JP2011076623A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus with rattlings reduced. <P>SOLUTION: A detachable unit 15 is connected to an apparatus body 12 in an attitude-variable manner. The apparatus body 12 is received, for example, on a surface of a desk via a pair of first rubber legs 47 and 47 arranged on its bottom surface. The detachable unit 15 is received on the surface of the desk via a pair of second rubber legs 48 and 48 arranged on its bottom surface adjacent to the bottom surface of the apparatus body 12. The bottom surface of the electronic apparatus 11 is separated from the surface of the desk. When a paper slip 49 is caught between one second rubber leg 48 and the surface of the desk, the one second rubber leg 48 is received by the paper slip. Based on the attitude change in the detachable unit 15, the other second rubber leg 48 is received by the surface of the desk. The detachable unit 15 is able to absorb a step with the posture change. The detachable unit 15 makes a landing, with the pair of second rubber legs 48 and 48. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a notebook personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “notebook personal computer”).

  For example, a notebook computer includes a main body device having a keyboard disposed on a surface thereof, and a display device connected to the main body device so as to be relatively rotatable. Two pairs of front and rear rubber feet are attached to the bottom surface of the main unit. The laptop is received on the surface of a desk with rubber feet, for example. A user inputs information into a notebook computer using a keyboard, for example.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-101731 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 05-57875 JP 2003-91335 A

  For example, if a piece of paper is sandwiched between one rubber foot and the surface of the desk, the rubber foot adjacent to the rubber foot will rise from the surface of the desk. If the user puts his palm on the main unit when typing in the keyboard, the notebook computer will rattle.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said actual condition, and it aims at providing the electronic device which can reduce shakiness.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device disclosed includes a device main body, a detachable unit that is connected to the device main body so that the posture of the device main body is freely changeable, and defines a bottom surface adjacent to the bottom surface of the device main body, And a pair of second feet disposed on the bottom surface of the detachable unit at a predetermined interval.

  According to such an electronic device, the device main body is received on the surface of the desk, for example, by the first foot. On the other hand, the detachable unit is received on the surface of the desk by a pair of second legs. Thus, the bottom surface of the device body and the bottom surface of the detachable unit are separated from the surface of the desk. For example, when a piece of paper is sandwiched between one second foot and the surface of the desk, the one second foot is received by the piece of paper. Since the detachable unit can change the posture with respect to the apparatus main body, the other second foot adjacent to the second foot can be received by the surface of the desk. In this way, the detachable unit can absorb the step by the change in posture. The detachable unit can be landed by a pair of second legs. At this time, the device body is received on the surface of the desk by the first foot. As a result, the electronic device is received on the surface of the desk by the first and second legs. Shaking of electronic equipment is reduced.

  In such an electronic device, a keyboard may be incorporated on the surface of the device body. The electronic device may be provided with a housing portion formed at the front portion of the device body. The detachable unit may be detachably attached to the accommodating portion. At this time, the detachable unit can function as a palm rest. Thus, for example, the palm of the user is placed on the surface of the detachable unit. The weight of the user's hand acts on the detachable unit. Based on the weight of such a hand, the pair of second legs can reliably land. The first and second foot portions may be made of rubber feet, for example. The detachable unit can include, for example, a battery unit.

  The electronic device as described above may include a guide rail formed in the housing portion and a receiving groove formed in the detachable unit and receiving the guide rail. The posture change of the detachable unit may be realized in a range of a gap defined between the guide rail and the receiving groove.

