JP2007004895A - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply obtain an electronic device which can improve cooling performance. <P>SOLUTION: An electronic device 1 is equipped with; a case 4 comprising an upper wall 4a and a bottom wall 4b; a disk drive 21 which is housed in the case 4 with a gap g between at least one of an upper wall 4a and a bottom wall 4b of the case 4; and a support section 25 which is set up between the case 4 and the disk drive 21 and holds a gap g. Improvement in cooling performance can be simply attained by securing an intake air space between the case 4 and the disk drive 21 while preventing deflection of a keyboard 11 by the support section 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device in which a disk drive is accommodated in a housing, and more particularly to a cooling structure for a disk drive.

  An electronic device such as a portable computer accommodates a disk drive such as a CD (Compact Disk) drive or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) drive in a casing. The disk drive is disposed between the bottom wall of the casing and the top wall of the casing, or between the bottom wall of the casing and the keyboard supported by the top wall of the casing. A conventional disk drive includes a drive case and a disk tray accommodated in the drive case so as to be able to be pulled out. The heat generated by the disk drive is naturally released from the drive case.

In recent years, this type of disk drive has been able to process information at higher speeds, and the amount of heat generated tends to increase. Thus, a disk drive provided with a cooling member has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The external disk drive described in Patent Document 1 includes a drive unit and a case main body that accommodates the drive unit. A pipe is routed along the inner and outer surfaces of the case body facing the heat generating part of the drive unit, and the cooling liquid is circulated in the pipe. Further, a heat radiating fin is provided on the outer surface of the case body.
JP 2004-355686 A

As in the disk drive described in Patent Document 1, for example, when a liquid cooling type cooling system is provided, the disk drive itself is increased in size and increased in cost. For example, even if a cooling member such as a fin is provided, an increase in the size and cost of the disk drive is inevitable.
On the other hand, for example, in the case of a disk drive built in a portable computer, it is desired to make it as small and light as possible.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to easily obtain an electronic device capable of improving the cooling performance.

An electronic device according to one aspect of the present invention is:
A housing having a top wall and a bottom wall; and a disk drive accommodated in the housing with a gap between at least one of the top wall and the bottom wall of the housing; the housing and the disk drive; And a support part that keeps the gap.

  According to this configuration, by using the gap as a ventilation space, the disk drive can be efficiently cooled, and an electronic device that can improve the cooling performance can be easily obtained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings applied to a portable computer.
1 to 7 disclose a portable computer 1 as an electronic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the portable computer 1 includes a main body 2 and a display unit 3.

The main body 2 includes a box-shaped housing 4. The housing 4 has an upper wall 4a, a bottom wall 4b, a front wall 4c, a rear wall 4d, a right side wall 4e, and a left side wall 4f.
The display unit 3 includes a display housing 5 and a liquid crystal display panel 6 accommodated in the display housing 5. The liquid crystal display panel 6 has a display screen 6a. The display screen 6 a is exposed to the outside of the display housing 5 through the opening 5 a on the front surface of the display housing 5.

  The display unit 3 is supported at the rear end of the housing 4 via a hinge device (not shown). Therefore, the display unit 3 can be rotated between a closed position where the display unit 3 is tilted so as to cover the upper wall 4a from above, and an open position where the upper wall 4a and the display screen 6a are stood up so as to expose.

  The upper wall 4a of the main body 2 has a keyboard attachment portion 12 to which the keyboard 11 is attached. The keyboard attachment portion 12 includes an opening 12a that opens into the housing 4 and a pair of keyboard support members (not shown) that protrude inward from the opening 12a. The keyboard 11 is supported on the upper wall 4a by being placed on the keyboard support member.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the keyboard 11 includes a keyboard substrate 15, a plurality of keys 16, and a shield plate 17. The plurality of keys 16 are arranged side by side on the upper surface of the keyboard substrate 15. The shield plate 17 covers the keyboard substrate 15 from below and forms the lower surface of the keyboard 11. The shield plate 17 is exposed in the housing 4 through the opening 12 a of the keyboard mounting portion 12. The shield plate 17 is made of a metal material.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a CD-R / RW drive 21 (hereinafter referred to as a CD drive 21) serving as a disk drive is accommodated in the right portion of the housing 4. The CD drive 21 has a drive case 22 and a disk tray 23. The drive case 22 is formed of a metal material such as aluminum. The disc tray 23 is housed in the drive case 22 so as to freely advance and retract.

