JP2005173774A - Electronic apparatus casing - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use a single electronic apparatus casing for both of handy use and stationary use while preventing erroneous operation of a push-button switch during use for stationary use. <P>SOLUTION: In this electronic apparatus main body 21, an operation panel 23 is arranged on one face of a casing 22 resined, while an antenna part 24 is arranged on the other face, and a grip part 25 is attached movably to the side part of the casing 22. In an operation panel 23, push-button switches 31a-31e and a crystal liquid display part 32 are arranged, and projection parts 34 longer than the push-button switches 31a-31e are arranged in both side parts. In the side part of the casing 22, a connector 35 is arranged to be positioned on the inside of the grip part 25. In use of the electronic apparatus main body 21 for handy use, the grip part 25 is attached. In stationary use, the grip part 25 is removed and the electronic apparatus main body 21 is placed on a support base with the operation panel 23 set on the lower side, and the push-button switches 31a-31e are prevented from being brought into contact with the support base. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device casing used for both handicap and stationary use.

  Conventionally, electronic devices having a communication function such as wireless communication or a non-contact ID tag system include a handy device (for example, see Patent Document 1) and a stationary device.

  FIG. 5 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a handy interrogator in a conventional electronic device 1 for handy, for example, a non-contact ID tag system. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 2 denotes an electronic device main body, and a grip portion 3 is provided on a side portion thereof. An operation panel 4 is provided on one surface of the electronic device main body 2, and an antenna unit 5 is provided on the other surface, that is, the opposite surface. The operation panel 4 is provided with various push button switches 6 and a liquid crystal display unit (not shown).

  When the electronic device 1 is actually used, the user holds the grip portion 3 by hand, operates the push button switch 6 with the antenna portion 5 facing the counterpart device, that is, the responder, and transmits radio waves from the antenna portion 5. The information transmitted from the responder is confirmed based on the content displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of the operation panel 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a stationary interrogator in a conventional stationary electronic device 11, for example, a non-contact ID tag system. The stationary electronic device 11 is provided with an antenna portion 12 on the upper surface side, and is used by being placed on a support base 13 such as a desk. The electronic device 11 is connected to a personal computer (personal computer) 15 via a cable 14 and radiates a radio wave from the antenna unit 12 in response to a command from the personal computer 15 to communicate with the responder, and is sent from the responder. The incoming data is output to the personal computer via the cable.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-203429

  As described above, in the electronic device having the conventional communication function, different housings are used for the handy device and the stationary device. However, in order to reduce the cost, it is desirable that the same electronic device housing can be used.

  However, if the conventional handy electronic device 1 is to be used as a stationary device, it is necessary to place the antenna unit 5 on the support base in order to communicate with the counterpart device. For this reason, the operation panel 4 is on the lower side, the push button switch 6 comes into contact with the support base, and the electronic device 1 may malfunction due to being pressed. In addition, there is a problem that the casing of the electronic device main body 2 comes into contact with the support base and the characters silk-printed on the casing are rubbed off. Furthermore, in order for one electronic device 1 to be compatible with handheld use and stationary use, operability such as the position of the push button switch 6, stability of the installation state, and design are required.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. A single unit can be used for both handy and stationary use, and even when used for stationary use, the push button switch can be reliably prevented from malfunctioning, and printing of the housing can be performed. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device casing that can prevent disappearance of characters due to rubbing against characters, is low in cost, and is excellent in design.

  An electronic device casing according to the present invention is formed with a casing provided with an operation panel including a pushbutton switch on at least one surface, and on the operation panel at a position outside the pushbutton switch and higher than the pushbutton switch. A projection portion and a grip portion detachably provided on a side surface of the casing, wherein the casing is supported by the projection portion when the casing is used on a support base. To do.

