JP2004103869A - Cover structure for covering opening - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cover structure for covering an opening which forms a space of a uniform width between a side wall of a case and a covering section located inside an opening formed in the side wall. <P>SOLUTION: The cover structure for covering an opening comprises the covering section 61 which is located inside the opening 50 at a distance from an inner peripheral portion 44 of the side wall 40 which surrounds the opening 50 and forms an inward face 62 which faces the inward of the case 31; supporting section 52 which projects inside the opening 50 from the inner peripheral portion 44 of the side wall 40 to form a supporting face 54 which is dented rather than an outer wall face of the side wall 44, and supports the covering section 61 by abutting the supporting face 54 against the inward face 62; first elastic section 72 which is installed in the covering section 61 and presses the supporting section 52 upwards; second elastic section 82 which is also installed in the covering section 61 and presses the supporting section 52 downwards; projecting section 90 which projects on the supporting face 54 side from the inward face 62; hole 56 which is formed in the supporting face 54, into which the projecting section 90 is inserted, and which is abutted against the projecting section 90 from two directions which are opposite from each other and are parallel to the horizontal face; and separation preventing means 74, 84, 92, and 98 which prevents the separation of the covering section 61 from the supporting section 52. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an opening cover structure for covering an opening provided on a side wall of a housing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an opening cover structure for covering an opening provided on a side wall of a housing is known. For example, FIG. 9 shows a kind of an opening cover structure disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the opening cover structure 100 shown in FIG. 9, a cover portion 102 which is slightly smaller than the opening 101 is arranged in the opening 101 and supported by the support portion 103. The support 103 protrudes from the inner peripheral edge 105 of the side wall 104 surrounding the opening 101 toward the inside of the opening 101, and has a support surface 107 that is recessed from the outer wall surface 106 of the side wall 104 and is formed in an annular shape to cover the outer peripheral edge of the opening 101. I have. The opening 101 is closed by the contact of the support surface 107 of the support portion 103 with the inward surface 109 of the cover portion 102 facing the inside of the housing 108.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Published Japanese Utility Model Application No. 6-79184
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the opening cover structure 100, an elastic portion 110 that presses the support portion 103 upward by an elastic force is provided at an upper end portion of the cover portion 102. The lower end of the cover 102 is pressed against the inner peripheral edge 105 of the side wall 104 by the reaction of the support 103 against the elastic force of the elastic part 110. Therefore, the displacement of the cover 102 in the vertical direction is restricted irrespective of the action of gravity. However, in the vertical direction, the gap formed between the outer peripheral edge 111 of the cover 102 and the inner peripheral edge 105 of the side wall 104 is biased upward, so that the appearance of the housing 108 is impaired.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an opening cover structure for forming a gap having a uniform width between a side wall of a housing and a cover portion disposed in an opening of the side wall. Is to provide.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an opening cover structure that covers an opening without impairing the appearance of the housing.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The opening cover structure according to claim 1, wherein the opening cover structure covers an opening provided in a side wall of the housing, and (a) an opening is provided with a gap between the inner peripheral edge of the side wall surrounding the opening. (B) a support surface protruding into the opening from the inner peripheral edge of the side wall and recessed from the outer wall surface of the side wall; (C) a first elastic portion provided on the cover portion to press the support portion upward by an elastic force, and (d) a support portion provided on the cover portion. A second elastic portion that presses the support portion downward by an elastic force, (e) a protruding portion that protrudes from one of the inward surface and the support surface toward the other, and (f) an opening in the other of the inward surface and the support surface (G) a hole which is inserted in the projection and which comes into contact with the projection from two directions opposite to each other and parallel to the horizontal plane; A separation preventing means for preventing the covering portion departure from parts, characterized in that it comprises a.
[0007]
According to this opening cover structure, the cover in the opening is arranged at a desired position in the vertical direction by the reaction force of the support portion against the elastic force of the first elastic portion and the reaction force of the support portion against the elastic force of the second elastic portion. can do. Therefore, a gap having a uniform width can be secured between the upper and lower edges of the cover and the inner peripheral edge of the side wall irrespective of the gravitational action on the cover.