  The disc tray 23 has a lid 23 a that opens and closes an insertion port (not shown) of the drive case 22. The CD drive 21 is disposed along the bottom wall 4 b of the housing 4, and a lid 23 a of the drive case 22 is exposed from the right side wall 4 e of the housing 4 to the outside of the housing 4.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a support portion 25 is provided on the upper surface of the CD drive 21. The support part 25 has, for example, five rib-shaped convex parts 25a. The convex portions 25a extend linearly along the advancing / retreating direction of the disc tray 23, that is, the width direction of the housing 4, and are arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween. The convex portion 25a is formed integrally with the drive case 22 by, for example, subjecting the drive case 22 to sheet metal pressing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the CD drive 21 is attached to the lower surface of the keyboard 11 with a gap g serving as a ventilation space. The convex portion 25 a of the support portion 25 has substantially the same height as the gap g between the upper surface of the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the keyboard 11, and the upper end thereof is in contact with the shield plate 17 of the keyboard 11.
As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of intake holes 26 are formed in the right side wall 4 e of the housing 4. The air intake hole 26 is located on the lid 23 a of the CD drive 21 and opens inside the housing 4.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 4 of the portable computer 1 houses a fan 28. The fan 28 is for cooling the CPU, for example, and sucks air inside the housing 4 and discharges it outside the housing 4. The fan 28 is provided along the left side wall 4 f of the housing 4, and is located on the opposite side of the CD drive 21 along the width direction of the housing 4. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the convex portion 25 a of the support portion 25 faces the fan 28. Here, “the longitudinal direction faces the fan 28” means not only the case where the fan 28 is positioned on the extension line in the longitudinal direction, but also a straight line connecting the extension part 25 a and the fan 28. Includes a relationship that forms an acute angle.

Next, the operation of the portable computer 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, a gap g serving as a ventilation space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the keyboard 11. As shown in FIG. 5, when the fan 28 is driven, air having a low external temperature flows into the housing 4 from the intake hole 26 and passes through the upper surface of the CD drive 21. At this time, part of the heat generated by the heat generated by the CD drive 21 is taken away by the air. This heated air is exhausted to the outside of the housing 4 by the fan 28.

  Usually, when there is a space under the keyboard 11, when the operator of the portable computer 1 hits the keyboard 11, the entire keyboard 11 is bent by the pressing. However, in the present embodiment, a support portion 25 that keeps the gap g is provided on the upper surface of the CD drive 21. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the support portion 25 located on the upper surface of the CD drive 21 supports the keyboard 11 from below, and the keyboard 11 is prevented from being bent.

  According to the portable computer 1 having such a configuration, an air intake space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the keyboard 11. When air flows into the intake space, the cooling performance of the CD drive 21 can be improved.

  In particular, according to the present embodiment, by providing the support portion 25, it is possible to secure an intake space in the housing 4 while preventing the keyboard 11 from being bent and to improve the cooling performance of the CD drive 21. Since this support part 25 is comprised by the rib-shaped convex part 25a, it can be manufactured at low cost compared with the case where a liquid cooling type cooling member and a heat radiating member like a fin are provided. Therefore, the portable computer 1 that can efficiently cool the CD drive 21 can be easily obtained. Furthermore, the portable computer 1 can be downsized as compared with the case where the cooling member and the fin are employed.

  By forming the support portion 25 integrally with the drive case 22 of the CD drive 21, the portable computer 1 that can improve the cooling performance can be obtained more easily.

