JP2011022383A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To inexpensively and surely improve shock resistance required when a shock is given to a corner part of electronic equipment. <P>SOLUTION: An extension part 201a is formed such that a frame wall 201A of a main frame 201 is extended as it is in a gap made between a gear group cover 206 protecting a gear group for driving a lens barrel 101 and an intermediate cover 111 being an external member, and a stopper 111a receiving an edge of the extension part 201a extending further by deforming action of the extension part 201a when a shock is applied, is formed on the intermediate cover 111. Thus, the shock resistance required when the shock is given to the corner part of the electronic equipment, is improved just by inexpensive mechanical constitution in which the extension part 201a and the stopper 111a are formed without using electronic constitution at all. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus, and more particularly, to an internal structure holding structure for improving impact resistance.

  In recent years, electronic devices such as digital cameras have been reduced in size from the viewpoint of portability and the like. In addition, portable electronic devices have a high risk of being given a large impact as the device becomes unusable, such as an impact caused by dropping, and there is a strong demand for improvement in impact resistance.

  In order to meet this demand, generally, a method of changing the material of the casing (frame) that holds the exterior member and the internal structure from a low-strength resin to a high-strength metal is employed.

  As a measure for improving impact resistance other than the method of changing the material of the exterior member, a technique in which a cushion material is interposed between the lens frame and the main frame of the imaging apparatus has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In addition, a technique in which an elastic member (cushion material) is provided between a decorative plate as an exterior member of the imaging device and the exterior body has been proposed (Patent Document 2).

JP 2007-212461 A JP 2008-178003 A

  However, Patent Documents 1 and 2 mainly assume an impact from the front or back direction of the imaging device, and sufficiently protect the imaging device when a drop impact is applied to a corner portion of the imaging device. There is a possibility that it cannot be done.

  Even when the exterior and main frame are made of metal members, the frame wall portion of the main frame is not always continuous at all four corner portions, and there are corner portions where the frame walls are interrupted. There is also a case. In this case, a gap is formed between the main frame and the internal structure.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the frame wall 1201A of the main frame is interrupted at the corners. Therefore, the corner portion between the intermediate cover 1206 as an exterior member between the front cover and the rear cover (not shown) and the protective cover 1206 protecting the gear group of the lens barrel driven by the motor is compared. A large gap area E is formed.

  For this reason, when a strong impact such as a drop is applied to the corner portion that is the gap region E, for example, in the direction of the arrow S, the corner portion to which the impact is applied sinks. It was feared that the internal structure was exposed to the outside or damaged due to tearing.

  Note that the corners of electronic devices are less damaged even when given the same impact energy than other flat parts, because the area of the part that receives the impact energy is small, and the degree of damage increases. There is a strong demand for improved impact properties.

  The present invention has been made under the background of such a conventional technique, and an object thereof is to improve the impact resistance when an impact is applied to a corner portion of an electronic device inexpensively and reliably. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electronic apparatus having a frame member that holds an internal structure, and an exterior member that covers the internal structure and the frame member. An extension portion formed to extend from the wall portion so as to cover a corner portion of the electronic device, and when the exterior member is subjected to an impact on the corner portion of the electronic device, the extension portion is provided. A stopper portion that contacts the tip of the portion is formed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably and inexpensively improve the impact resistance when an impact is applied to a corner portion of an electronic device.

FIG. 3A is a front view of a digital camera to which the present invention is applied. (B) is a rear view of the digital camera. It is a disassembled perspective view of the said digital camera. (A) is a front view of the internal structure of the digital camera. FIG. 3B is a detailed view of a portion corresponding to a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3A (first embodiment). FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a main frame of the digital camera (second embodiment). FIG. 4B is a detailed view of a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3A (third embodiment). It is a figure for demonstrating the conventional problem.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
In the digital camera 100 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, 101 is a lens barrel, 102 is a front cover, 103 is a flash window, 104 is an AF auxiliary light window, 105 is a rear cover, and 106 is a display panel. 111 is an intermediate cover, and 112 is an upper cover. The front cover 102, the rear cover 105, the intermediate cover 111, and the upper cover 112 are exterior members, and are not made of resin, but are made of metal that is stronger than resin.

  The lens barrel 101 houses devices of a photographing optical system such as a focus lens and a zoom lens. The flash window 103 is provided for irradiating flash light such as strobe light toward the subject during the main exposure, and the AF auxiliary light window 104 is used for irradiating AF auxiliary light toward the subject during autofocus control. Is provided. On the display panel 106, various types of information such as shooting conditions are displayed in addition to the shot image and the reproduced image.

  Reference numeral 107 denotes a release button, which is connected to a first switch that is turned on by a first-stage pressing stroke and a second switch that is turned on by a second-stage pressing stroke. When the first switch is turned on, photographing preparation operations such as photometry and focus control are performed, and when the second switch is turned on, photographing by main exposure is performed. A zoom lever 108 is used to adjust the magnification. The zoom lever 108 can be rotated around the release button 107.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the digital camera 100. As shown in FIG. 2, main internal structures such as a lens barrel 101, a battery storage unit 202, a printed circuit board 203, a strobe light emitting device 204, and a display panel 106 are included in the main frame 201 that is a frame member of the digital camera 100. It is attached.

