JP2012109715A - Waterproof protective case and speaker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small size waterproof protective case while preventing excessive stretching of an extensible sheet.SOLUTION: A cushion sheet 25 is provided on a bottom plate 24 on which an electronic apparatus E is placed. When a case cover 3 is attached to a case body 2 and an operation panel 33 is closely contacted with an operation surface of the electronic apparatus E, a pressing force that the electronic apparatus E acts toward the bottom plate 24 through the operation panel 33 is absorbed by deforming the cushion sheet 25.

Description

  The present invention relates to a water-resistant protective case used when an electronic terminal device such as a smartphone is used in a water field such as a bathroom or a kitchen. More specifically, the present invention relates to a water-resistant protective case that has better operability and is difficult to break.

  For example, smartphones and portable music players are not only functions as telephones and music players, but recently, many of them have network connection functions, such as watching videos via the Internet, downloading music, You can play games.

  By the way, since these electronic devices are extremely sensitive to water and dust, it is preferable to avoid using them in a highly humid environment such as a bathroom or a water bath as much as possible. Therefore, a water-resistant protective case is provided that can operate the electronic device around such water.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 has a case main body that stores an electronic device, and a cover is attached to an opening of the case main body so that a sealed storage space is formed in the case main body. The cover is stretched with a flexible and stretchable elastic sheet for operating the sealed electronic device. By attaching the elastic sheet along the operation surface of the electronic device, the electronic The device can be operated.

  Many of the elastic sheets are transparent, and a touch panel type liquid crystal display surface or buttons of an electronic device can be visually recognized. In addition, a speaker unit is further incorporated into these water-resistant protective cases so that sound can be produced.

  Conventionally, since this stretchable sheet fixes an electronic device, when the thickness of the electronic device is T and the distance from the bottom plate to the stretchable sheet is L, the stretchable sheet is arranged so that L <T. ing. Thereby, since an elastic sheet closely_contact | adheres to the operation surface of an electronic device, the movement of an electronic device can be fixed.

  However, this fixing method has the following problems. That is, since the stretchable sheet is disposed at a position where the distance from the bottom plate is smaller than the thickness T of the electronic device, the stretchable sheet is inevitably stretched from the initial state, but is stretched too much. If it is extended or this state is repeated, the elastic sheet may be deformed, deteriorated, or damaged, which is not preferable.

  In addition, if a large tension is applied to the stretchable sheet, a large load is applied to the frame of the cover that fixes the stretchable sheet, which may cause breakage or water intrusion, which is not preferable. As one of methods for preventing such excessive stretching of the elastic sheet, there is a method of taking a larger area of the elastic sheet and increasing the non-contact portion with respect to the contact area with the electronic device. As a result, the entire case becomes large, and as a result, it is inconvenient to handle.

JP 2010-98161 A

  Then, this invention was made | formed in order to solve the subject mentioned above, Comprising: The objective is to provide the small waterproof protection case which can prevent the excessive stretching of an elastic sheet.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention has several features described below. The invention according to claim 1 has a case body having a sealed housing chamber in which an upper surface is opened and an electronic device is hermetically housed therein, and a case cover attached so as to close the open surface, The case body includes a bottom plate on which the electronic device is placed, and the case cover has an operation window for operating the electronic device in a state where the electronic device is hermetically housed in the hermetic housing chamber. The operation window is provided with an operation panel that is in close contact with the operation surface of the electronic device. The thickness of the electronic device is T, and the placement of the electronic device is When the distance from the surface to the operation panel is L, the operation window is a water-resistant protective case arranged so that L <T, and the case cover is attached to the case body on the bottom plate. , The serial operation panel when brought into close contact with the operation surface, and through the operation panel characterized by cushion means for deforming by the pressing force exerted on the electronic apparatus is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the operation panel is made of a flexible stretchable sheet.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the operation panel is a hard panel.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, or third aspect, a foam sheet as the cushion means is provided on the mounting surface of the electronic device of the bottom plate. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second, or third aspect, the case main body is provided with a step surface that receives a part of the bottom plate, and the step body is provided between the step surface and the bottom plate. The cushion means is provided.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first, second, or third aspect, the bottom plate is also made of a flexible stretchable sheet and is supported so that both sides of the electronic device are sandwiched between the stretchable sheets. Yes.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the case according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the case cover is attached so that an inner peripheral surface thereof overlaps with an outer peripheral surface of the case body, and the case cover The outer peripheral surface of the main body is provided with a first seal portion that receives the open end edge of the case cover and prevents water from entering the sealed storage chamber, and the open end edge of the case main body, the case cover, A second seal portion for preventing water from entering the sealed storage chamber is provided between the two, and double entry of water into the sealed storage chamber is prevented. It is said.

