JP2006013794A - Hinge and electronic equipment employing same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hinge for realizing the reduction of a manufacturing cost and the downsizing of electronic equipment, and to provide the electronic equipment equipped with the same. <P>SOLUTION: The hinge 1 for hinging a first unit 30 with a second unit 20 comprises: a first member 120 fixed to the first unit 30; a second member 100 fixed to the second unit 20 and connected to the first member 120 freely rockably; and a lock part 106 provided on the second member 100, locking a cable 41 for electrically connecting the first unit 30 to the second unit 20 and rocked together with the second member 120. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a hinge and an electronic apparatus using the hinge.

A so-called multi-function machine in which a printer and an image scanner are integrated is known. Some of these multifunction devices are known in which a scanner unit and a printing unit are swingably connected by a hinge (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In the MFPs described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the scanner unit is oscillated in order to prevent accidents such as the scanner unit moving suddenly in the direction close to the printing unit due to its own weight and pinching a hand. A hinge having means is provided.
However, in such a multifunction device, a cable that electrically connects the scanner unit and the printing unit is wired between the scanner unit and the printing unit, or the cable between the scanner unit and the printing unit is connected. A cable cover that covers the area between them is provided separately from the hinge. In order to provide the cable cover separately from the hinge, it is necessary to provide an area for installing the cable cover. Further, since the cable is slackened by the swing of the scanner unit, it is necessary to provide a space for accommodating the cable in consideration of the slack. In other words, providing the cable cover separately from the hinge is not suitable for downsizing of the multifunction device. Furthermore, since the cable slackened by the swinging of the scanner unit comes into contact with the cable cover and rubs, the cable may be broken. On the other hand, if the cable is exposed, the cable may be disconnected due to contact with foreign matter.
JP 2004-120548 A JP 2002-144673 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the first invention is to provide a hinge for realizing reduction in manufacturing cost and miniaturization of an electronic device. A second object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can be reduced in manufacturing cost and reduced in size with a hinge according to the first invention.

  A hinge according to a first invention for achieving the above object is a hinge connecting a first unit and a second unit, the first member fixed to the first unit, and the second unit A second member fixed and swingably coupled to the first member; and provided on the second member, for locking a cable for electrically connecting the first unit and the second unit; A locking portion that swings together with the second member. The locking portion locks the cable and swings together with the second member in that state. Therefore, according to the hinge according to the present invention, the cable drawn from the first unit can be guided to the second unit by the first member and the second member. In other words, the electronic device including the hinge according to the present invention does not need to include a member for guiding the cable separately from the hinge, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

  However, as the portion closest to the first unit among the portions locked to the locking portion of the cable pulled out from the first unit moves away from the axis of the swing shaft in the circumferential direction, the cable and the first member The change of the path length guided by the two members due to the swing of the second unit becomes large. That is, the slack of the cable due to the swing of the second unit is increased. Therefore, a portion of the portion of the cable drawn out from the first unit that is locked to the locking portion is closest to the first unit and is supported by either the first member or the second member. It is desirable to be located in a virtual cylinder including the outer peripheral surface of the rocking shaft. In the virtual cylinder including the outer peripheral surface of the oscillating shaft, that is, in the vicinity of the axis of the oscillating shaft, the portion closest to the first unit among the portions locked to the locking portion of the cable drawn from the first unit Since the locking portion locks, the change in the path length is small. That is, the slack of the cable due to the swing is reduced. Therefore, according to the electronic device provided with the hinge according to the present invention, the space for accommodating the slack cable can be reduced, so that the electronic device can be reduced in size.

  A first cover part that is provided on the second member and covers the cable, and a part that is provided on the first member and is pulled out from the first unit of the cable until locked by the locking part. It is desirable to further include a second cover portion that covers a portion exposed from the first cover portion within the swing range of the second member. The first cover portion covers the cable, and the first cover portion is within the swing range of the second member of the portion from when the second cover portion is pulled out from the first unit of the cable until it is locked to the locking portion. Cover the exposed area. Therefore, the cable is not exposed between the first unit and the second unit. Therefore, disconnection of the cable can be prevented.