  The electronic device may include a receiving groove formed in the detachable unit, a connecting piece received in the receiving groove, and an elastic member that connects the connecting piece and the accommodating portion. In addition, the electronic device may include a guide rail formed in the housing portion, a receiving member that receives the guide rail, and an elastic member that connects the receiving member and the detachable unit. In such an electronic device, the posture change of the detachable unit can be smoothly realized by the action of the elastic member. Similar to the above, rattling of the electronic device can be reduced.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a structure of an electronic apparatus, that is, a notebook computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the notebook computer which shows a mode that the battery unit was removed from the apparatus main body. It is a partial expansion perspective view of the battery unit which shows roughly the structure of the connector built in a battery unit. It is a vertical sectional view of a main part device showing roughly signs that a battery unit was attached to an apparatus main part. It is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view of the main body apparatus schematically showing the connection structure of the device main body and the battery unit according to one specific example. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the main body apparatus which shows a mode that the battery unit was attached to the apparatus main body. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the main body apparatus which shows a mode that the battery unit was removed from the apparatus main body. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the mode of the bottom face of a notebook computer. It is a conceptual diagram of the main body apparatus which shows the scene where a battery unit changes an attitude | position with respect to an apparatus main body. It is an expanded partial vertical sectional view of the main body device schematically showing the connection structure of the device main body and the battery unit according to a modification. It is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view of the main body apparatus schematically showing the connection structure of the device main body and the battery unit according to another modification. It is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view of the main body apparatus schematically showing the connection structure of the device main body and the battery unit according to another modification. It is an enlarged partial vertical sectional view of the main body apparatus schematically showing the connection structure of the device main body and the battery unit according to another modification.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows the external appearance of an electronic apparatus, that is, a notebook personal computer 11 (hereinafter “notebook personal computer”) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The notebook computer 11 includes a main device 12 and a display device 13 connected to the main device 12 at the rear end of the main device 12. The main body device 12 and the display device 13 may be made of a reinforced resin material such as polycarbonate.

  The main body device 12 includes a device main body 14. For example, a motherboard is incorporated in the device main body 14. Electronic circuit elements such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory are mounted on the motherboard. The CPU executes various arithmetic processes based on, for example, software programs and data temporarily stored in the memory. Similarly, the software program and data may be stored in a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) housed in the device main body 14.

  A detachable unit, that is, a battery unit 15 is detachably connected to the device main body 14. The battery unit 15 is supported by a pair of support members 16 and 16 protruding forward from the front end of the device main body 14. The support members 16, 16 extend parallel to each other. The support members 16 and 16 are integrated with the device main body 14. The front portions, that is, the front ends of the support members 16 and 16 and the device main body 14 constitute a housing portion for the battery unit 15. The battery unit 15 defines a surface adjacent to the surface of the device body 14. For example, a plurality of secondary batteries are incorporated in the battery unit 15. Electric power can be supplied to the device main body 14 and the display device 13 by the function of the battery unit 15.

  Input devices such as a keyboard 17 and input buttons 18 are incorporated on the surface of the device main body 14. The input devices 17 and 18 enable the user of the notebook computer 11 to input various commands and data to the CPU. Since the battery unit 15 is disposed at the front end of the apparatus main body 14, that is, in front of the keyboard 17 (on the user side), for example, the user's palm is placed on the battery unit 15 when inputting commands and data. Thus, the surface of the battery unit 15 functions as a palm rest.

  The display device 13 accommodates a flat display panel such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel 19, for example. The display device 13 exposes the screen of the LCD panel 19 on the surface. Various texts and graphics are displayed on the screen of the LCD panel 19 based on the arithmetic processing of the CPU.

  The main body device 12 and the display device 13 are connected to each other by a rotation mechanism 23. The rotation mechanism 23 realizes rotation around the horizontal axis 24 between the main body device 12 and the display device 13. The horizontal axis 24 is defined parallel to the surface of the main body device 12 at the rear end of the main body device 12. The display device 13 is superposed on the main body device 12 based on the rotation around the horizontal axis 24. The surface of the display device 13 faces the surface of the main device 12. In this way, the notebook computer 11 is folded.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the battery unit 15 can be detached from the device main body 14. In the removal, as will be described later, the battery unit 15 can slide in the front-rear direction with respect to the support members 16, 16, that is, the device main body 14. The sliding movement of the battery unit 15 is realized along a plane parallel to the surface of the device main body 14.