  According to the present invention, a single electronic device casing can be used for handy and stationary use. When used for stationary use, the push button switch can be used by supporting the casing by the projection even when the operation panel is on the lower side. Can be prevented from coming into contact with the support table, and the housing can be stably held on the support table. For this reason, the malfunction of the electronic device due to the push button switch can be surely prevented, and the disappearance of characters due to rubbing against the printed characters of the housing can be prevented.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an electronic device 20 having a communication function that can be used for both handicap and stationary according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a lower side view, (C) is a right side view.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 21 denotes an electronic device main body. An operation panel 23 is provided on one surface of a molded (resin-processed) housing (case) 22, and an antenna portion 24 is provided on the other surface, that is, the opposite surface. Is provided. For example, the antenna unit 24 has an antenna disposed inside the housing 22. The housing 22 includes, for example, a housing body 22a and a lid 22b, and a grip portion 25 is detachably provided on a side portion of the housing body 22a with a screw 26. The grip portion 25 is formed in a cylindrical shape so that a cable can be inserted therethrough.

  The operation panel 23 is provided with a plurality of operation switches such as five push button switches 31 a to 31 e slightly protruding from the surface of the operation panel 23, and a display unit such as a liquid crystal display unit 32 on the same surface as the operation panel 23. Provided.

  The pushbutton switches 31a to 31e are function keys (F1 to F5), and assigned with functions such as operation start and various operation settings, for example. The operation panel 23 is provided with a plurality of, for example, four LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) 33 on both sides of the liquid crystal display unit 32. The LED 33 displays an operation state of the device such as an on / off state of a power supply (POWER), a radio wave being output, and an error.

  Further, the operation panel 23 is provided with elongated projections 34 on both sides. The protrusion 34 is formed by, for example, integral molding with the housing 22. The protrusion 34 is formed to be slightly higher than the height of the push button switches 31a to 31e, for example, about several mm. In addition, on the operation panel 23, for example, “POWER” is silk-printed on the upper side of the LED 33 indicating the power on / off state, and the numbers “1” to “3” are silk-screened in the vicinity of the other LEDs 33. The characters “F1” to “F5” indicating the function buttons are silk-printed on the upper side of the pushbutton switches 31a to 31e.

  Further, on the side of the electronic device main body 21, that is, on the side where the gripping portion 25 is provided, for example, an RS232C-type connector 35 is disposed so as to be located inside the gripping portion 25 as shown in FIG. Secured with screws 36. The connector 35 is connected to a personal computer or a power supply unit by a cable. When a personal computer is connected to the connector 35, operating power is supplied from the personal computer to each circuit in the electronic device main body 21 via the connector 35.

  When the electronic device 20 configured as described above is used for handy use, the grip portion 25 is fixed to the housing 22 of the electronic device main body 21 with screws 26 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this case, a cable is inserted in advance inside the grip portion 25 and a connector provided at one end thereof is connected to the connector 35. The other end of the cable is connected to a personal computer or a power supply unit.

  Then, the user holds the grip portion 25 by hand so that the antenna unit 24 of the electronic device main body 21 faces the counterpart device, and operates the push button switch 31a, for example, to start communication with the counterpart device. Data sent from the counterpart device is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 32 of the operation panel 23. Further, the user can check the power on / off state, the radio wave transmission state, the presence / absence of an error, and the like by the lighting state of the LED 33 on the operation panel 23.

  When the electronic device 20 is used for stationary use, the grip portion 25 is removed from the electronic device main body 21, and the antenna unit 24 is on the upper side and the operation panel 23 is on the lower side as shown in FIG. It is used by placing it on the support base 13 of the above. At this time, the protrusion 34 provided on the operation panel 23 abuts on the support base 13 to hold the electronic device main body 21 and prevents the push button switches 31 a to 31 e from contacting the support base 13. Then, a personal computer is connected to the connector 35 via a cable.