[0008]
Further, since the holes abut on the protruding portions from two directions opposite to each other and parallel to the horizontal plane (hereinafter also referred to as two horizontal directions), the cover in the opening is positioned at a desired position on the two horizontal axis axes. Can be arranged. Therefore, it is possible to secure a gap having a uniform width between both side edges of the cover and the inner peripheral edge of the side wall.
[0009]
Furthermore, since the detachment of the cover from the support is prevented by the detachment preventing means, the cover in the opening does not jump out of the housing.
According to the opening cover structure of the first aspect, the opening can be covered without deteriorating the appearance of the housing.
[0010]
In the opening cover structure according to claim 2, the separation preventing means is provided between the first holding portion provided on the first elastic portion and holding the supporting portion between the first elastic portion and the covering portion, and the covering portion provided on the second elastic portion. And a second sandwiching portion for sandwiching the supporting portion. Thereby, the detachment preventing means can be realized with a simple configuration.
[0011]
In the opening cover structure according to the third aspect, the detachment prevention means includes a third sandwiching portion provided near the insertion portion of the projecting portion into the hole in the covering portion and sandwiching the support portion with the covering portion. The third sandwiching portion prevents the cover from coming off in the vicinity of the insertion portion of the protrusion into the hole, so that the protrusion does not come out of the hole. Therefore, the positioning of the cover by the projection and the hole can be reliably obtained.
[0012]
In the opening cover structure according to the fourth aspect, the support portion forms a support surface in an annular shape covering the outer peripheral edge of the opening, and the outer peripheral edge of the cover inward surface abuts on the annular support surface to close the opening. You. The cover, which is prevented from being detached from the support portion by the detachment preventing means, can reliably close the opening, so that dust can be suppressed from entering the housing through the opening.
[0013]
The image input / output device according to claim 5, wherein (A) an input unit for inputting an image; (B) an output unit for printing an input image, the housing having an opening in a side wall; (C) an opening covering structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which covers the opening. According to this image input / output device, it is possible to enjoy the effects of the above-described opening cover structure according to claims 1 to 4.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an example showing an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
2 and 3 show an image input / output device 10 having an opening cover structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image input / output device 10 is a multifunction peripheral in which an input unit 12 and an output unit 14 are combined in two stages, upper and lower. The input unit 12 implements an image reading and input function as a scanner, and the output unit 14 implements a print output function of an input image as a printer.
[0015]
The input unit 12 has a box-shaped movable housing 18 provided with a document table 16 on the opposite side to the output unit 14, and constitutes a so-called flatbed scanner. A document table cover 20 that covers the surface of the document table 16 is swingably mounted outside the movable housing 18. Inside the movable housing 18, a carriage 22, a light source 24, a mirror 25, a condenser lens 26, a linear image sensor 28, and a processing circuit 29 are accommodated. The carriage 22 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in a horizontal direction parallel to the platen surface of the document table 16, and conveys an optical system including a light source 24, a mirror 25 and a condenser lens 26 and a linear image sensor 28 in the α direction in FIG. I do. As shown by a broken line in FIG. 3, the optical system forms a reflected light image of the subject M irradiated by the light source 24 on the linear image sensor 28 by the mirror 25 and the condenser lens 26. The processing circuit 29 outputs an output signal from the linear image sensor 28 to the printing unit 33 of the output unit 14 via the cable 30 electrically connected.
[0016]
The output unit 14 has a fixed housing 31 as a housing. The fixed housing 31 is formed in a box shape with resin or the like, and swingably supports the movable housing 18 on the top wall 32 side. The fixed housing 31 is provided with an opening 50 penetrating the side wall 40 thereof, and the cover 60 covers the opening 50. Further, the fixed housing 31 is provided with a support portion 52 for supporting the cover 60 and a screw fastening portion 58 (see FIG. 4) for fastening the cover 60 with a screw.
