JP2002140151A - Portable information equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the drip-proof property of the butt part between split cases with a relatively simple structure. SOLUTION: Body case 12 of a barcode reader 11 is formed by butting an upper case 13, a lower case 14 and a read port case 15. A hole part 14a for arranging a trigger switch 21 is displaced from the butt part so that both butt lines L1 and L2 substantially linearly extend. The butt structure between the upper case 13 and the lower case 14 is made into a fitting structure, and a drip-proof seal part 24 formed of elastomer material is provided over the whole circumference of the upper edge of the lower case 14 by integral molding (two- color molding). The part located at the angle part of the body case 12 of the seal part 24 is thickened to integrally provide shock absorptive parts 24a-24d. The butt part between the lower case 14 and the read port case 15 is also made into a fitting structure, and a drip-proof seal part formed of elastomer material is provided on the lower case 14 by integral molding.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable information device having an improved drip-proof structure of a main body case formed by joining two or more divided cases.

[0002]

FIG. 5 shows the appearance of a portable information device, for example, a handy type bar code reader used in a POS system. That is, the main body case 2 of the bar code reader 1 is configured to be elongated in the left-right direction in the figure, the front end side (the left side in the figure) is slightly wide, and the front end portion is bent obliquely downward. And has a reading window 2a on the front end surface. The main case 2 is composed of an upper case 3 and a lower case 4 both made of plastic.
Are joined by screwing or the like.

A display unit 5 such as an LCD having a touch panel and a key operation unit 6 including ten keys and function keys are provided on the upper surface of the main body case 2.
A push button type trigger switch 7 that is turned on when reading a bar code is provided on the side surface. further,
Although not shown, an illumination light source,
An optical system comprising a linear sensor such as a CCD, a lens, a reflecting mirror, etc., and reading a barcode through the reading window 2a;
A control circuit board including a signal processing circuit is provided.

[0004] In this type of equipment, there is a case where drip-proof property is required in order to protect the equipment from being wet. Therefore, although not shown, in the related art, a rubber seal member (such as an O-ring) is provided so as to sandwich the abutting portion between the upper case 3 and the lower case 4 so as to achieve sealing, or the upper case 3 and the lower case 4 can be sealed. A butt portion with the case 4 is fitted (a protrusion is provided on one side and a concave groove is provided on the other side and fitted) to prevent entry of water or the like.

[0005] However, with the above-described structure in which the seal member is used to provide drip-proof properties, a separate seal member is required, which increases the cost, and also requires the main body case to secure a mounting portion for the seal member. However, there is a disadvantage that the shape of the butted portion of the two (upper and lower cases 3 and 4) becomes complicated, and the assembling work is complicated. In the case where the butted portion of the upper case 3 and the lower case 4 has a fitting structure,
There was a problem that the fitting of the fitting portions was insufficient and good drip-proof properties could not be obtained.

[0006] In particular, of the above-described configuration, in the mounting portion of the trigger switch 7, a hole 2b is formed between the upper case 3 and the lower case 4, and the trigger switch 7 is provided in the hole 2b. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a seal across three parties, as a result, the sealing structure becomes complicated,
A gap is likely to occur, resulting in poor sealing performance.

In the bar code reader 1 having the above structure, for example, in order to improve the impact resistance, that is, to protect the main body case 2 from dropping or hitting with another object, for example, the main body Around the reading window 2a at the tip of the case 2, on the left and right walls on the tip side (wide portion) of the main body case 2,
Rubber parts 8, 9, 10 are attached to the corners of the rear end, respectively. However, in this configuration, the number of parts is increased, the cost is increased, the case shape is complicated, and the assembling work is troublesome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to form a main body case by abutting divided cases. Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable information device capable of improving the performance.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a portable information device according to a first aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a butt portion of a divided case constituting a main body case has a fitting structure and that the divided case has a divided structure. It is characterized in that a drip-proof seal made of an elastomer material is provided by integral molding, which is located at the abutting portion of the case.