  The electronic device main body 21 is operated by operating the keyboard of the personal computer, and radio waves are emitted from the antenna unit 24 to communicate with the counterpart device. Data sent from the partner device is output to the personal computer via the cable. The personal computer displays the data sent from the other device on the screen. Further, the personal computer displays on / off the power on / off, radio wave transmission state, occurrence of error, etc., and transmits it to the user.

  As shown in the above embodiment, the electronic device main body 21 is detachably provided with the grip portion 25 and the operation panel 23 is provided with the protrusion 34 so that one electronic device 20 can be used for handy and stationary use. Even when used for stationary use, the push button switches 31 a to 31 e can be prevented from coming into contact with the support base 13, and the electronic device main body 21 can be stably held on the support base 13. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent malfunction of the electronic device 20 due to the push button switches 31a to 31e. Further, scratches and dirt generated on the operation panel 23 side can be concentrated on the protrusion 34, and the disappearance of characters due to rubbing of the casing 22 against silk printing can be prevented. Further, by integrally molding the protrusion 34 into the housing 22, the cost can be reduced and the design can be improved.

Next, a circuit configuration example when the electronic device 20 is configured as a non-contact ID tag system will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 40 denotes an interrogator of a non-contact ID tag system, which includes a microcomputer 53, to which the above-described liquid crystal display unit 32, LED 33, and push button switches 31a to 31e are connected. If necessary, the personal computer 42 is connected from the connector 35 via the cable 41. In this case, power is supplied from the personal computer 42 to each circuit unit of the interrogator 40 via the cable 41 and the connector 35. When the electronic device 20 is used for handy use, a power source (not shown) is connected to the connector 35 via the cable 41 so that power is supplied to each circuit unit of the interrogator 40. good.

  The interrogator 40 includes an oscillator 51 that generates a transmission carrier wave of 2.45 GHz, for example. The transmission carrier wave output from the oscillator 51 is input to an ASK (amplitude shift keying) modulation unit 52. Further, an inquiry signal and a clock having a predetermined cycle are input to the ASK modulation unit 52 from the microcomputer 53. In this case, the microcomputer 53 outputs an inquiry signal and a clock when the push button switch for instructing reading of data, for example, the push button switch 31 a is pressed, and inputs it to the ASK modulation unit 52. The microcomputer 53 also operates according to a control command from the personal computer 42.

  The ASK modulation unit 52 modulates the amplitude of the transmission carrier wave from the oscillator 51 with the inquiry signal and clock from the microcomputer 53 and outputs the result. The signal modulated by the ASK modulation unit 52 is amplified by the transmission amplifier 54 and then sent to the antenna 57 via the directional coupler 55 and the isolator 56, and the interrogation wave 43 by, for example, circular polarization is transmitted from the antenna 57. To the non-contact ID tag 44. The antenna 57 is provided in the antenna unit 24 shown in FIG.

  A part of the transmission carrier wave input from the transmission amplifier 54 to the directional coupler 55 is extracted as a bias wave from the coupling terminal of the directional coupler 55, and passes through the 0/90 ° phase shifter 58. Input to the detector 59. The phase shift amount of the 0/90 ° phase shifter 58 is automatically switched between 0 ° and 90 ° in accordance with a control command from the microcomputer 53.

  The non-contact ID tag 44 stores unique ID data in a memory in advance, reads the stored contents of the memory based on the interrogation wave 43 sent from the interrogator 40, and transmits the transmission carrier wave from the interrogator 40. Is re-radiated as a response wave 45 after amplitude modulation.

The interrogator 40 receives the response wave 45 from the non-contact ID tag 44 by the antenna 57 and inputs the response wave 45 from the isolator 56 to the detector 59.
The detector 59 mixes and detects the response wave 45 from the non-contact ID tag 44 and the carrier wave input from the directional coupler 55 via the 0/90 ° phase shifter 58 by the mixers 16a and 17a, and demodulates them. Data is extracted and output to the microcomputer 53 via the waveform generation circuit 60.