  An electronic device according to a second invention for achieving the above object includes a first unit, a second unit, a first connecting portion that pivotably connects the first unit to the second unit, A second connecting part for connecting the first unit to the second unit so as to be swingable about the same swinging axis as the swinging axis of the first connecting part, wherein the first connecting part is a first The second connecting portion is a hinge according to the first aspect of the invention. The braking means of the first connecting portion brakes the swinging of the first unit and the second unit. For this reason, for example, in an electronic device in which the first unit swings with respect to the second unit, the first unit can be prevented from moving due to its own weight, thereby preventing an accident such as a hand being caught in the first unit. Can do. Moreover, the 2nd connection part can guide the cable withdraw | derived from the 1st unit to the 2nd unit. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a means for guiding the cable from the first unit to the second unit separately from the second connecting portion, and thus the electronic device can be reduced in size. Moreover, the 2nd connection part which has a guide means is realizable with a simple structure compared with the 1st connection part which has a braking means. Therefore, the electronic device according to the present invention including the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion can reduce the manufacturing cost as compared with an electronic device including two connecting portions each having a braking means.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described based on examples.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a multifunction machine 4 as an electronic apparatus using the hinge 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the multifunction machine 4. The multifunction machine 4 includes a scanner unit 30 as a first unit and a printing unit 20 as a second unit. The scanner unit 30 and the printing unit 20 are swingably connected by a hinge 1 as a second connecting portion and a hinge 50 as a first connecting portion (see FIG. 3). The hinge 50 is a hinge having braking means, such as the hinge described in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, for example. The scanner unit 30 and the printing unit 20 are electrically connected by a flexible flat cable (FFC) 41 as a cable. The scanner unit 30 has an image reading function. The printing unit 20 has an image printing function. Further, since the multifunction device 4 can print an image read by the scanner unit 30 by the printing unit 20, it has a copying function as a whole. The electronic device is not limited to the multifunction device 4. The hinge 50 may be a hinge that does not have a braking means. The type of cable is not limited to a flexible flat cable.

  The scanner unit 30 is a so-called flatbed scanner. The scanner unit 30 swings with respect to the printing unit 20 about the swing shaft 15 of the hinge 1. The fully closed scanner unit 30 is placed on top of the printing unit 20, and the scanner unit 30 is supported by the printer housing 2. In this embodiment, the state in which the bottom of the scanner unit 30 is placed on the top of the printing unit 20 is called a fully closed state, and the state in which the bottom of the scanner unit 30 is farthest from the top of the printing unit 20 is fully opened. The state is assumed (see FIG. 3). The scanner housing 3 is a housing of the scanner unit 30 and is formed in a box shape with resin or the like. The scanner unit 30 includes a document table 39, a light source 34, a mirror 35, a lens 36, a linear image sensor 37, a carriage 38, and the like. A document table cover 32 that covers the surface of the document table 39 is swingably connected to the scanner unit 30. The carriage 38 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in a direction parallel to the surface of the document table 39, and carries the optical system including the light source 34, the mirror 35 and the lens 36 and the linear image sensor 37 in the A and B directions. As indicated by a broken line, the mirror 35 and the lens 36 form a reflected light image of the subject M irradiated by the light source 34 on the linear image sensor 37.

The printer housing 2 is a housing for the printing unit 20. The printer housing 2 is formed in a box shape with resin or the like. The carriage 22 of the printing unit 20 conveys the plurality of cartridges 23 and the recording head 24 in the C and D directions. The ink stored in each cartridge 23 is ejected onto the printing paper N by the recording head 24. The paper feeding mechanism 26 of the printing unit 20 conveys the printing paper N supplied to the paper supply port 28 of the printing unit 20 onto a platen (not shown) and discharges it from the paper discharge port 29 of the printing unit 20 (see FIG. 5). Hereinafter, the side on which the paper discharge port side of the multifunction device 4 is formed is referred to as the front side, and the side on which the paper feed port 28 is formed is referred to as the back side.
The control unit 40 controls the operation of the paper feeding mechanism 26 and the recording head 24 based on an external system such as a personal computer or image data input from the scanner unit 30.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view around the hinge 1 in a fully opened state. FIG. 4 is a side view of the multifunction machine 4. In FIG. 4, some members as the printer housing 2 are removed. The hinge 1 has a base portion 100, a bearing portion 120 of the scanner housing 3, and a ferrite core 106. One end of the FFC 41 on the scanner unit 30 side is electrically connected to the carriage 38 (see FIG. 2). The FFC 41 pulled out from the scanner housing 3 is guided to the printing unit 20 by the base 100 of the hinge 1 and the ferrite core 106. The other end of the FFC 41 on the printing unit 20 side is electrically connected to a main card 40a as the control unit 40 (see FIG. 4).