  The present invention also includes a speaker in which a speaker unit is incorporated in the water-resistant protective case according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the case cover is attached to the case main body and the operation panel is brought into close contact with the operation surface, the cushion means is provided that is deformed by the pressing force applied to the electronic device via the operation panel. Thus, it is possible to prevent the electronic device and the operation panel from being overloaded and damaged.

  According to the invention described in claim 2 or 3, when the operation panel is made of a stretchable sheet, the stretchable sheet is prevented from being excessively stretched, so that deterioration and breakage of the stretchable sheet can be suppressed. it can. Further, when the operation panel is formed of a hard panel, it is possible to prevent the operation unit and the hard panel of the electronic device from being overloaded and damaged.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, by providing the foam sheet as the cushion means on the mounting surface of the electronic device on the bottom plate, the electronic device sinks into the foam sheet, so that the pressing force is reduced. It can absorb and can prevent that the tension | tensile_strength of an elastic sheet becomes high too much.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the case main body is provided with a stepped surface for receiving a part of the bottom plate, and the cushion means is provided between the stepped surface and the bottom plate. The pressing force can be absorbed to prevent the tension of the stretchable sheet from becoming too high.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, the bottom plate is also made of a flexible elastic sheet, and supports both sides of the electronic device so as to be sandwiched between the elastic sheets, thereby reducing the pressing force applied to the electronic device on the bottom plate side. Absorbing with the sheet, it is possible to prevent the tension of the stretchable sheet on the operation window side from becoming too high.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the case cover is attached so that its inner peripheral surface overlaps along the outer peripheral surface of the case main body, and the open end edge of the case cover is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the case main body. A first seal portion is provided to prevent water from entering the sealed storage chamber and to prevent water from entering the sealed storage chamber between the open end edge of the case body and the case cover. By providing the seal portion, it is possible to prevent water from entering the sealed storage chamber in a double manner.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, by incorporating the speaker unit into the water-proof protective case, not only can the electronic device be operated in a bathroom or around the water, but also music playback, video viewing, etc. It can be carried out.

The perspective view of the water-proof protective case (speaker) which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the state which opened the case cover of the said water-resistant protective case. (A) Front view, (b) Rear view, (c) Right side view, (d) Top view, and (e) Bottom view of the water resistant protective case. AA line sectional view of Drawing 3 (a). BB sectional drawing of Fig.3 (a). The partial expanded sectional view for demonstrating a lock part and a seal structure. (A) Sectional drawing for demonstrating the 1st modification of a cushion means, (b) Sectional drawing for demonstrating the modification of the said 1st modification. Sectional drawing for demonstrating the 2nd modification of a cushion means. (A) Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect of the cushion means of this invention, (b) Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect of the cushion means of a 1st modification, (c) Cushion means of a 2nd modification Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect of this.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the waterproof protection case 1 includes a case main body 2 that houses the electronic device E and a case cover 3 that is attached to the case main body 2. In this embodiment, the water-resistant protective case 1 is a speaker provided with a speaker drive unit (not shown) inside.

  In the present invention, for example, a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone, a PDA, or a mobile phone, or a portable music player (DAP) is used as the electronic device E. In addition, a small television or a portable navigation device (PND) is used. It can also be used for various electronic devices.

  The case body 2 is made of a synthetic resin molded product, and is formed in a box shape with one surface (upper surface in FIG. 4) opened. The case body 2 is partitioned into an electrical component chamber 21 in which a battery, a circuit board, and the like are stored, and a sealed storage chamber 22 in which the electronic device E is stored.

  The electrical component room 21 houses a battery case in which the battery B is housed, a speaker drive unit for using the water-resistant protective case 1 as a speaker, an electronic circuit board (both not shown) for controlling these, and the like. Has been.

  On the back surface of the case body 2 (FIG. 3B), a battery lid 23 used when the battery B of the battery case is replaced, and a sound emitting unit that emits sound emitted from the speaker unit to the outside. SP is provided. Both the battery lid 23 and the sound emitting unit SP are subjected to water resistance treatment so that water does not enter the electric component chamber 21.

  The speaker drive unit includes a connector cable (not shown) for connection in addition to a drive circuit, a speaker, and a battery. The connector cable is a stereo jack connector connected to an earphone jack provided on the electronic device E side, and is drawn out from the electrical component room 21 into the sealed storage room 22 through the bottom plate 24.

  In this example, only the earphone jack connector is provided as the connector. However, in addition to this, a USB connector or the like may be further provided. In the present invention, the shape and number of the connection connectors are arbitrary according to the specifications. May be selected.