[0017]
The printing section 33 is accommodated in the fixed housing 31. The carriage 34 of the printing unit 33 is provided so as to be capable of reciprocating in the horizontal direction, and transports the plurality of mounted cartridges 35 and the recording head 36 in the direction β in FIG. The ink contained in each cartridge 35 is ejected by the recording head 36 onto the printing paper in the form of droplets. The transport mechanism 37 of the printing unit 33 transports the printing paper supplied to the paper feed port 38 of the fixed housing 31 to a predetermined printing position. Further, the transport mechanism 37 discharges the printing paper on which the image has been printed by the recording head 36 from a paper discharge port (not shown) of the fixed housing 31. The processing circuit 39 of the printing unit 33 is electrically connected to the connector 30a of the cable 30 in the fixed housing 31. The processing circuit 39 generates image data representing a subject image based on the output signal of the linear image sensor 28 input through the cable 30. Further, the processing circuit 39 controls the operations of the carriage 34 and the transport mechanism 37 based on the generated image data, thereby printing an image representing the subject image on printing paper.
[0018]
4 and 5 show a state where the cover 60 is removed from the fixed housing 31 and the opening 50 is opened. Hereinafter, the fixed housing 31 and the openings 50, the support portions 52, and the screw fastening portions 58 provided therein will be described in detail.
The side wall 40 of the fixed housing 31 is composed of four side plates connected so as to have a substantially square shape. Of the four side plate portions, the side plate portion 41 and the side plate portion 42 forming a corner portion are provided with openings 50 that straddle each other. Specifically, the side plate portion 41 is formed in a curved plate shape that bulges outward as the distance from the side plate portion 42 increases, and forms a majority portion 50a of the opening 50 in a rectangular shape extending parallel to a horizontal plane along the curved curve. ing. The side plate portion 42 forms a remaining portion 50b of the opening 50 so as to be connected to the extended end of the opening 50a on the side plate portion 41 side. When the cover 60 is removed, the opening 50 exposes a connection portion between the connector 30a and the processing circuit 39 to the outside.
[0019]
The support portion 52 is provided integrally with the side wall 40 and protrudes into the inside 50 of the opening from the inner peripheral edge 44 of the side wall 40 surrounding the opening 50. The support portion 52 is formed in a rectangular annular plate shape that covers the outer peripheral edge of the opening 50, and forms a support surface 54 with a surface facing the outside of the fixed housing 31. The support surface 54 is recessed inward from the outer wall surfaces 41a, 42a of the adjacent side plate portions 41, 42. The support portion 52 forms a hole 56 near the extended end of the opening 50a on the side opposite to the side plate portion 42. The hole 56 penetrates the side part 52 c of the support part 52 in the thickness direction, and is open to the support surface 54. The hole 56 is formed by a so-called elongated hole having a predetermined width and extending vertically.
The screw fastening portion 58 is disposed in the fixed housing 31 and faces the opening 50b on the side plate portion 42 side.
[0020]
FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 show a state in which the cover 60 shown in FIG. 6 is attached to the fixed housing 31 and the opening 50 is covered. Hereinafter, the cover 60 will be described in detail.
The cover 60 is formed of resin or the like, and has a rectangular plate-shaped cover portion 61 which is slightly smaller than the opening 50. The cover 61 is disposed in the opening 50 and has a gap between the cover 61 and the inner peripheral edge 44 of the side wall 40. The cover portion 61 is curved with the same curve as the side plate portion 41 as it goes away from the side plate portion 42. The support surface 54 of the support portion 52 is in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the inward surface 62 facing the inside of the fixed housing 31 in the cover portion 61. By this contact, the cover 61 is supported by the support 52, and the inner hole 53 of the support 52 in the opening 50 is covered by the inward surface 62. In this embodiment, since the entire outer peripheral edge of the inward surface 62 abuts on the support surface 54, the opening 50 is closed by the cover portion 61 and the support portion 52, and entry of dust into the fixed housing 31 is suppressed. . The outward surface 63 facing the outside of the fixed housing 31 in the cover portion 61 supported by the support portion 52 is substantially flush with the outer wall surfaces 41a and 42a of the side plate portions 41 and 42 extending to the outer peripheral side thereof. That is, the cover 61 is accommodated in the opening 50 so as not to protrude from the outer wall surface of the side wall 40.