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view for explaining the relationship between the base 100 of the hinge 1 and the printer housing 2. The base 100 as the second member is fixed to the printer housing 2 so that the swing shaft 15 protrudes into the gap SP1. Here, the gap SP <b> 1 is a gap provided for arranging the bearing portion 120 of the scanner housing 3. The back side of the base 100 is covered with the printer housing 2. The example in which the base 100 of the hinge 1 is disposed at a position farther from the side surface of the printing unit 20 than the gap SP1 in a posture in which the swing shaft 15 is directed to the outside of the printing unit 20 (see arrow X) is shown. The arrangement of the base 100 is not limited to this. For example, the base 100 may be disposed at a position closer to the side surface of the printing unit 20 than the gap SP1 with the swing shaft 15 facing the inside of the printing unit 20 (in the direction opposite to the arrow X).

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view for explaining the shape of the base 100. The base 100 has a swing shaft 15, a first side wall 101, a second side wall 102, a front cover 104, and a back cover 105. The swing shaft 15 protrudes from the first side wall 101 to the outside of the base portion 100. The first side wall 101 and the second side wall 102 hold the front cover 104 and the back cover 105 apart from each other at a position sandwiching the axis A of the swing shaft 15. The FFC 41 passes through the inner space of the base 100 surrounded by the first side wall 101, the second side wall 102, the front cover 104, and the back cover 105. One end 104 a of the front cover 104 is bent toward the inner space of the base portion 100 and is positioned in the vicinity of the axis A of the swing shaft 15. The ferrite core 106 is positioned with respect to the base 100 by abutting one end 106 a of a ferrite core 106 described later on one end 104 a of the front cover 104. The other end 104b is positioned below the adjacent printer housing 2 in a state of being fixed to the printer housing 2 (see FIG. 7). Therefore, the FFC 41 is not exposed between the printer housing 2 and the hinge 1. The back cover 105 covered with the printer housing 2 is formed shorter than the front cover 104 in the longitudinal direction of the FFC 41. The front cover 104 and the back cover 105 correspond to the first cover portion described in the claims. The shapes of the front cover 104 and the back cover 105 are preferably designed in relation to the printer housing 2 and the scanner housing 3. Accordingly, the shapes of the front cover 104 and the back cover 105 are not limited to the illustrated shapes. For example, if the back side of the base 100 is not covered by the printer housing 2, the back cover 105 may be formed long in the longitudinal direction of the FFC 41 in the same manner as the front cover 104. Further, depending on the shapes of the printer housing 2 and the scanner housing 3, the base portion 100 may not have one or both of the front cover 104 and the rear cover 105.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the ferrite core 106 has a flat cylindrical shape, and the FFC 41 passes through the inside thereof. The portion located inside the ferrite core 106 of the FFC 41 is locked to the ferrite core 106 as a locking portion. The base 100 is sandwiched between the front cover 104 and the back cover 105. Since one end 106a of the FFC 41 in the longitudinal direction of the ferrite core 106 is positioned in contact with the one end 104a of the front cover 104, it is positioned in the vicinity of the axis A of the swing shaft 15. Here, the vicinity of the axis A of the swing shaft 15 is specifically in the virtual cylinder SP2 including the outer peripheral surface 15a of the swing shaft 15 (see FIG. 8). Therefore, the FFC 41 drawn out from the scanner housing 3 is locked in the virtual cylinder SP <b> 2 by the one end 106 a of the ferrite core 106 at the portion closest to the scanner housing 3 among the portions stationary together with the base 100. Further, since the FFC 41 passes through the ferrite core 106, noise radiated from the FFC 41 can be reduced.

  Although the ferrite core 106 has been described as locking only the FFC 41, a plurality of types of cables may be locked. The hinge 1 has been described as including only one ferrite core 106 as a locking portion, but may include a plurality of locking portions. At that time, different types of cables may be locked to the plurality of locking portions. Moreover, the ferrite core 106 should just be able to latch FFC41, and the shape is not limited to a flat cylinder shape. Further, although the ferrite core 106 has been described as being sandwiched between the front cover 104 and the rear cover 105 of the base 100, the fixing method is not limited to this. The one end 106a of the ferrite core 106 is preferably located in the virtual cylinder SP2 as described above. However, if the later-described slack of the FFC 41 due to the swing of the scanner unit 30 can be designed within an allowable range, the ferrite core 106 can be designed. The arrangement of is not limited to this. The material of the locking portion is not limited to ferrite. For example, the material of the locking portion may be resin. Further, although the locking portion has been described as the ferrite core 106 which is a separate member from the base portion 100, the locking portion may be integrally formed with the base portion 100.