According to this, a fixed drip-proof property can be obtained by forming the butted portion of the divided case with a fitting structure, and a seal portion made of an elastomer material is provided at the butted portion of the divided case. Thereby, a sufficient drip-proof property can be obtained. In this case, since the seal portion is formed integrally with the split case, the number of parts is reduced and the assembling operation is simplified as compared with the case where a separate seal member is provided. Therefore, an excellent effect that the drip-proof property of the abutting portion between the divided cases can be improved with a relatively simple configuration can be obtained.

By arranging a seal portion made of an elastomer material on the outer surface of the main body case, it is possible to prevent slippage when the user holds the main body case, and the seal portion is formed into a divided case. By being integrally molded,
A secondary effect such that the design can be improved as compared with the case where it is provided separately is also obtained.

At this time, on the outer surface of the split case, a thick impact absorbing portion made of an elastomer material is provided integrally with the seal portion, located at a corner or a bulging portion of the main body case. (The invention of claim 2). According to this, a thick-walled shock absorbing portion made of an elastomer material is provided at a corner portion or a bulging portion of the main body case which collides when the main body case is dropped or hits with another object. In this case, the shock resistance can be improved, and in this case, the shock absorbing portion is provided integrally with the seal portion, so that the seal portion can be used as the shock absorbing portion, so that the configuration is complicated. Can be eliminated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information device in which a hole for arranging electrical components formed in a main body case is positioned off a butt edge of the divided cases, so that butting between divided cases is achieved. The present invention is characterized in that the line is configured to extend substantially straight as a whole, and a drip-proof seal structure is provided at the abutting portion of the divided case and the inner peripheral edge of the hole.

According to this, the hole for arranging components provided in the main body case is formed in any one of the divided cases, and is not formed over two or more divided cases. . As a result, a gap is less likely to be formed at the inner peripheral edge of the hole, and the seal structure provided between the inner peripheral edge of the hole and the component can be made simple and highly sealable. Moreover, since the shape of the butting line between the divided cases extends substantially straight, the sealing structure at the butting portion can be made simple and highly sealable. Therefore, an excellent effect that it is possible to improve the drip-proof property between the parts and the butted portion between the divided cases or the inner peripheral edge of the hole and the component with a relatively simple configuration can be obtained.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a handy type bar code reader (information reading device) will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 1 shows an external configuration of a handy type barcode reader 11 which is a portable information device according to the present embodiment.
It is configured by incorporating various electric components as described later.

The main body case 12 is mainly composed of a hard plastic (for example, PC + ABS), and is generally long enough to be operated by a user with one hand, and is elongated in the left-right direction in the figure, and each corner is rounded. And a so-called neck-bend shape in which the front end side (left side in the figure) is slightly bent obliquely downward, and has a reading window 12a on the front end surface. Although not shown, the reading window 12a is connected to the main body case 12 (a reading port case described later).
A light-transmitting dust-proof plate is attached to a horizontally long opening formed at the tip (lower left end in the figure) of the.

In detail, the main body case 12 is constituted by a plurality of, in this case, three divided cases, namely, an upper case 13, a lower case 14, and a reading port case 15 butted together and screwed, for example. As shown in FIG. 1B, these divided cases 13 and 14 are, as it were, a cutting line (butting line L <b> 1) extending substantially horizontally across the entire main body case 12 and a lower part of the front end portion of the main body case 12 obliquely. Each part is vertically divided into three parts by the extending cutting line (butting line L2).

Accordingly, the upper case 13 has a substantially rectangular lid shape whose lower surface is open, and constitutes the upper half of the main body case 12. The lower case 14 has an upper surface open,
It has a thin, substantially rectangular container shape having an opening on the lower surface side of the front end, and constitutes the lower half side of the main body case 12 excluding the front end. The reading port case 15 is abutted against an opening on the lower surface of the front end of the lower case 14, and has a cylindrical shape slightly narrowing downward, and constitutes a front end portion (reading port portion) of the main body case 12. I have. In addition, these divided cases 13 to 15
Will be described later.