  A connector 31 is disposed at the front end of the device body 14. The connector 31 is disposed in the opening 33 defined at the front end of the device main body 14. In this way, the connector 31 faces the front end of the battery unit 15. The connector 31 includes a plurality of flat connection terminals 32, 32... Formed along a plane orthogonal to the surface of the device main body 14. On the other hand, a connector 34 is disposed at the front end of the battery unit 15. The connector 34 faces the connector 31.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the connector 34 includes a plurality of connection terminals 35, 35... Formed along a plane orthogonal to the surface of the battery unit 15. When the battery unit 15 is supported by the support members 16 and 16, the connection terminal 35 receives the connection terminal 32. Thus, the connectors 31 and 34 are connected. The battery unit 15 and the device main body 14 are electrically connected. Here, the connection terminal 32 can be displaced within the connection terminal 35.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the battery unit 15 is sandwiched between the support members 16 and 16. The support members 16 and 16 include guide rails 41 on surfaces facing each other. The guide rails 41, 41 protrude from the support member 16 toward the battery unit 15. The guide rails 41 and 41 extend parallel to each other in a plane parallel to the surface of the device main body 14.

  On the other hand, in the battery unit 15, receiving grooves 42 and 42 for receiving the guide rail 41 are formed on the surfaces facing the guide rails 41 and 41. The receiving grooves 42, 42 extend parallel to each other in a plane parallel to the surface of the battery unit 15. Thus, the sliding movement of the battery unit 15 is realized based on the guide rail 41 and the receiving groove 42.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the device main body 14 includes a cover 14a and a base 14b coupled to the cover 14a. The guide rail 41 is defined by one end of the cover 14a and one end of the base 14b. A predetermined gap is defined between the guide rail 41 and the receiving groove 42. Based on such a gap, the battery unit 15 can change the posture with respect to the device main body 14. That is, the posture change of the battery unit 15 is realized in the range of the gap between the guide rail 41 and the receiving groove 42. As described above, since the connection terminal 32 can be displaced within the connection terminal 35, the connection of the connectors 31 and 34 is maintained regardless of the change in the attitude of the battery unit 15.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a projecting piece 43 is disposed in the receiving groove 42. The projecting piece 43 is connected to the battery unit 15 so as to freely advance and retract in the receiving groove 42. A coil spring 44 is sandwiched between the projecting piece 43 and the battery unit 15. Here, since the elastic force of the coil spring 44 acting on the protrusion 43 is received by the support member 16, the protrusion 43 is always held in the receiving groove 42. The guide rail 41 is interrupted at the base of the support member 16. As a result, when the guide rail 41 is completely received in the receiving groove 42, the protrusion 43 is engaged with the rear end of the guide rail 41 based on the elastic force of the coil spring 44. In this way, the battery unit 15 is prevented from dropping from the device main body 14.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the side surface of the projecting piece 43 is defined by an inclined surface 43a. On the other hand, the front end of the guide rail 41 is defined by the inclined surface 41a. As a result, when the receiving groove 42 receives the guide rail 41, the inclined surface 43 a of the projecting piece 43 contacts the inclined surface 41 a of the guide rail 41. Thus, the protruding piece 43 is pushed into the battery unit 15 regardless of the elastic force of the coil spring 44. When the battery unit 15 is further pushed toward the device main body 14, the protruding piece 43 protrudes from the receiving groove 42 based on the elastic force of the coil spring 44 as shown in FIG. 6. Thus, the protrusion 43 is engaged with the rear end of the guide rail 41.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the battery unit 15 defines a bottom surface adjacent to the bottom surface of the device body 14. A pair of slide buttons 45, 45 are incorporated on the bottom surface of the battery unit 15. The slide button 45 is received in the guide groove 46 defined on the bottom surface of the battery unit 15. The slide button 45 can be slid between the lock position and the release position in the guide groove 46 in parallel with the horizontal axis 24 based on the operation force.

