JP2003217734A - Waterproof cap structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the deterioration in the dustproof-dripproof function at operation time in a structure for restraining an increase in part and assembling costs, and covering the whole connector part with an assembly type waterproof cap while securing a degree of freedom of an installing position of the connector part for covering connector opening parts of a power source and a signal conductor installed on a casing surface of electronic equipment such as an information processor. <P>SOLUTION: The connector opening parts 3a and 3b arranged in a lower cabinet 3 of a casing of the electronic equipment are respectively and independently covered by bending waterproof pieces 1b and 1c with a hinge part 1a of the waterproof cap 1 as a fulcrum. When installing the waterproof cap 1, a shaft hole 1d formed in the shaft direction of the hinge part 1a is installed in a boss 3c arranged in the lower cabinet 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dust-proof and drip-proof waterproof cap structure that covers a connector opening attached to a housing surface of an electronic device such as a portable information processing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when an electronic device such as an information processing device is used outdoors or in a factory where the working environment is harsh, the power supply and signal line connectors provided in the housing of the electronic device are made of elastic members. There was a dustproof and dripproof waterproof cap attached. In this waterproof cap structure, one connector is attached to each connector, or a plurality of connector groups as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-79096 are entirely covered with one large waterproof cap. The structure was adopted.

[0003]

However, when attaching one piece of waterproof cap to one connector,
If a connector part with a waterproof cap is used from the beginning, the cost will increase, and there will be restrictions on the mounting position of the connector part, which may cause a problem in size. Therefore, there are cases where the connector part is not provided with a waterproof cap and a one-piece prevention cap made of an elastic member is separately molded and attached to the housing. In this case, the dimensional problem can be avoided and the connector part can be avoided. Although the material cost can be reduced, the number of assembling steps such as screwing the pressing plate for attaching the waterproof cap increases, resulting in a similar problem of cost increase.

Therefore, in some cases, the problem of increased cost and mounting position may be solved by a structure in which a plurality of connector groups as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-79096 are entirely covered with a large waterproof cap of one piece. It was However, in the case of such a configuration, the user
Even when only one connector is used, it is necessary to remove the waterproof cap, and the entire connector group is exposed. Therefore, there is a problem that even other unused connectors are exposed to dust and water droplets.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. In order to cover the connector openings of the power supply and signal lines attached to the housing surface of electronic equipment such as information processing devices, the connector portion The purpose is to secure the degree of freedom of mounting position while suppressing the cost increase in parts and assembly, and to prevent the deterioration of dustproof and dripproof function during operation in the structure where the entire connector part is covered with a collective type waterproof cap. .

[0006]

In order to solve this problem, the present invention comprises a hinge part provided with a mounting part for mounting to an electronic equipment casing, and a plurality of waterproof pieces having a common hinge part. The plurality of waterproof pieces are rotated or bent around the hinge as a fulcrum to independently cover the plurality of connector openings provided in the electronic device housing, and the mounting portion is formed in the hinge axial direction. The shaft hole is mounted and attached to a boss provided near the connector opening of the electronic device housing.

With the above structure, in a waterproof cap for covering a connector portion of a housing surface of an electronic device such as an information processing device, the waterproof cap component is secured with a degree of freedom in a mounting position of the connector portion while having a simple structure. It is also possible to reduce the cost for assembly and assembling, and prevent the deterioration of the dustproof and dripproof function at the time of connector connection in the collective type waterproof cap.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a hinge portion provided with a mounting portion for mounting to an electronic equipment casing, and a plurality of waterproof pieces having the hinge portion in common.
A waterproof cap structure characterized in that the plurality of waterproof pieces are rotated or bent with the hinge portion as a fulcrum to independently cover the plurality of connector openings provided in the electronic device housing. Thus, the plurality of waterproof pieces attached to one hinge portion can be used alone as a waterproof cap, and it is possible to prevent the functional deterioration of the dustproof and dripproof at the time of connecting the connector.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the waterproof cap structure according to the first aspect, the hinge portion and the plurality of waterproof pieces are integrated by an elastic member.
Since it is an elastic material, it can be bent at the hinge portion, and the waterproof cap can be constructed by one part.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the waterproof cap structure according to the first aspect, the mounting portion provided in the hinge portion is a shaft hole formed in the hinge portion axial direction, and the mounting portion of the electronic device casing is provided. It is characterized in that the shaft hole is attached to a boss provided in the vicinity of the connector opening, and the final assembled state can be formed when the boss is attached to the boss. This eliminates the need for a pressing plate or screws and has the effect of reducing the number of steps for attaching the waterproof cap to the main body housing.

The embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
3 to FIG. 3 will be described.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a component structure of a waterproof cap structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an assembling procedure, and FIG. It is an appearance perspective view showing the state where it was made.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a waterproof cap formed of an elastic member such as rubber, which is provided on both sides of the hinge portion 1a.
The two waterproof pieces 1b and 1c are arranged, and the hinge portion 1a is further provided with a shaft hole 1d in the axial direction of the hinge portion. Reference numerals 2 and 3 are an upper cabinet and a lower cabinet that form a main body casing of the electronic device. Openings 3a and 3b are provided in the lower cabinet 3, and a two-core connector receiving portion 4 and an RJ11 connector receiving portion 5 are attached to the inside thereof. A boss 3c is provided between the openings 3a and 3b.

The waterproof cap 1 is attached so that the boss 3c of the lower cabinet 3 is inserted into the shaft hole 1d, and the two waterproof pieces 1b and 1c are fitted into the openings 3a and 3b of the lower cabinet 3 to receive the two-core connector. The part 4 and the RJ11 connector receiving part 5 are covered.

FIG. 2 shows an assembling procedure. The waterproof cap 1 is attached to the lower cabinet 3 of the main body housing in a state where both the waterproof piece 1b and the waterproof piece 1c are covered, and is further perpendicular to the lower cabinet 3. The shaft hole 1d of the waterproof cap 1 is fitted into the boss 3c that has been erected. Next, the upper cabinet 2 is placed on the lower cabinet 3 and screwed (not shown). Here, if the shaft hole 1d of the waterproof cap 1 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the boss 3c standing on the lower cabinet 3,
Even if it is attached to the boss 3c and turned upside down, it will not come off easily. That is, since the waterproof cap structure is completed at the same time when the upper cabinet 2 is attached to the lower cabinet 3 and the pressing plate and the screwing for attaching the waterproof cap 1 are not required, the number of man-hours for assembling the housing can be reduced.

FIG. 3 shows that the waterproof piece 1b of the waterproof cap 1 attached to the housing of the electronic device closes the opening 3a, and only the waterproof piece 1c is opened to open the opening 3b.
It shows a state in which the male connector 6 is connected to the 1-connector receiving portion 5.

As described above, since the two connector holes can be separately and independently covered by the two waterproof pieces 1b and 1c of the single waterproof cap 1, when only one connector is used. Dust and drip proof can be applied to unused connectors.

In the present embodiment, the waterproof cap is made of one part and is made of an elastic body, but the waterproof piece may be made to be a separate part made of resin and rotated about the hinge part.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the connector portion of the power source and the signal line attached to the housing surface of the electronic equipment such as the information processing device is covered, the dustproof and dustproof structure made of the elastic member is used. In the waterproof cap for drops, while maintaining the flexibility of the mounting position of the connector part, it suppresses the cost increase in parts and assembly, and in the structure that the entire connector part is covered with the collective type waterproof cap, it is dustproof and splashproof during operation The advantageous effect of preventing the deterioration of the function of is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a component structure of a waterproof cap structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an assembly procedure in the waterproof cap structure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a state in which a connector is connected in the waterproof cap structure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 waterproof cap 1a Hinge part 1b, 1c Waterproof piece 1d shaft hole 2 upper cabinet 3 lower cabinet 3a, 3b opening 3c boss 4 2-core connector receiving part 5 RJ11 connector receiving part 6 male connector

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yoshifumi Mifune             1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric             Sangyo Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 4E360 AB42 BA04 BB02 BB12 BB13                       EB02 EC12 EC14 GA29 GB26                       GB46                 5E087 EE11 LL04 LL17 LL29 LL33                       RR04 RR12 RR13 RR29

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A hinge part provided with a mounting part for mounting to an electronic device housing, and a plurality of waterproof pieces having the hinge part in common, wherein the plurality of waterproof pieces rotate about the hinge part as a fulcrum. Alternatively, a waterproof cap structure is formed by bending and independently covering a plurality of connector openings provided in the electronic device housing. 2. The waterproof cap structure according to claim 1, wherein the hinge portion and the plurality of waterproof pieces are integrated by an elastic member. 3. The mounting portion provided on the hinge portion is a shaft hole formed in the axial direction of the hinge portion, and the shaft hole is attached to a boss provided near the connector opening portion of the electronic equipment casing. The waterproof cap structure according to claim 1, wherein the waterproof cap structure is attached by attaching.