[0021]
A first protruding piece 70 is integrally provided at the upper end of the cover 61. The first protruding piece 70 is formed in a flat plate shape parallel to the horizontal plane, and protrudes from the inward surface 62 of the cover 61 toward the inside of the fixed housing 31. The first protruding piece 70 has a slit 71 penetrating in the thickness direction. The slit 71 has a U-shape that opens toward the inside of the fixed housing 31 and forms an elastic portion 72 on the inner peripheral side. The elastic part 72 can be elastically deformed in the vertical direction. The first protruding piece 70 further has a holding portion 74 protruding upward from the upper surface of the elastic portion 72. As shown in FIG. 7, the holding portion 74 is engaged with the inner peripheral edge of the upper side portion 52 a of the support portion 52 by a curved surface 75 that is concave in a valley shape, so that the upper side portion 52 a is sandwiched between the holding portion 74 and the cover portion 61. The elastic part 72 is elastically deformed downward. The elastic portion 72 presses the upper side portion 52a upward through the sandwiching portion 74 by the elastic force generated by the deformation. As described above, the elastic portion 72 constitutes the first elastic portion, and the sandwiching portion 74 constitutes the first sandwiching portion.
[0022]
A second projecting piece 80 is integrally provided at a lower end of the cover 61. The second protrusion 80 is formed in a flat plate shape parallel to the horizontal plane, protrudes from the inward surface 62 of the cover 61 toward the inside of the fixed housing 31, and faces the first protrusion 70 in the up-down direction. The second projecting piece 80 has a slit 81 and an elastic part 82 having the same configuration as the slit 71 and the elastic part 72 of the first projecting piece 70. Further, the second protruding piece 80 has a holding portion 84 protruding downward from the lower surface of the elastic portion 82. As shown in FIG. 7, the sandwiching portion 84 is engaged with the inner peripheral edge of the lower side portion 52 b of the support portion 52 by a curved surface 85 that is concave in a valley shape, thereby sandwiching the lower side portion 52 b between the cover portion 61 and The elastic portion 82 is elastically deformed upward. The elastic portion 82 presses the lower side portion 52b downward through the sandwiching portion 84 by the elastic force generated by the deformation. As described above, the elastic portion 82 constitutes the second elastic portion, and the sandwiching portion 84 constitutes the second sandwiching portion.
[0023]
A ridge 90 is integrally provided at the side end of the cover 61 on the side of the side plate 41. The protrusion 90 protrudes from the inward surface 62 of the cover 61 toward the support surface 54 and is inserted into the hole 56. The ridge 90 extends in the up-down direction at substantially the same width as the hole 56. As a result, the ridges 90 are sandwiched by the inner peripheral wall of the hole 56 from both sides in the width direction, that is, from two directions which are opposite to each other and indicated by X and Y in FIG. In other words, the hole 56 abuts on the ridge 90 from the two horizontal directions X and Y, and regulates the relative displacement of the ridge 90 in the two horizontal directions X and Y. The extending length of the ridge 90 in the vertical direction is set shorter than that of the hole 56, and the ridge 90 is vertically displaceable relative to the hole 56. As described above, the protrusions 90 constitute the protrusions.
[0024]
An engaging claw 92 is further provided integrally with a side end of the cover 61 on the side of the side plate 41. Two engaging claws 92 are formed at positions near the ridge 90 so as to sandwich the ridge 90 in the vertical direction. The engaging claw 92 is formed in a flat plate shape perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and is elastically deformable in the thickness direction thereof. As shown in FIG. 8B, the engaging claw 92 projects obliquely inward from the inward surface 62 of the cover 61 and is engaged with the side 52 c of the support 52 opposite to the support surface. . Due to the engagement, the engagement claw 92 sandwiches the side portion 52 c between the engagement claw 92 and the cover 61. As described above, the engagement claws 92 constitute the third sandwiching portion.