  Such a slide button 45 is connected to the protrusion 43 described above. As a result, the movement of the protruding piece 43 is realized based on the sliding movement of the slide button 45. When the slide button 45 is positioned at the release position based on the operation force, the projecting piece 43 separates from the receiving groove 42 against the elastic force. The protruding piece 43 is accommodated in the battery unit 15. The engagement between the projecting piece 43 and the guide rail 41 is released.

  On the other hand, when the slide button 45 is released from the operating force, the projecting piece 43 enters the receiving groove 42 by the action of the elastic force of the coil spring 44. The slide button 45 returns to the lock position. The projecting piece 43 is engaged with the rear end of the guide rail 41. The connection between the battery unit 15 and the device main body 14 is maintained.

  A pair of first feet, that is, first rubber feet 47, 47 are disposed on the bottom surface of the device body 14. The first rubber feet 47, 47 may be arranged at a predetermined interval on an arbitrary straight line. One straight line may be defined parallel to the horizontal axis 24, for example. The first rubber feet 47, 47 may be disposed at the rear end corner of the device main body 14 on the bottom surface of the device main body 14. The first rubber feet 47 may be made of an elastic resin material such as silicone rubber or urethane rubber. Here, the “rubber foot” includes feet made of various materials in addition to the rubber foot.

  On the other hand, a pair of second legs, that is, second rubber legs 48, 48 are arranged on the bottom surface of the battery unit 15. The second rubber foot 48 is disposed adjacent to the support member 16. Similar to the first rubber feet 47, the second rubber feet 48 may be formed of an elastic resin material such as silicone rubber or urethane rubber. The device main body 14 and the battery unit 15 are separated from the surface of the desk, for example, by the action of the first and second rubber feet 47 and 48.

  In the notebook computer 11 as described above, the display device 13 is connected to the rear end of the device main body 14. As a result, the weight of the display device 13 acts on the device main body 14. Based on the weight of the display device 13, the first rubber feet 47 and 47 are surely received on the surface of the desk. Similarly, since the battery unit 15 functions as a palm rest, the weight of the user's hand acts on the battery unit 15. Based on the weight of the user's hand, the second rubber feet 48 are surely received on the surface of the desk.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a scene is assumed in which a piece of paper 49 is sandwiched between one second rubber foot 48 and the surface of the desk. The device body 14 is received on the surface of the desk by the first rubber feet 47 and 47 based on the weight of the display device 13. At this time, the battery unit 15 changes its posture with respect to the device main body 14 based on the gap between the guide rail 41 and the receiving groove 42. The battery unit 15 can absorb the step by changing the posture. In this way, the other second rubber foot 48 can be received on the surface of the desk. The main unit 12 is received on the surface of the desk by the first and second rubber feet 47 and 48. The rattling of the notebook computer 11 is eliminated.

  For example, when the height of the paper piece is larger than the gap defined between the guide rail 41 and the receiving groove 42, the battery unit 15 cannot sufficiently absorb the step due to the change in posture. Therefore, when the user's palm is placed on the battery unit 15, the other second rubber foot 48 adjacent to the second rubber foot 48 is lifted from the surface of the desk. However, even in such a case, since a certain amount of posture change is allowed between the battery unit 15 and the device main body 14, the distance between the second rubber feet 48, 48 and the surface of the desk is completely a posture change. Can be reduced as compared with conventional machines that cannot tolerate. The rattling of the notebook computer 11 is reduced.

