JP2006201251A - Cover opening/closing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cover opening/closing device free from such a problem that force to keep a cover in an opened state is so strong that it is difficult to perform action for inserting in/pulling out from a terminal unless a hinge is made somewhat long considering strength, durability and operability in the conventional known cover for a terminal provided with a mechanism for pulling out the hinge in a perpendicular direction to an outside appearance surface in opening/closing the cover or a mechanism for pulling out the hinge by sliding it in a direction parallel with the outside appearance surface so that the cover may be easily opened, but a user uses the cover in a hard-to-use state actually, that means, he (she) uses it without perfectly pulling out the hinge even if the hinge is made long. <P>SOLUTION: The cover opening/closing device for electronic equipment is a cover member with which an external terminal part is covered, and is constituted of a hinge part, a locking part for restricting movement, a fitting part such as a boss, a rib or a hook for preventing the cover from floating, and a finger put part such as a projection or a depression on which a finger is put when the cover member is pulled out from a closed state along a main body external plate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cover opening / closing device having a cover member that covers an external terminal portion of an electronic device such as a digital camera.

  An electronic device such as a digital camera equipped with an external terminal such as USB, AV JACK, or DC JACK is provided with a lid for covering terminals when not in use. FIG. 10 is an overall view of a cover opening / closing device for external connection terminals in a conventional electronic device, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing a state in which the cover is opened.

  10 and 11, reference numeral 2 denotes a jack cover disposed on the exterior surface of the camera body 1. The jack cover 2 has a claw hook 2a, a fitting boss 2b, and a pull-out hinge 2c. Yes. When the jack cover 2 is closed, the portions other than the claw-hanging portion 2a are accommodated on the same curved surface as the exterior plate of the camera body 1, and provided on the jack cover 2 when the claw-hanging portion 2a is pulled out with the nail. The fitting boss 2b is separated from the AV JACK terminal 3 of the camera body 1, and the jack cover 2 is opened while rotating about the hinge 2c.

At that time, the hinge portion 2c is rotated and the hinge is pulled out, so that the cover can be opened without generating resistance in the hinge 2c of the jack cover 2. The hinge 2c can be pulled out even after the jack cover 2 is opened, but the hinge 2c (not shown) is provided with a stopper, and after being pulled out to some extent, the jack cover 2 is locked. 2 is prevented from coming off.
JP 20042344861 A

  In the case of conventional electronic devices, the jack cover that protrudes from the exterior cover has good operability, but the appearance is not good. In addition, when the appearance is prioritized and the jack cover is configured so that the jack cover is flush with the exterior cover as shown in Fig. 2, a large space is required on the back side of the hinge, or the door is open. However, there were many cases where the amount of pull-out of the hinge was small and operability was not good. Also, considering strength, durability, and operability, if the hinge is not long, the force to hold it in the open state will be strong and it will be difficult to insert / remove the terminal. There was a problem that it was often used in a state where it was difficult to use without being pulled out.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cover opening / closing device that is easy to open and close, is excellent in strength and durability, and has good operability in inserting and removing terminals.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the first invention of the present application, the cover member covers an external terminal portion provided in an electronic device, and the cover member has an integrally formed appearance portion and main body exterior shape. The hinge portion and the cover member arranged along the same can be pulled out to a predetermined position, and when the cover member is in the closed state, the cover member is lifted when the cover member is closed. A fitting portion for preventing the cover member and a finger hook portion for hooking a finger when the cover member is pulled out from the closed state, and the finger hook portion is disposed on an end surface opposite to a direction in which the hinge portion is extended. It is characterized by being.

  Furthermore, in the second invention of the present application, the cover member is formed of a soft material.

  Furthermore, in the third invention of the present application, the cover member covers the external terminal portion provided in the electronic device, and the cover member is made of a material different from the cover portion and the cover portion forming the appearance portion, and has a body exterior shape. A hinge portion disposed along the cover portion and a locking portion for restricting movement when the cover member is pulled out to a predetermined position, and when the cover member is in a closed state, the cover member is lifted A fitting portion for preventing, and a cover for pulling the cover member from a closed state, and a finger hook portion for hooking a finger when pulling out, the finger hook portion being opposite to a direction in which the hinge portion is stretched It is arrange | positioned at the end surface, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Furthermore, in the fourth invention of the present application, the hinge member is formed of a soft material.

  Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present application, a groove is formed in the hinge portion of the cover member in a direction in which the cover member is easily bent outward when the cover member is pulled out to a predetermined position or a locking portion. It is provided.

  With the above configuration, in the first invention of the present application, the hinge of the terminal cover is disposed so as to be slidable in a shape parallel to the exterior cover, and the nail hooking position is disposed on the side where the hinge is located, thereby providing the external terminal cover. Since the hinge is naturally pulled out when the door is opened, the hinge can be made longer and easier to open and close, and the force required to maintain the open state without reducing the strength and durability is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to provide an integrated terminal cover with good operability for inserting and removing the terminals.

  In the second invention of the present application, the terminal cover member can be made to be a terminal cover that is easier to open and close by using a soft material and has good operability.

  Further, in the third invention of the present application, the hinge and the outer appearance portion are formed as separate members, and only the outer appearance portion is made of a material having high hardness or is subjected to a surface treatment excellent in aesthetics, and the quality can be improved. As in the first aspect of the invention, the terminal cover can be easily opened and closed, has excellent strength and durability, and has good operability when inserting and removing terminals.

  In the fourth invention of the present application, the hinge member is made of a soft material, so that the force required for the opening / closing operation can be lightened without deteriorating the quality of the appearance portion. be able to.

  Furthermore, in the fifth invention of the present application, since the groove is provided in a direction in which the terminal cover is easily bent outward when the hinge is pulled out to a specific position, the open state can be maintained with a lighter force.

  The best mode of the external terminal cover opening and closing device of the present invention will be described as an example with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which external connection terminals such as USB and AV / OUT terminals are arranged in the depressions on the side of the camera. Usually, the lid is used to protect these external connection terminals from dust and the like. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, the jack cover 5 is configured to have the same curved surface as the side cover 6 when housed in the camera body 4. The figure is a view when the jack cover is closed.

  FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the jack cover 5. The jack cover 5 is provided with a recess 5a for hooking when pulled out, a hook 5h for preventing lifting when stored and a boss 5b for fitting. 3c is a drawer-type hinge, which is arranged in parallel with the side cover 6 in FIG. 3, and makes the jack cover easy to bend when it slides with a stopper 5d for restricting movement when sliding at a certain distance at the tip of the hinge 5c. A recess 5g is provided.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the digital camera external terminal cover mechanism of the present invention. The jack cover 5 is attached so as to be sandwiched between a front exterior panel 7, an inner member 8, and a fixing plate 10, and the inner member 8 is fixed to the fixing plate 10 by heat fusion and provided on the inner member 8. The hinge 5c of the jack cover 5 can be slidably attached to the recess. When the strap fixing ring 9 is attached together with the front exterior panel 7 after the jack cover 5 is inserted, a state as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained, and a rail through which the hinge portion 5c of the jack cover 5 passes through the strap fixing ring 9 and the inner member 8. Is formed.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing the positional relationship between the jack cover 5, the inner member 8, and the strap fixing ring 9. When the inner member 8 is screw-fixed to the front exterior panel 7, the strap fixing ring 9 is The inner member 8 is indirectly held by the front exterior panel 7, and a part of the inner member 8 serves as an inner wall when the jack cover 5 is opened. Further, a recess 8c (indicated in FIG. 7) for hooking the fixing hook 5h of the jack cover is provided in part. FIG. 8 is a cross section thereof.

  The inner member 8 and the strap fixing ring 9 shown in FIG. 7 are provided with walls 8a and 9a at positions where they come into contact with the stopper 5d of the jack cover 5 when the jack cover 5 slides to a predetermined position. . Further, when the jack cover 5 is slid to a predetermined position, the recess 5g provided in the hinge 5c slides to the position shown in FIG. 2, so that the jack cover 5 can be easily tilted outward as shown in FIG. At the same time, since the state of being pulled down with a light force can be maintained, even if the camera body 4 is moved carelessly with the AV / OUT connection cable or the USB connection cable connected, the cable will not come off.

  However, in the case of the conventional jack cover mechanism, since the hinge is pulled out when the cover is rotated, the user does not always pull out the hinge completely, and in many cases, the hinge is not pulled out sufficiently. There was a thing. Further, when the hinge thickness is reduced in order to lighten the cover opening / closing operation, there is a problem that the strength in the pulling direction is reduced and the durability is lowered.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the claw-hanging portion 5a arranged on the side opposite to the normal hinge is applied to the fitting boss 5b for preventing lifting and the hook 5h so that a force is applied to the side where the hinge is located, that is, the direction in which the hinge is pulled out. By providing the claw hook 5a in the vicinity of the hinge 5c and on the side where the hinge 5c extends, a force is applied so that the hinge 5c is pulled out naturally when the user opens the jack cover 5. It is a feature.