By directing the longitudinal direction of the convex portion 25a toward the fan 28 provided in the housing 4, the air flow through the intake space can be further improved, and the cooling performance of the CD drive 21 can be further improved. .
The CD drive 21 tends to be hotter on the upper surface side than on the lower surface side. Therefore, by forming the intake space on the upper surface side of the CD drive 21, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the cooling performance.

  Since the drive case 22 of the CD drive 21, the support portion 25, and the shield plate 17 of the keyboard 11 are made of metal, the heat of the CD drive 21 is easily conducted to the shield plate 17, and the entire shield plate 17 functions as a heat sink. . Therefore, the cooling performance can be further improved.

  In the present embodiment, the support portion 25 is formed integrally with the CD drive 21. However, the support portion 25 may be formed separately from the CD drive 21, as shown in FIG. . In this case, it is possible to obtain the portable computer 1 that can improve the cooling performance even if an existing CD drive is used. Furthermore, the support part 25 may have a pin-shaped convex part 25b as shown in FIG. 7 instead of the rib-shaped convex part 25a.

Next, a portable computer 1a as an electronic apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the structure which has the same function as the portable computer 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits the description.
The portable computer 1 a includes a main body 2 and a display unit 3. The main body 2 includes a housing 4. The upper wall 4a of the housing 4 has a keyboard attachment portion 41 to which the keyboard 11 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the keyboard mounting portion 41 has a keyboard support member 41a as a part of the upper wall 4a on almost the entire surface. The keyboard 11 is supported on the upper wall 4a by being placed on the keyboard support member 41a. The CD drive 21 is mounted with a gap g serving as a ventilation space between the lower surface of the upper wall 4a, that is, the keyboard support member 41a.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the convex portion 25a has substantially the same height as the gap g between the upper surface of the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the upper wall 4a, and its upper end is in contact with the lower surface of the upper wall 4a. .

Next, the operation of the portable computer 1a will be described.
A gap g serving as a ventilation space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the upper wall 4a, and the CD drive 21 is cooled in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Further, the support portion 25 located on the upper surface of the CD drive 21 supports the keyboard 11 from below via the upper wall 4a, and the keyboard 11 is prevented from being bent.

  According to the portable computer 1a having such a configuration, an intake space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the upper wall 4a. When air flows into the intake space, the cooling performance of the CD drive 21 can be improved. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to secure the intake space in the housing 4 while preventing the keyboard 11 from being bent and to improve the cooling performance of the CD drive 21. Therefore, the portable computer 1a that can efficiently cool the CD drive 21 can be easily obtained.

  Next, a portable computer 1b as an electronic apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the structure which has the same function as the portable computer 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits the description.

  The portable computer 1 b includes a main body 2 and a display unit 3. The main body 2 includes a housing 4. The upper wall 4a of the housing 4 has a keyboard attachment portion 12 to which the keyboard 11 is attached.

  A CD drive 21 is housed in the right part of the housing 4. As shown in FIG. 9, a support portion 51 is provided on the upper surface of the CD drive 21. The support part 51 has, for example, five rib-shaped convex parts 51a. The convex portions 51a extend linearly along the direction orthogonal to the advancing / retreating direction of the disc tray 23, that is, the depth direction of the housing 4, and are arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween. A plurality of intake holes 26 similar to those in the first embodiment are opened in the rear wall 4d of the housing 4.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the housing 4 of the portable computer 1 b accommodates a fan 28. The fan 28 is provided along the front wall 4 c of the housing 4. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the convex portion 51 a of the support portion 51 faces the fan 28.

Next, the operation of the portable computer 1b will be described.
A gap g serving as a ventilation space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the keyboard 11, and the CD drive 21 is cooled in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the support part 51 located on the upper surface of the CD drive 21 supports the keyboard 11 from below, and the deflection of the keyboard 11 is prevented.