  Furthermore, in addition to the speaker drive circuit, a circuit for Bluetooth connection may be further provided. According to this, communication between the electronic device E and the speaker drive circuit can be performed wirelessly, and music reproduction can be performed without housing the electronic device E in the waterproof protection case 1. Such an embodiment may also be included in the present invention.

  Here, “water resistance” as used in this specification means at least one having at least one of waterproof, drip-proof, rain-proof, splash-proof, jet-proof, and water-proof characteristics, and more specifically. Is a waterproof standard defined by JIS, which is at least grade 1 (drip-proof 1) to grade 6 (waterproof), more preferably grade 7 (waterproof), more preferably grade 8 (waterproof). It means that any one or more of the water-resistant characteristics based on (underwater) are provided.

  Inside the case body 2, a bottom plate 24 that partitions the electrical component chamber 21 and the sealed storage chamber 22 is provided. The bottom plate 24 is a plate made of synthetic resin, and is supported by a step surface 241 projecting inward from the inner peripheral surface of the case body 2.

  A cushion sheet 25 on which the electronic device E is placed is provided on one surface (the upper surface in FIG. 4) of the bottom plate 24. In this example, the cushion sheet 25 is made of a sponge sheet having shock absorption, and allows the pressing force in the pressing direction when the electronic device E is placed.

  In this example, the cushion sheet 25 is made of, for example, a sponge sheet such as low-resilience polyurethane. However, the cushion sheet 25 is deformable in accordance with the shape of the electronic device E according to the pressing force, and again in an unloaded state. Any material having an elastic restoring force that can be restored to its original shape may be arbitrarily selected according to the specifications.

  In addition, the cushion sheet 25 is attached to the entire surface of the bottom plate 24. Alternatively, the cushion sheet 25 may be provided in a stripe shape or an island shape on the plane of the bottom plate 24, and the electronic device E is horizontally disposed along the bottom plate 24. As long as it can be placed in any state, its shape may be arbitrarily selected.

  In this example from the surface (mounting surface) of the bottom plate 24 to the elastic sheet 33 of the case cover 3 described later, the thickness of the cushion sheet 25 is set to 15 mm.

  According to this, as shown in FIG. 9A, when the case cover 3 is attached with the electronic device E stored in the sealed storage chamber 22, the case cover 3 pushes the electronic device E against the bottom plate 24 side. By allowing the cushion sheet 25 to deform and allow the pressure, the stretchable sheet 33 of the case cover 3 can be prevented from being stretched excessively.

  In this example, the cushion means is provided on the side of the closed storage chamber 22 where the electronic device E of the bottom plate 24 is placed, but as another method, as shown in FIG. (In FIG. 7A, it may be provided on the electrical component chamber 21 side). That is, the cushion sheet 25 is provided between the step surface 241 that supports the bottom plate 24 and the bottom plate 24. Such an embodiment is also included in the present invention.

  According to this, as shown in FIG. 9B, even when the electronic device E is pressed down by the case cover 3, the cushion sheet 25 interposed between the step surface 241 and the bottom plate 24 is deformed. As a result, the pressing force is absorbed, and the same effect can be obtained.

  Separately, as shown in FIG. 7B, the bottom plate 24 is divided into two bottom plate members 24a and 24b, and a spring member 24c as a cushion means is provided between the bottom plate members 24a and 24b. The bottom plate 24 may be cushioned.

  As another aspect, there is a method in which the bottom plate 24 itself is formed of a flexible elastic sheet. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the bottom plate 24 uses a stretchable sheet similar to the stretchable sheet 33 of the case cover 3 described later, and the two stretchable sheets 24 and 33 are used to mount the electronic device E on both sides. You may support so that it may pinch.

  According to this, as shown in FIG. 9C, the electronic device E is supported by the elastic sheets 24 and 33 so as to sandwich both surfaces thereof, so that the pressing force in the pressing direction can be released, and the elastic sheet Can be prevented from being stretched too much.

  Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 3, a stand 26 is further provided on the outer peripheral surface of the case body 2 for leaning the waterproof protection case 1 in a self-standing state. As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the stand 26 has an arch shape in which both ends are rotatably attached to both side surfaces of the case body 2, and is stored along the outer peripheral surface of the case body 2. ing.

  In this example, the stand 26 is stored so as to be rotatable along the outer periphery of the case body 2, but may be provided on the back surface of the case body 2. In the present invention, the stand 26 is an optional item. It is.

  A first seal portion 27 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the case body 2 to prevent water from entering the sealed storage chamber 22 when the case cover 3 is attached. The first seal portion 27 includes a first seal groove 271 formed along the outer peripheral surface of the case body 2 and a first seal ring 272 fitted in the first seal groove 271.