[0025]
A screw hole 94 having a circular cross section penetrating in the thickness direction is provided at a side end portion of the cover portion 61 on the side plate portion 42 side. The screw hole 94 has a large-diameter portion 95 that opens to the outward surface 63 and a small-diameter portion 96 that opens to the inward surface 62. The head of the screw member 98 is inserted into the large diameter part 95, and the shaft of the screw member 98 is inserted into the small diameter part 96. The distal end side of the shaft portion of the screw member 98 passed through the screw hole 94 in this manner is screwed to the screw fastening portion 58.
[0026]
When assembling the image input / output device 10 described above, the cover 60 is detached from the fixed housing 31 and the connector 30 a of the cable 30 is connected to the processing circuit 39, and then the cover 60 is attached to the fixed housing 31. Specifically, while the elastic portions 72 and 82 are elastically deformed, the holding portions 74 and 84 are engaged with the upper side portion 52a and the lower side portion 52b of the support portion 52, respectively. At the same time, the engaging claws 92 are engaged with the side portions 52c of the support portion 52, and the protrusions 90 are fitted into the holes 56. Thereafter, the cover portion 61 is screwed to the screw fastening portion 58 with the screw member 98. As described above, the cover 61 is supported by the support 52 and disposed in the opening 50. In this arrangement state, the gap formed between the cover portion 61 and the inner peripheral edge portion 44 of the side wall 40 has a uniform width in the circumferential direction.
[0027]
In the image input / output device 10, the reaction force of the upper side portion 52 a against the elastic pressing force of the elastic portion 72 acts on the cover portion 61 downward, and the reaction force of the lower side portion 52 b against the elastic pressing force of the elastic portion 82 increases the cover portion 61 upward. Acts on 61. The cover 61 is positioned in the up-down direction by such reaction forces in opposite directions. Therefore, the widths d ₁ and d ₂ (see FIGS. 1 and 7) of the gaps formed between the upper and lower edges of the cover 61 and the inner peripheral edge 44 of the side wall 40 are affected by gravity acting on the cover 61. Regardless, it is ensured uniformly.
[0028]
Further, in the image input / output device 10, since the protrusions 90 are positioned with the relative displacement in the two horizontal directions X and Y regulated by the holes 56, the both side edges of the cover 61 and the inner periphery of the side wall 40 are provided. 44, the widths d ₃ and d ₄ (see FIG. 1) of the gap formed between the gaps 44 are uniformly maintained. Moreover, since the ridges 90 can be vertically displaced relative to the hole 56, the positioning of the cover 61 by the elastic portions 72 and 82 is not hindered.
[0029]
Further, in the image input / output device 10, the support portion 52 is sandwiched between the cover portion 61 and the cover portion 61, and between the cover portion 61 and the cover portion 61, and the cover portion 61 is fixed to the screw retaining portion 58 by the screw member 98. ing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cover portion 61 from detaching from the support portion 52 and protruding from the outer wall surface of the side wall 40. In particular, since the engaging claw 92 prevents the cover 61 from coming off near the place where the ridge 90 is inserted into the hole 56, it is possible to prevent the ridge 90 from being pulled out from the hole 56. Therefore, the positioning action of the cover 61 by the protrusions 90 and the holes 56 is reliably obtained.
As described above, according to the image input / output device 10, a gap having a uniform width can be formed between the side wall 40 and the cover 61, and the protrusion of the cover 61 can be prevented, so that the appearance of the fixed housing 31 is impaired. There is no.
[0030]
In the above-described embodiment, the holding portion 74, the holding portion 84, the engaging claw 92, and the screw member 98 constitute the detachment preventing means. However, one of the elements 74, 84, 92, 98, One or three may be adopted as the separation prevention means. Alternatively, in addition to the elements 74, 84, 92, and 98, a structure capable of realizing the function of preventing the cover portion 61 from separating may be employed as the separation preventing means.