  According to the portable computer 1 b having such a configuration, an air intake space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the keyboard 11. When air flows into the intake space, the cooling performance of the CD drive 21 can be improved. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to secure the intake space in the housing 4 while preventing the keyboard 11 from being bent and to improve the cooling performance of the CD drive 21. Therefore, the portable computer 1b that can efficiently cool the CD drive 21 can be easily obtained.

  By directing the longitudinal direction of the convex portion 51 a toward the fan 28 provided in the housing 4, the air flow through the intake space can be further improved, and the cooling performance of the CD drive 21 can be further improved. .

Next, a portable computer 1c as an electronic apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the structure which has the same function as the portable computers 1 and 1a which concern on 1st and 2nd embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits the description.
The portable computer 1 c includes a main body 2 and a display unit 3. The main body 2 includes a housing 4. The upper wall 4a of the housing 4 has a keyboard attachment portion 41 to which the keyboard 11 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the keyboard mounting portion 41 has a keyboard support member 41a as a part of the upper wall 4a on almost the entire surface. The keyboard 11 is supported on the upper wall 4a by being placed on the keyboard support member 41a. The CD drive 21 is mounted with a gap g serving as a ventilation space between the lower surface of the upper wall 4a, that is, the keyboard support member 41a.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the support part 61 is provided in the lower surface of the upper wall 4a. The support part 61 has, for example, five rib-shaped convex parts 61a. The convex portions 61a extend linearly in the width direction of the housing 4 and are arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween. The convex portion 61a is formed integrally with the upper wall 4a. The convex portion 61 a has substantially the same height as the gap g between the upper surface of the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the upper wall 4 a, and the lower end thereof is in contact with the upper surface of the CD drive 21.

Next, the operation of the portable computer 1c will be described.
A gap g serving as a ventilation space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the upper wall 4a, and the CD drive 21 is cooled in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the support part 61 located on the lower surface of the upper wall 4a supports the keyboard 11 from below via the upper wall 4a, so that the keyboard 11 is prevented from being bent.

  According to the portable computer 1c having such a configuration, an intake space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the lower surface of the upper wall 4a. When air flows into the intake space, the cooling performance of the CD drive 21 can be improved. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to secure the intake space in the housing 4 while preventing the keyboard 11 from being bent and to improve the cooling performance of the CD drive 21. Therefore, the portable computer 1c that can efficiently cool the CD drive 21 can be easily obtained.

  Next, a portable computer 1d as an electronic apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the structure which has the same function as the portable computer 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects the same code | symbol, and abbreviate | omits the description.

The portable computer 1 d includes a main body 2 and a display unit 3. The main body 2 includes a housing 4. The upper wall 4a of the housing 4 has a keyboard attachment portion 12 to which the keyboard 11 is attached.
A CD drive 21 is housed in the right part of the housing 4. The CD drive 21 has a drive case 22, a disk tray 23, and a lid 23a. The CD drive 21 is disposed along the lower surface of the keyboard 11, and the lid 23 a of the drive case 22 is exposed from the right side wall 4 e of the housing 4 to the outside of the housing 4.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a support portion 71 is provided on the lower surface of the CD drive 21. The support part 71 has, for example, five rib-shaped convex parts 71a. The convex portions 71a extend linearly along the advancing / retreating direction of the disc tray 23, that is, the width direction of the housing 4, and are arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween. The convex portion 71a is formed integrally with the drive case 22 of the CD drive 21 by, for example, sheet metal pressing.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the CD drive 21 is attached to the bottom wall 4 b of the housing 4 with a gap g serving as a ventilation space. The convex portion 71 a of the support portion 71 has substantially the same height as the gap g between the lower surface of the CD drive 21 and the bottom wall 4 b of the housing 4, and its lower end is in contact with the bottom wall 4 b of the housing 4. Yes.