Here, the electrical components incorporated in the main body case 12 will be briefly described. That is, the main body case 12
On the upper surface of the (upper case 13), a display unit 17 such as an LCD having a touch panel 16 (see FIG. 2) on the surface is provided on the left side in the figure, and ten keys, function keys, etc. are provided on the right side thereof. Is provided. Therefore, a rectangular opening 13a (see FIG. 2) in which the display unit 17 is disposed is formed in the upper surface of the upper case 13, and a plurality of keys in which the keys of the key operation unit 18 are disposed. A hole is formed.

On the side surface of the main body case 12, an optical communication unit 19 is provided at the rear end of the upper case 13 for performing infrared communication with the outside (management computer or the like).
Further, a communication connector (a connector cover 20 is shown in FIG. 1B) for performing communication with the outside by a cable is provided, and a push button type A trigger switch 21 is provided.

Accordingly, a hole portion in which the optical communication section 19 and the communication connector are arranged is formed in a side surface portion of the upper case 13, and a trigger switch 21 is arranged in a side surface portion of the lower case 14. Elongated oval hole 14
a is formed. In this case, the hole 14a is located below the butting line L1 and
Thus, the butting line L1 is configured to extend substantially linearly. The structure of the trigger switch 21 will be described later.

Although not shown, the main body case 1
2, an illumination light source such as an LED, a linear sensor including a CCD for reading a bar code, an optical system unit including a lens and a reflecting mirror, a decoding process of data from the linear sensor, and overall control. A control circuit board on which a microcomputer to be performed is mounted, a battery serving as a power supply, and the like are provided. When the user turns on the trigger switch 21 while holding the main body case 12 and the reading window 12a close to the bar code to be read, the reading target is illuminated and the reflected light is emitted. An image is taken by the linear sensor through the reading window 12a, so that the barcode is read.

In this embodiment, a seal structure for preventing drip is provided in the main body case 12 and an impact absorbing structure for absorbing an impact at the time of dropping is provided as described below. . That is, FIG.
FIG. 3 shows a cross section (one side) along the X-ray, and FIG.
(A), (b), and (c) are enlarged views of each of the portions A, B, and C in FIG. Further, FIG.
FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view along the line YY.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 (a), a display unit 17 having a touch panel 16 is disposed in the opening 13a of the upper case 13. At this time, For example, a rubber seal member 22 is provided in close contact with the edges of the upper surface, side surfaces, and lower surface edges of the touch panel 16 and the display unit 17 so as to cover the entire periphery of the four sides. The seal is made in close contact with the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the opening 13a.

The upper case 13 is provided with the opening 1
The frame-shaped region around 3a is a recess 13b which is one step lower than other portions. As shown in FIG. 1, an impact absorbing portion 23 is provided on the upper surface of the frame-shaped recess 13b (see FIG. 1). 1 is indicated by hatching for convenience). The shock absorbing portion 23 has a thick-walled shape that rises upward from the elastomer material, and as shown in part in FIG. 1B, the upper end bulges upward from other portions of the upper case 13. It is provided as follows. The shock absorbing portion 23 is formed integrally with the upper case 13 (two-color molding).

Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B,
The butting portion (butting line L1 portion) of the upper case 13 and the lower case 14 has a fitting structure. That is,
As shown in FIG. 3 (b), a projecting piece 14 b is provided on the upper edge of the lower case 14 over the entire circumference so that a step appears on the outer surface side. At the lower edge, a groove 13c is formed corresponding to the protruding piece 14b. Thus, the projecting piece 14b of the lower case 14 has a fitting structure that is inserted into the groove 13c of the upper case 13 except for its base end side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lower case 14 is made of an elastomer material equivalent to the shock absorbing portion 23 from the outer surface to the base end of the projecting piece 14b at the abutting portion. The drip-proof seal part 24 is provided integrally. In this case, this seal portion 24 is
The lower case 14 is hatched as shown in FIG.
Is formed over the entire periphery by integral molding (two-color molding), so that, when the upper case 13 and the lower case 14 are fitted to each other, the upper end of the seal portion 24 is joined to the butting edge of the upper case 13. The seal is made in close contact with the lower surface of the.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 1B, the lower side of the seal portion 24 (the portion that appears on the outer surface of the main body case 12) is designed to have a gently curved shape. Although not shown, a plurality of non-slip concave portions having, for example, a crescent shape are formed in both left and right portions (portions touched when the user holds them) among the portions appearing on the outer surface of the seal portion 24. . Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, portions of the seal portion 24 located at the front, rear, left and right corners of the main body case 12 are formed in a thick-bulged state, thereby absorbing shock. Parts 24a-
24d are provided integrally.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 (c),
The trigger switch 21 is provided in the hole 1 of the lower case 14.
4a, a switch button 26 having a pair of fixed contacts (not shown) on the surface (left side in the figure) disposed inside the lower case 14, and provided between them. And a rubber member 27. The rubber member 27 includes a ring-shaped mounting base 27a fixed to the surface of the switch substrate 26, an operation element 27b located inside the push button 25 and having a carbon contact (not shown) on the rear side, and And a connecting portion 27c for elastically connecting the two.

When the push button 25 is pressed, the operator 27b of the rubber member 27 is elastically pushed in, and its carbon contact comes into contact with the fixed contact to turn on the switch. When the operation force of the button 25 is released, the operation element 27b (the push button 25) returns to the original position by the elastic force of the connecting portion 27c. At this time, the mounting base 27a of the rubber member 27 is provided in a state of being elastically compressed and sandwiched between the inner surface of the periphery of the hole 14a of the lower case 14 and the switch board 26. Thus, a drip-proof seal is formed over the entire inner peripheral edge of the hole 14a.

Further, the butting portion (butting line L2 portion) between the lower case 14 and the reading port case 15 is also shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a thin projection piece 14c is provided on the entire inner surface of the lower end of the lower case 14, and a thin projection 15a is provided on the entire outer surface of the upper end of the reading port case 15. And
It is a fitting structure by them. At this time, a drip-proof seal part 28 made of an elastomer material equivalent to the seal part 24 is integrally formed on the outer surface side of the projecting piece part 14c of the lower case 14 with the seal part 24 over the entire circumference. (Two-color molding). With this, lower case 1
When the reading port case 15 and the reading port case 15 are fitted to each other, the seal portion 28 is in close contact with the inner surface of the protruding piece portion 15a of the reading port case 15 to perform sealing.

Also, as shown by hatching in FIG. 1B for convenience, the leading end of the reading port case 15 is located around the reading window 12a,
Is provided. The shock absorbing portion 29 is also formed in a thick-walled shape that swells downward from an equivalent elastomer material, and is formed integrally with the reading port case 15 (two-color molding).

In the bar code reader 11 having the above-described configuration, the main body case 12 includes the upper case 13, the lower case 14,
In the case where the three divided cases of the reading port case 15 are butted together, and these butted portions are formed into a fitting structure, a certain drip-proof property can be obtained.
Butt portion (butting line L1 portion) of upper case 13 and lower case 14, and lower case 14 and reading port case 15
By providing the seal portions 24 and 28 made of an elastomer material at the butted portion (butting line L2 portion), sufficient drip-proof property of the butted portion can be obtained.

At this time, since the seal portions 24 and 28 are formed integrally with the lower case 14 (two-color molding), the number of parts is reduced as compared with the case where a separate seal member is provided. The attachment work is also simplified. In addition, the above-mentioned butting lines L1 and L2 are configured to extend substantially straight, for example, by devising the hole portion 14a for disposing the trigger switch 21 out of the butting portion. , 15 and the structure of the seal portions 24 and 28 can be simplified, and the sealability can be improved with a simple configuration.