[0031]
Further, in the above embodiment, the annular plate-shaped support portion 52 that covers the outer peripheral edge of the opening 50 is provided, but a plurality of support portions arranged in the circumferential direction of the opening 50 may be provided. Further, in the above embodiment, the example in which the opening cover structure of the present invention is applied to the housing (fixed housing 31) of the output unit 14 of the image input / output device 10 has been described. Is applicable.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view showing a state where a cover is attached to a fixed housing in an image input / output device according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (A) is a longitudinal sectional view and (B) is a transverse sectional view.
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an image input / output device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing an image input / output device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where a cover is removed from a fixed housing in the image input / output device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a cover is removed from a fixed housing in the image input / output device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a cover of the image input / output device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram showing a state where a cover is attached to a fixed housing in the image input / output device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1 (A).
FIGS. 8A and 8B are views showing a state where a cover is attached to a fixed housing in the image input / output device according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIGS. 8A and 8B are A ₈ -A in FIG. FIG. _{8 is a} sectional view taken along line _{8 and} line B ₈ -B ₈ .
9A and 9B are views showing a conventional opening cover structure, wherein FIG. 9A is a perspective view, and FIG. 9B is a sectional view taken along line B ₉ -B ₉ in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 Image input / output device 12 Input unit 14 Output unit 31 Fixed housing (housing)
40 Side walls 41, 42 Side plate (side wall)
44 Inner peripheral part 50 Opening 52 Support part 52a Upper side part (support part)
52b Lower side (supporting part)
52c side part (support part)
54 Support surface 56 Hole 60 Cover 61 Cover 62 Inward surface 63 Outward surface 70 First protruding piece 72 Elastic part (first elastic part)
74 Nipping part (first nipping part, separation prevention means)
80 second protrusion 82 elastic part (second elastic part)
84 clamping part (second clamping part, separation prevention means)
90 ridge (projection)
92 Engaging claw (third sandwiching part, detachment preventing means)
98 Screw member (separation prevention means)
d ₁ , d ₂ , d ₃ , d ₄ gap

Claims (5)

An opening cover structure for covering an opening provided on a side wall of the housing,
A cover portion that is disposed in the opening with a gap between the inner peripheral edge portion of the side wall surrounding the opening and forms an inward surface facing the inside of the housing;
A support portion projecting from the inner peripheral edge of the side wall into the opening to form a support surface that is recessed from the outer wall surface of the side wall, and supporting the cover by contacting the support surface with the inward surface; ,
A first elastic portion provided on the cover portion and pressing the support portion upward by an elastic force;
A second elastic portion provided on the cover portion and pressing the support portion downward by an elastic force,
A protrusion protruding from one of the inward surface and the support surface toward the other,
A hole that is open to the other of the inward surface and the support surface, the protrusion is inserted, and a hole that abuts the protrusion from two directions opposite to each other and parallel to a horizontal plane,
Detachment preventing means for preventing detachment of the cover portion from the support portion,
An opening cover structure comprising: The detachment preventing means is provided between the first elastic portion and the cover, the first sandwiching portion sandwiching the support between the first elastic portion, and the support portion between the second elastic portion and the cover. 2. The opening cover structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second sandwiching portion that sandwiches the opening. The said detachment prevention means is provided near the insertion part of the said protrusion part in the said hole part in the said cover part, and has a 3rd pinching part which pinches the said support part between the said cover parts. The opening cover structure according to 1 or 2. The support portion forms the support surface in an annular shape that covers an outer peripheral edge of the opening,
4. The opening cover structure according to claim 1, wherein the opening is closed when an outer peripheral edge of the inward surface abuts on the annular support surface. 5. An input unit for inputting an image,
An output unit that has a housing provided with an opening in a side wall and prints the input image,
An opening cover structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which covers the opening,
An image input / output device comprising:

Images