  A tripod fixing member 207 for fixing the digital camera 100 to a tripod base is also attached to the main frame 201. Further, the material of the main frame 201 is a metal member having a stronger strength than the resin member.

  A drive motor 205 is connected to the lens barrel 101 through a gear group (not shown), and the drive motor 205 drives the lens barrel 101 in the optical axis direction for focus control and zoom control. . A gear group for transmitting the driving force of the drive motor 205 to the lens barrel 101 is covered with a gear group protective cover 206.

  Main electrical components such as a CPU are mounted on the printed circuit board 203. The printed circuit board 203 is held by the battery storage unit 202.

  The main frame 201 is covered with a front cover 102, a rear cover 105, an intermediate cover 111, and an upper cover 112 as metal exterior members with an internal structure such as the lens barrel 101 attached thereto. These exterior members are connected to each other by a technique such as hooking, and are fastened to the metal main frame 201 by screws.

  The frame wall 201A of the main frame 201 is provided with an extended portion 201a (described later) that extends from the frame wall 201A in the vicinity of the gear group protection cover 206. Further, the intermediate cover 111 is formed with a stopper 111a as a stopper portion described later in the vicinity of the extended portion 201a.

  3A is a front view of the internal structure of the digital camera 100, and FIG. 3B is a detailed view of a portion corresponding to a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3A. Note that a portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3A corresponds to FIG. 5 strictly.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), the extended portion 201a where the frame wall portion 201A of the main frame 201 is extended is provided between the intermediate cover 111 and the protective cover 206 of the lens barrel gear group. Is extended along the corner portion of the intermediate cover 111.

  The stopper 111a is erected substantially vertically from the bottom surface of the intermediate cover 111 in the vicinity of the tip 201aa of the extending portion 201a of the frame wall portion 201A. That is, the tip 201aa of the extended portion 201a is not in contact with the stopper 111a and is a free end in a normal state where no impact is applied.

  Therefore, when a drop impact is given in the direction of the arrow S shown in FIG. 3B and the impact energy propagates to the extended portion 201a through the intermediate cover 111, the extended portion 201a is a free end. It is deformed in such a manner that it further extends in the direction of the tip 201aa, and impact energy is absorbed. Thereafter, the tip 201aa of the extended portion 201a comes into contact with the stopper 111a.

  Then, after the tip 201aa of the extended portion 201a comes into contact with the stopper 111a, the extended portion 201a acts like a beam having the root 201ab (see FIG. 4B) and the tip 201aa as a fulcrum. Further deformation operations are stopped. That is, the stopper 111a functions as a stop member that stops the deformation operation of the extended portion 201a when an impact is applied.

  Thus, even if a large impact such as a drop impact is applied, the extension portion 201a absorbs the impact energy by deformation, and then the deformation operation is stopped by the stopper 111a. The internal structure of the is not damaged. It is also possible to suppress deformation of the intermediate cover 111 that is an exterior member.

  The stopper 111a is formed by cutting and raising a part of the intermediate cover 111. That is, it is formed by making a “U” -shaped cut in the bottom surface of the intermediate cover 111 and bending the portion surrounded by the cut inside the digital camera 100, and is a separate material different from the intermediate cover 111. It was not formed with.

  In this way, the stopper 111a is not formed of a material separate from the intermediate cover 111, and is formed by processing the intermediate cover 111, so that the number of parts is not increased.

  Further, the hole opened in the intermediate cover 111 by forming the stopper 111 a is closed by the inner plate 209 and the rating nameplate 208. Therefore, dust does not enter from the hole, and the internal structure is not damaged by dust.

  The portion of the intermediate cover 111 to which the rated name plate 208 is attached is a recess formed by half-punching or the like. As a result, even when the rating nameplate 208 is attached, the surface height of the outer surface of the intermediate cover 111 that is an exterior member becomes constant, and the continuity of the surface height is maintained, so that the aesthetic appearance of the digital camera is impaired. There is nothing.

  The inner plate 209 is made of a metal plate and is fixed to the intermediate cover 111 by welding or the like. As a result, the hole opened in the intermediate cover 111 by forming the stopper 111a is blocked by a strong member, so that even if a thin object collides with the hole portion, it will not be broken, and the internal structure The body is protected. Further, the provision of the inner plate 209 can prevent the rating nameplate 208 from being depressed.

  Furthermore, the extending part 201a of the frame wall part 201A is in a state in which the members of the frame wall part 201A are extended as they are in a form in which a step 2011 is formed in the inner direction of the frame 201. The step 2011 is arranged such that the curved surface of the extended portion 201 a is positioned inwardly of the digital camera 100 so that the curved surface of the extended portion 201 a can approach the ridgeline of the intermediate cover 111 having a curved corner. It is formed to shift.