Since the hole 14a for disposing the trigger switch 21 is formed in the lower case 14, which is one split case, the hole 2b as shown in FIG.
Unlike the case formed over the above divided case, a gap is hardly generated in the inner peripheral edge of the hole 14a, and the seal is provided by the rubber member 27 provided between the inner peripheral edge of the hole 14a and the trigger switch 21. The structure can be made simple and highly sealable. Similarly, upper case 1
The sealing structure of the sealing member 22 provided between the opening 13a of the third unit and the display unit 17 is also relatively simple and can have a high sealing property.

As a result, the entire body case 12
Excellent sealing properties (drip-proof properties) can be obtained, and sufficient protection from water can be achieved.
Since the seal portion 24 is provided on the outer surface of the main body case 12, it is possible to prevent slippage when the user holds the main body case 12, and the seal portion 24 is integrated with the lower case 14. By molding, it is possible to obtain a secondary effect such that the design (design) such as color and form can be improved as compared with the case where it is provided separately.

Then, the bar code reader 11 having the above configuration
In the main body case 12, a thick shock absorbing portion 2 made of an elastomer material is provided in a frame portion surrounding the display portion 17 in the main body case 12.
3, thick impact absorbing portions 24a to 24d made of an elastomer material are provided at four corner portions, and a thick impact absorbing portion 29 made of an elastomer material is provided at a portion surrounding the reading window 12a at the front end portion. Is provided, it is possible to improve the impact resistance at the corners or bulging portions of the main body case 12 which collide when the main body case 12 is dropped or hit against another object.

In this case, since the shock absorbing portion 23 and the shock absorbing portion 29 are provided integrally with the upper case 13 and the reading port case 15, respectively, the structure can be simplified and the shock absorbing portion 24a can be formed. ~ 24d
Are provided integrally with the seal portion 24 in the lower case 14, so to say, the seal portion 24 and the shock absorbing portions 24a to 24a.
24d can also be used, and the configuration can be extremely simplified.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the main body case 12 is constituted by abutting the three divided cases 13, 14, 15 and divided by the seal portions 24, 28 with a relatively simple structure. The drip-proof property of the abutting portion between the cases 13, 14, 15 can be improved, and the shock absorbing portions 23, 24a to 24d, 29 make it possible to improve the impact resistance of the main body case 12 with a relatively simple configuration. It is possible to achieve an excellent effect that the improvement can be achieved.

In the above embodiment, the seal portions 24, 28
Are provided in the lower case 14, but the seal portion may be provided in the upper case 13 or the reading port case 15. Further, the present invention is not limited to a barcode reader, a two-dimensional code reader, a handy scanner,
The present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the gist, such as being applicable to all portable information devices such as communication devices.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view (a) and a front view (b) showing the appearance of a barcode reader.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a main body case (X in FIG. 1B).
-Cross section along X-ray)

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing portions A, B, and C of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a butt portion between a lower case and a reading port case (a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 1B).

FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawings, 11 is a barcode reader (portable information device),
12 is a main body case, 13, 14, 15 are divided cases, 1
4a is a hole, 17 is a display, 21 is a trigger switch, 2
2 is a sealing member, 23 is a shock absorbing part, 24 is a sealing part,
Reference numerals 24a to 24d denote shock absorbing portions, 28 denotes a seal portion, 29 denotes a shock absorbing portion, and L1 and L2 denote butt lines.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A portable information device comprising an electric component incorporated in a plastic main body case formed by joining two or more divided cases, wherein the butted portions of the divided cases are fitted. A portable information device, wherein the split case is provided with a drip-proof seal made of an elastomer material, which is located at the abutting portion, by integral molding. 2. A thick shock absorbing portion made of an elastomer material is provided on an outer surface portion of the split case at a corner portion or a bulging portion of the main body case, integrally with the seal portion. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein 3. A main body case having two or more divided cases abutting each other and having a hole in an outer wall surface, wherein an electric component is assembled so that a part thereof is located in the hole. A portable information device, wherein the hole is positioned off a butt edge of the split case, so that a butt line between the split cases extends substantially straight as a whole, and A portable information device, wherein a drip-proof seal structure is provided at an abutting portion of the divided case and an inner peripheral edge of the hole.