Next, the operation of the portable computer 1d will be described.
A gap g serving as a ventilation space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the bottom wall 4b of the housing 4, and the CD drive 21 is cooled in the same manner as in the first embodiment. The support portion 71 located on the lower surface of the CD drive 21 supports the keyboard 11 from below via the CD drive 21, and the keyboard 11 is prevented from being bent.

  According to the portable computer 1 d having such a configuration, an air intake space is formed between the CD drive 21 and the bottom wall 4 b of the housing 4. When air flows into the intake space, the cooling performance of the CD drive 21 can be improved. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to secure the intake space in the housing 4 while preventing the keyboard 11 from being bent and to improve the cooling performance of the CD drive 21. Therefore, the portable computer 1d that can efficiently cool the CD drive 21 can be easily obtained.

  Note that the CD drive 21 provided with the support portion 71 may be incorporated in a portable computer in which most of the lower surface of the keyboard 11 is supported by the keyboard support member 41a as in the second embodiment.

  Although the portable computers 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d of the first to fifth embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these. The support portions 25, 51, 61, 71 according to the second to fifth embodiments may be provided separately from the CD drive 21 or the housing 4 as shown in FIG. 6, or as shown in FIG. A pin-shaped convex portion 25b may be provided. The support portion 25 may have any shape as long as a gap is provided between the CD drive 21 and the housing 4 as long as the gap can be maintained and the deflection of the keyboard 11 can be supported.

Support portions 25 may be provided on both the upper and lower sides of the CD drive 21, and a gap may be provided on both the upper and lower sides of the CD drive 21.
The present invention is not limited to the portable computers 1, 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, and 1 d having the CD drive 21, and can be similarly applied to a portable computer having an optical disk drive such as a DVD-R / RW. It is applicable also to the portable computer which has this.

1 is a perspective view of a portable computer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view of CD drive which has a support part shown in FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portable computer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a right side view of a portable computer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of the CD drive and fan shown in FIG. The perspective view of the modification of the support part shown in FIG. The perspective view of another modification of the support part shown in FIG. Sectional drawing of the portable computer which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of CD drive which has a support part concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of the CD drive and fan which concern on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the portable computer which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing of the portable computer which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  g ... Gap, 1 ... Portable computer, 2 ... Main body, 3 ... Display unit, 4 ... Case, 4a ... Top wall, 4b ... Bottom wall, 4c ... Front wall, 4d ... Rear wall, 4e ... Right side wall, 4f ... Left side wall, 11 ... keyboard, 12 ... keyboard mounting part, 15 ... keyboard substrate, 16 ... key, 17 ... shield plate, 21 ... CD drive, 22 ... drive case, 25 ... support part, 25a ... convex part, 26 ... air intake Holes, 28, fan, 41, keyboard mounting portion, 51, support portion, 61, support portion, 71, support portion.

Claims (7)

A housing having a top wall and a bottom wall;
A disk drive accommodated in the housing with a gap between at least one of the upper wall and the bottom wall of the housing;
A support portion provided between the housing and the disk drive, and maintaining the gap;
An electronic apparatus comprising: A housing having a top wall and a bottom wall;
A keyboard supported by the upper wall and having a lower surface exposed in the housing;
A disk drive housed in the housing with a gap between the lower surface of the keyboard and at least one of the bottom wall of the housing;
A support portion provided between the keyboard and the disk drive or between the housing and the disk drive, and maintaining the gap;
An electronic apparatus comprising: In the description of claim 1 or 2,
The electronic device is characterized in that the support portion is formed integrally with the disk drive. In the description of claim 1 or 2,
The electronic device is characterized in that the support portion is formed separately from the disk drive. In the description of claim 1 or 2,
The said support part has a some convex part arrange | positioned in the said clearance gap, These convex parts are adjacent to each other at intervals, and are extended in linear form. In the description of claim 5,
The housing houses a fan,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal direction of the convex portion faces the fan. In the description of claim 2,
The keyboard has a shield plate on a lower surface thereof, the disk drive has a drive case, and the shield plate, the drive case, and the support portion are made of metal.

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