  Further, a step 2012 is formed in the vicinity of the distal end of the extending portion 201a of the frame wall portion 201A so as to extend in the outer peripheral direction of the digital camera 100. For example, when an impact is applied from the direction of the arrow S shown in FIG. 3B, the step 2012 has the tip of the extended portion 201a at the base of the stopper 111a formed on the intermediate cover 111. It was formed to make it collide. This is intended to increase the impact resistance of the stopper 111a, that is, the stopping force, by causing the tip of the extended portion 201a to collide with the base portion of the stopper 111a.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the main frame 201 is disposed in the gap formed between the gear group cover 206 that protects the gear group for driving the lens barrel 101 and the intermediate cover 111 that is an exterior member. The extending portion 201a is formed in such a manner that the frame wall portion 201A of the above is extended as it is. On the other hand, the intermediate cover 111 is formed with a stopper 111a that receives the tip of the extended portion 201a that is further extended by the deformation operation of the extended portion 201a when an impact is applied, by processing the intermediate cover 111.

  That is, in the first embodiment, an impact is applied to the corner portion of the electronic device with only an inexpensive mechanical configuration in which the extension portion 201a and the stopper 111a are formed without using any electronic configuration. The impact resistance when given is reliably improved. The same applies to the second and third embodiments described later.

[Second Embodiment]
In 1st Embodiment, it assumed that the cross-sectional shape of the front-end | tip of the extension part 201a was flat form. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the tip of the extended portion 201a is uneven.

  That is, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the cross-section at the tip of the extending portion 201a of the main frame 201 has an uneven shape 201ac formed by drawing or the like. The uneven shape 201ac is a state in which a convex portion is formed on the outside of the main frame 201 at the center position in the lateral width direction of the distal end portion of the extending portion 201a.

  Therefore, when an impact is applied, the tip of the extended portion 201a collides with the base portion of the stopper 111a, and the impact resistance, that is, the stopping force of the stopper 111a is improved. That is, if the tip has an uneven shape, relatively high rigidity can be ensured as compared with a flat cross section. Therefore, even if an impact is applied and the uneven shape 201ac comes into contact with the stopper 111a, buckling (deformation) of the distal end portion of the extending portion 201a can be reduced.

[Third Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, the extending portion 201a is not formed as a separate body from the frame wall portion 201A, but is formed in such a manner that the frame wall portion 201A is extended as it is.

  In contrast, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a metal inner plate 210 separate from the frame wall 201A is fixed to the inside of the frame wall 201A by welding or the like. The frame wall is extended.

  In addition, by using an elastic body as the metal material of the inner plate 210, the inner plate 210 can be easily deformed when an impact is applied, the impact energy is absorbed, and the intermediate cover 111, which is an exterior member, is improved. Plastic deformation is suppressed as much as possible.

  Further, a notch portion 210 a that is notched in the extending direction of the inner plate 210 is formed at the distal end portion of the inner plate 210. When the notch 210a is formed, the stopper 111a fits into the notch 210a when the inner plate 210 is deformed by an impact. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a side slip when the inner plate 210 collides with the stopper 111a.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said 1st-3rd embodiment, These embodiments can be combined with a various form.

  In addition, when the frame wall is continuous without interruption at the corner of the electronic device, the metal elastic inner plate as shown in FIG. 5 is fixed inside the frame wall and a stopper is formed on the exterior member. By doing so, it is possible to increase impact resistance at a low cost and with certainty.

  In this case, it is desirable that the frame wall portion to which the inner plate is fixed is a portion corresponding to the inner plate and is continuous in the direction of the tip of the inner plate in a form in which the height of the frame wall portion is reduced. That is, in FIG. 5, the side surface of the inner plate 210 is thinned in a cut-off form, but this cut-out portion is used as a frame wall portion.

  The present invention can also be applied to an imaging device other than a digital camera, and further to, for example, a portable electronic device (such as a portable phone, a portable music player, and a portable information terminal) other than the imaging device. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Lens barrel 111 ... Intermediate cover 111a ... Stopper 201 ... Main frame 201A ... Main frame wall 201a ... Extension part 201ac ... Uneven shape 208 ... Rated nameplate 210 ... Inner plate 20111, 2012 ... Step

Claims (5)

An electronic device having a frame member that holds an internal structure, and an exterior member that covers the internal structure and the frame member,
The frame member is formed with a wall portion and an extending portion formed so as to cover the corner portion of the electronic device from the wall portion, and the exterior member is impacted on the corner portion of the electronic device. The electronic device is characterized by forming a stopper portion that comes into contact with the distal end of the extended portion when the pressure is applied.   The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a step is formed in the vicinity of a tip of the extending portion.   The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an uneven shape is formed at a tip of the extending portion.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a notch portion that is notched in the extending direction is formed at a tip end of the extending portion.   The said stopper part cuts and raises a part of the said exterior member, A rating nameplate is attached to the part which formed the said stopper part of the said exterior member, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. The electronic device described.