  FIGS. 9 and 10 are perspective views for explaining the relationship between the base portion 100 and the bearing portion 120 of the scanner housing 3. FIG. 9 is a perspective view seen from the same direction as FIG. FIG. 10 shows a state where the upper housing of the scanner housing 3 is removed. The bearing 120 as the first member is swingably connected to the base 100 as the second member. Specifically, the bearing portion 120 of the scanner housing 3 is connected to the base portion 100 when the swing shaft 15 of the base portion 100 passes through a bearing hole 122 formed in the bearing portion 120 (FIG. 10A). )reference).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bearing portion 120 of the scanner housing 3 is formed with a recess 123 as a second cover portion. The bearing hole 122 (see FIG. 10A) is formed in the side wall 123a of the recess 123, and the bearing portion 120 is formed in the base 100 in a state where one end of the base 100 on the swing shaft 15 side is located in the recess 123. It is connected. The concave portion 123 of the bearing portion 120 is formed to be larger than a relative movable range of the base portion 100 with respect to the bearing portion 120 when the scanner portion 30 swings. Therefore, the bearing portion 120 and the base portion 100 do not interfere with each other. The recess 123 as the second cover covers one end 104 a of the front cover 104 of the base 100. Therefore, the FFC 41 is not exposed between the bearing portion 120 and the base portion 100 inside the swing. A hole 3 a is formed at the bottom of the recess 123 of the bearing portion 120. The FFC 41 is drawn out of the scanner housing 3 from the hole 3a. Guide walls 124 and 125 are formed at the peripheral edge of the hole 3 a to guide the FFC 41 drawn out from the scanner housing 3 in the direction of the axis A of the swing shaft 15. In addition, the shape of the recessed part 123 of the bearing part 120 is not limited to the shape of illustration. Further, the bearing 120 as the first member has been described as being integrally formed with the scanner housing 3, but the first member may be a separate member from the scanner housing 3. Further, the structure for bearing the swing shaft 15 is not limited to the bearing hole 122. For example, the structure for bearing the swing shaft 15 may be a recess that engages with the swing shaft 15.

11 and 12 are cross-sectional views for explaining the swing of the scanner unit 30. FIG. The scanner unit 30 is swingable about the swing shaft 15 with respect to the printing unit 20. At this time, the FFC 41 does not sag either in the fully open state shown in FIG. 11 or in the fully closed state shown in FIG. Details will be described later.
As described above, in the fully closed state, the FFC 41 pulled out from the scanner housing 3 is locked to the base 100 in the virtual cylinder SP2 at a portion closest to the scanner housing 3 among the portions stationary together with the base 100. To the printing unit 20. That is, the FFC 41 passes from the vicinity of the axis A of the swing shaft 15 and is wired from the scanner unit 30 to the printing unit 20.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view around the hinge 1 in the fully closed state. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 13, the ferrite core 106, the front cover 104, and the back cover 105 swing around the swing shaft 15 together with the base 100. The guide walls 124 and 125 swing around the swing shaft 15 together with the bearing portion 120 of the scanner housing 3. Therefore, even in the fully closed state, the FFC 41 is wired from the scanner unit 30 to the printing unit 20 through the vicinity of the axis A of the swing shaft 15 as in the fully opened state (see FIG. 13). Therefore, the wiring path of the FFC 41 does not change greatly even when the scanner unit 30 swings. That is, the FFC 41 does not loosen greatly due to the swing of the scanner unit 30.
Further, the concave portion 123 of the bearing portion 120 covers one end 14a of the front cover 104 of the base portion 100 in the swing range from the fully open state shown in FIG. 1 to the fully closed state shown in FIG.

The multifunction machine 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above includes the hinge 50 having the braking means. Therefore, the scanner unit 30 does not swing due to its own weight. That is, it is possible to prevent an accident such as the scanner unit 30 moving suddenly in the direction approaching the printing unit 20 and pinching a hand.
In the multi-function device 4, since the hinge 1 guides the FFC 41 from the scanner unit 30 to the printing unit 20, it is not necessary to provide a means for guiding the FFC 41 from the scanner unit 30 to the printing unit 20 separately from the hinge 1 and the hinge 50. That is, the multifunction device 4 can be downsized.