  Further, even if the hinge is set longer than usual, the hinge 5c can be pulled out to almost the target position, so that the recess 5g for lightening the opening / closing operation can be used effectively, and the thickness of the hinge 5c can be increased accordingly, so that the durability is improved. It is effective in terms of strength. In addition, since a harder material can be used, the fitting boss 5b can be prevented from loosening due to aging. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a hard material is used, but the same effect can be expected in terms of operability even if a soft material is used as the material itself as in claim 2 of the present invention.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention when the external terminal cover is made of two or more different materials.

  In the figure, the jack cover is composed of an outer appearance part 12 and a base part 13 thereof, both of which are fixed to the base part 13 by two-color molding, adhesion or heat fusion. For example, the appearance portion can be made into a jack cover with high appearance quality by plating or changing to a material having high hardness, but the basic configuration is that the jack cover 5 of the first embodiment of the present invention is replaced with the base portion 13. The same effect as the jack cover of the first embodiment can be obtained in terms of operability, strength, and durability as compared with the conventional two-piece jack cover.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, the hardness of the material is not specified. However, as described in claim 4 of the present invention, the material of the base portion 13 is made of a material softer than the cover portion 12 of the appearance surface. Even when it is used, a further effect can be expected in terms of operability.

  Although the external terminal cover mechanism in the present embodiment has been described in the case of AV / OUT and USB terminals, in the present invention, it may be replaced with another cover such as a DC cover.

The detailed perspective view of the external terminal cover used as the Example of this invention The hinge enlarged view of the external terminal cover which becomes an Example of this invention 1 is an overall view of a digital camera having an external terminal cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. The detailed perspective view of the external terminal cover used as the Example of this invention 1 is an exploded view of a digital camera having an external terminal cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a detailed perspective view of a digital camera having an external terminal cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. Configuration of an external terminal cover as an embodiment of the present invention Sectional drawing of the external terminal cover used as the Example of this invention Sectional drawing of the external terminal cover used as 2nd Example of this invention Conventional digital camera perspective view Detailed view of external terminal cover mechanism of a conventional digital camera

Explanation of symbols

1 Conventional camera body 2 Jack cover (external terminal cover)
3 AV / OUT terminal 4 Camera body of embodiment 5 Jack cover (external terminal cover)
6 Side Cover 7 Front Exterior Panel 8 Inner Member 9 Strap Fixing Ring 10 Strap Ring Fixing Plate 11 AV / OUT Terminal 12 External Terminal Cover 13 in Two Forms Base Base

Claims (5)

  A cover member for covering an external terminal portion provided in an electronic device, wherein the cover member is integrally formed with an outer appearance portion, a hinge portion arranged along a main body exterior shape, and the cover member can be pulled out to a predetermined position. A locking portion for restricting movement when the cover member is pulled out, a fitting portion for preventing the cover member from floating when the cover member is in the closed state, and the cover member from the closed state. A cover opening and closing device comprising: a finger hook portion for hooking a finger when pulling out, wherein the finger hook portion is disposed on an end surface opposite to a direction in which the hinge portion is stretched.   The cover opening and closing device according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is formed of a soft material.   A cover member that covers an external terminal portion provided in an electronic device, wherein the cover member is made of a material different from a cover portion that forms an external appearance portion and the cover portion, and a hinge portion that is disposed along a body exterior shape, and A locking portion for restricting movement when the cover member is pulled out to a predetermined position, and a fitting portion for preventing the cover member from floating when the cover member is in a closed state; The cover member can be pulled out from a closed state, has a finger hooking portion for hooking a finger when pulling out, and the finger hooking portion is disposed on an end surface opposite to a direction in which the hinge portion is stretched. Cover opening and closing device.   The cover opening and closing device according to claim 3, wherein the hinge member is formed of a soft material.   The hinge portion of the cover member, wherein a groove is provided in a direction in which the cover member is easily bent outward when the cover member is pulled out to a predetermined position or a locking portion. Item 4. The cover opening and closing device according to item 1 or 3.

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