  In addition, instead of the first and second rubber feet 47 and 48, for example, a protrusion protruding from the bottom surface of the device main body 14 or the bottom surface of the battery unit 15 may be formed in the main body device 12. Such protrusions may be formed on the device main body 14 or the battery unit 15 based on integral molding. On the other hand, the first and second rubber feet 47 and 48 can absorb an impact when the notebook computer 11 is installed or dropped. As a result, the first and second rubber feet 47 and 48 can contribute to preventing damage to the notebook computer 11. In addition, the first rubber feet 47, 47 may be arranged at the center in the width direction of the device main body 14 instead of a pair.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 10, a connecting piece 51 may be incorporated in the device main body 14 instead of the guide rail 41. The connecting piece 51 is received in the recess 52 defined in the device main body 14. The connection piece 51 and the apparatus main body 14 may be connected by an elastic member such as a pair of coil springs 53, 53, that is, an elastic expansion / contraction member. The connecting piece 51 can be displaced in the recess 52 by the action of the coil springs 53, 53. Such a connecting piece 51 is received in the receiving groove 42 of the battery unit 15. As a result, the battery unit 15 can change the posture with respect to the device main body 14 based on the displacement of the connecting piece 51. Like reference numerals are attached to the structure or components equivalent to those described above.

  In such a notebook computer 11, the displacement of the battery unit 15 can be smoothly realized by the action of the coil springs 53, 53. As described above, rattling of the notebook computer 11 can be reduced. In addition, even if a large gap is ensured between the device main body 14 and the connecting piece 51, rattling of the battery unit 15 is avoided as much as possible by the action of the coil springs 53 and 53. If a large gap is ensured between the device main body 14 and the connecting piece 51 in this manner, the battery unit 15 can ensure a large amount of displacement compared to the above. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the connecting piece 51 may be connected to the device main body 14 based on elastic bodies 54, 54 instead of the coil springs 53, 53. For the elastic body 54, an elastic resin material such as rubber may be used.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, in the battery unit 15, the receiving groove 42 described above may be formed in the receiving member 55. The receiving member 55 is received in the recess 56 defined in the battery unit 15. The receiving member 55 may be connected by an elastic member such as a pair of coil springs 57, 57, that is, an elastic elastic member. The receiving member 55 can be displaced in the recess 56 by the action of the coil springs 57. Such a receiving member 55 receives the guide rail 41 of the apparatus main body 14 in the receiving groove 42. As a result, the battery unit 15 can change the posture with respect to the device main body 14 by the action of the coil springs 57 and 57. Like reference numerals are attached to the structure or components equivalent to those described above.

  In such a notebook computer 11, the displacement of the battery unit 15 can be smoothly realized by the action of the coil springs 57 and 57. As described above, rattling of the notebook computer 11 can be reduced. In addition, even if a large gap is secured between the battery unit 15 and the receiving member 55, rattling of the battery unit 15 is avoided as much as possible by the action of the coil springs 57 and 57. If a large gap is ensured between the battery unit 15 and the receiving member 55 in this way, a large displacement amount can be ensured in the battery unit 15 as compared with the above. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, elastic bodies 58 and 58 may be used instead of the coil springs 57 and 57. An elastic resin material such as rubber may be used for the elastic body 58.

  The electronic device of the present invention can include other electronic devices such as a mobile phone terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a tablet personal computer in addition to the above-described notebook computer 11.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Notebook personal computer as an electronic device, 14 apparatus main body, 17 keyboard, 15 battery unit as attachment / detachment unit, 41 guide rail, 42 receiving groove, 47 1st leg part, 48 2nd leg part

Claims (4)

The device body,
A keyboard built into the surface of the device body;
A guide rail formed in the device body and extending parallel to the bottom surface of the device body;
A detachable unit having a receiving groove for receiving the guide rail, slidably mounted on the device body based on the guide rail and the receiving groove, and defining a bottom surface adjacent to the bottom surface of the device body;
A first foot disposed on the bottom surface of the device body;
A pair of second legs disposed on the bottom surface of the detachable unit at a predetermined interval;
An electronic device characterized in that a gap is formed between the guide rail and the receiving groove to realize a change in posture of the detachable unit with respect to the device main body. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a housing portion that is formed at a front portion of the device body and on which the detachable unit is detachably mounted, and the detachable unit is mounted on the housing portion and functions as a palm rest. An electronic device characterized by that. 3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second feet are rubber feet. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the detachable unit is a battery unit.

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