  Further, the guide walls 124 and 125 of the bearing unit 120 guide the FFC 41 in the direction of the axis A of the swing shaft 15 of the base 100, and one end 106 a of the ferrite core 106 is engaged with the ferrite core 106 of the FFC 41 drawn out from the scanner housing 3. Since the portion closest to the scanner housing 3 among the stopped portions is locked in the virtual cylinder SP2, the FFC 41 passes from the vicinity of the axis A of the swing shaft 15 and is wired from the scanner unit 30 to the printing unit 20. . Therefore, the wiring path of the FFC 41 does not change greatly even when the scanner housing 3 swings. That is, the slack of the FFC 41 due to the swing of the scanner housing 3 can be reduced. Therefore, in the multi-function device 4, the space for accommodating the slack cable can be reduced, so that the size can be reduced.

  Further, the other end 104 b of the front cover 104 of the base portion 100 is positioned below the adjacent printer housing 2 in a state of being fixed to the printer housing 2. Further, the concave portion 123 of the bearing portion 120 of the scanner housing 3 covers one end 104 a of the front cover 104 in the swing range of the scanner portion 30. Therefore, the FFC 41 is not exposed inside the swinging portion of the scanner unit 30. The back side of the base 100 is covered with the printer housing 2. Therefore, the FFC 41 is not exposed even outside the swing. Therefore, the multifunction device 4 can prevent the FFC 41 from being disconnected.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the base portion 100 as the second member is fixed to the printer housing 2 and the bearing portion 120 as the first member is provided in the scanner housing 3, but the second member is attached to the scanner housing 3. The first member may be fixed to the printer housing 2.
Although the swing shaft 15 has been described as being integrally formed with the base portion 100, the swing shaft 15 may be formed integrally with the bearing portion 120 of the scanner housing 3. The swing shaft 15 may be a separate member from the base 100. In that case, the swing shaft 15 may be fixed to one of the base portion 100 and the bearing portion 120, and the bearing hole 122 may be formed in either one.

It is sectional drawing of the hinge periphery in the fully open state which concerns on one Example of this invention. 1 is a block diagram of a multifunction peripheral according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view of a multifunction machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a perspective view of a printer unit and a base. (B) is an enlarged view of the main part of (A). It is a perspective view of the base of the hinge which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the front cover periphery of the hinge shown in SP3 of FIG. It is a perspective view of the base, ferrite core, and FFC concerning one example of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the hinge periphery which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the hinge periphery which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the scanner part, hinge, and FFC in a full open state. It is sectional drawing of a scanner part, a hinge, and FFC in a fully closed state. It is sectional drawing of the hinge periphery in the fully closed state which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hinge (2nd connection part), 4 MFP (electronic device), 15 Oscillation shaft, 20 Printing part (2nd unit), 30 Scanner part (1st unit), 50 Hinge (1st connection part), 100 Base part (second member), 104 Front cover (first cover part), 105 Back cover (first cover part), 106 Ferrite core (locking part), 120 Bearing part (first member), 123 Recessed part (second part) Cover part), SP2 virtual cylinder

Claims (4)

A hinge connecting the first unit and the second unit,
A first member fixed to the first unit;
A second member fixed to the second unit and pivotably coupled to the first member;
A locking portion that is provided on the second member, locks a cable that electrically connects the first unit and the second unit, and swings together with the second member;
A hinge comprising:   Of the portion of the cable that is pulled out from the first unit that is locked to the locking portion, the portion closest to the first unit is supported by either the first member or the second member. The hinge according to claim 1, wherein the hinge is located in a virtual cylinder including an outer peripheral surface of the swing shaft. A first cover provided on the second member and covering the cable;
The first member is provided in the first member, and is within the swinging range of the second member from the first unit of the cable until it is locked to the locking portion. A second cover portion covering the exposed portion;
The hinge according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising: The first unit,
A second unit,
A first connecting portion for slidably connecting the first unit to the second unit;
A second connecting part for connecting the first unit to the second unit so as to be swingable about the same swinging axis as the swinging axis of the first connecting part,
The first connecting portion has a braking means for braking the swing of the first unit;
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second connecting portion is a hinge according to claim 1.

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