  When the data demodulated by the detector 59 is sent via the waveform generation circuit 60, the microcomputer 53 displays the data on the liquid crystal display unit 32 and also when the personal computer 42 is connected to the connector 35. Transmits the demodulated data to the personal computer 42.

  Further, after transmitting the interrogation wave 43, the microcomputer 53 determines whether or not the response wave 45 is sent from the non-contact ID tag 44 within a predetermined time set in advance, and the response wave 45 is transmitted within the predetermined time. If the signal cannot be received, the phase shift amount of the 0/90 ° phase shifter 58 is changed from 0 ° to 90 °, or from 90 ° to 0 °, that is, the phase of the bias wave is changed and the response wave 45 is detected again. Read the data.

  That is, because the positional relationship between the interrogator 40 and the non-contact ID tag 44 changes the phase difference between the transmitted carrier wave and the response wave 45 from the non-contact ID tag 44, a portion that cannot be received occurs. A 0/90 ° phase shifter 58 changes the response wave to read the data.

  If the microcomputer 53 fails to receive the response wave 45 from the non-contact ID tag 44 even if the phase shift amount of the 0/90 ° phase shifter 58 is switched, the microcomputer 53 determines that an error has occurred and The display LED blinks.

  Although FIG. 4 shows an example in which the electronic device 20 is configured as a non-contact ID tag system, it is needless to say that other system configurations may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the protrusions 34 are provided on both sides of the operation panel 23 has been described. However, the protrusions 34 may be provided on the other side of the operation panel 23.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case in which the protrusions 34 are formed by integral molding with respect to the housing 22 has been described. However, for example, the above-described implementation may be performed by attaching rubber feet or the like to the four corners of the housing 22. The same effect as the form can be obtained.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the liquid crystal display unit 32 is provided with a light-shielding projection that is the same height as the projection 34 or slightly lower than the projection 34 around the liquid crystal display unit 32 to block external light to the liquid crystal display unit 32. The display contents may be easy to see.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when the electronic device 20 is used for handy operation, the operation power is supplied from a personal computer or an external power supply unit. Operation power may be supplied to the unit.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage.

1 shows a schematic configuration of an electronic apparatus having a communication function that can be used for both handicap and stationary according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a front view, (b) is a lower side view, and (c) is a right side. FIG. In the same embodiment, it is a figure which shows the usage pattern at the time of using an electronic device for handy. In the same embodiment, it is a figure which shows the usage pattern at the time of making an electronic device into stationary use. In the same embodiment, it is a circuit block diagram in the case of comprising an electronic device as a non-contact ID tag system. It is a figure which shows the usage condition of the conventional electronic device for a handy. It is a figure which shows the usage pattern of the conventional electronic device for stationary.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Electronic device, 21 ... Electronic device main body, 22 ... Housing | casing, 22a ... Housing main body, 22b ... Cover body, 23 ... Operation panel, 24 ... Antenna part, 25 ... Grip part, 26 ... Screw, 31a-31e ... Push button switch, 32 ... Liquid crystal display, 33 ... LED, 34 ... Projection, 35 ... Connector, 36 ... Screw, 40 ... Interrogator, 41 ... Cable, 42 ... Personal computer, 43 ... Interrogation wave, 44 ... ID tag, 45 ... Response wave, 51 ... Oscillator, 52 ... ASK modulator, 53 ... Microcomputer, 54 ... Transmission amplifier, 55 ... Directional coupler, 56 ... Isolator, 57 ... Antenna, 58 ... Phase shifter, 59 ... Detector, 60 ... waveform generation circuit.

Claims (1)

A housing provided with an operation panel including a push button switch on at least one surface, a protrusion formed on the operation panel at a position outside the push button switch and higher than the push button switch, and a side surface of the housing A detachable gripping portion,
An electronic device housing, wherein the housing is supported by the protrusion when the housing is used on a support base.

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