  Referring also to FIG. 6, the first seal groove 271 is formed in an annular shape along the outer peripheral surface of the case body 2 and is opened toward the upper surface side. The first seal ring 272 is made of a sealing material such as rubber packing, for example, and is fitted over the entire circumference of the first seal groove 271.

  In this example, the first seal ring 272 is made of rubber packing. However, the first seal ring 272 may be filled with, for example, silicon sealant in the first seal groove 271 to prevent water from entering the sealed storage chamber 22. If the structure to be formed is formed, it may be arbitrarily selected according to the specification.

  Next, the case cover 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. The case cover 3 includes a frame 31 having an operation window 32 for operating the electronic device E at the center, and a stretchable sheet 33 stretched along the operation window 32 of the frame 31.

  The frame 31 has a rectangular shape so that the inner peripheral surface thereof overlaps with the outer peripheral surface of the case main body 2, and the tip end is in contact with the first seal portion 27. As shown in FIG. 4, the end portion of the frame 31 on the operation window 32 side is bent at a substantially right angle as a second seal portion 34 that comes into contact with the open end of the case body 2, and has an L-shaped cross section. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a taper surface 311 is provided at the distal end portion of the frame 31 to prevent stress concentration on the stretchable sheet 33 when the stretchable sheet 33 is stretched by the electronic device E. Is formed.

  The second seal portion 34 includes a second seal groove 341 formed by denting a part of the frame 31 and a second seal ring 342 fitted along the second seal groove 341. The second seal groove 341 is formed in an annular shape so as to face the open end edge of the case body 2.

  The second seal ring 342 is made of a sealing material such as rubber packing, for example, and is formed in a flat ring shape that is fitted along the second seal groove 341. In this example, the second seal ring 342 is made of rubber packing. However, the second seal ring 342 may be filled with, for example, a silicon sealant in the second seal groove 341, and prevents water from entering the sealed storage chamber 22. If the structure to be formed is formed, it may be arbitrarily selected according to the specification.

  The operation window 32 includes an opening having an opening area substantially the same as the opening area of the hermetic storage chamber 22, and is open in a rectangular shape in this example. An operation panel 33 is provided so as to close the operation window 32.

  In this example, the operation panel 33 uses a stretchable sheet 33. The stretchable sheet 33 is made of a stretchable sheet material such as silicon rubber, and is stretched on the operation window 32 so as to have a predetermined tension. In this example, the stretchable sheet 33 is supported by the holding frame 35.

  In this example, silicon rubber is used for the elastic sheet 33, but other than this, if the material can flexibly follow tensile deformation and does not plastically deform, the material is in accordance with the specifications. It may be changed arbitrarily.

  Moreover, it replaces with the elastic sheet 33 mentioned above, and a hard panel material may be used. That is, for example, the operation panel 33 may be formed of a hard resin plate such as polycarbonate or acrylic, and such an embodiment is also included in the present invention.

  Here, when a mere hard panel is used, the electronic device E provided with a pressure-sensitive touch panel cannot be operated. However, in the case of the electronic device E provided with an electrostatic touch panel, a hard material added with a conductive member. Operation can be performed by bringing the panel into close contact with the touch panel of the electronic device E.

  The holding frame 35 is a rectangular frame that is fitted along the second seal portion 34, and the stretchable sheet 33 is integrally stretched thereon by heat sealing or the like. In this example, the holding frame 35 is made of an elastomer resin, but the material of the holding frame 35 may be arbitrarily selected according to specifications. The stretchable sheet 33 and the holding frame 35 may be formed of the same material, or may be integrally formed.

  In this example, the holding frame 35 is formed of an elastomer resin. However, the holding frame 35 is used as a sealing member by performing a sealing process such as a silicone resin on the surface that comes into contact with the edge of the case body 2. You may make it function. According to this, sealing can be performed without using the second seal ring 342 described above.

  The case cover 3 is rotatably connected to the upper portion of the case body 2 via a hinge portion 4, and the case cover 3 is sealed to the case body 2 on the opposite side of the hinge portion 4. Locking means 5 for locking is provided.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the locking means 5 is a so-called snap lock, and includes a locking hook 51 and a locking groove 52 with which the locking hook 51 is engaged. In this example, the locking hook 51 is provided on the case body 2 side, and the locking groove 52 is provided on the case cover 3 side.

  The locking hook 51 includes an arm portion 511 that can be rotated around a predetermined rotation axis, and a hook portion 512 provided at the tip of the arm portion 511 is fitted into the locking groove 52, whereby the case cover 3 is fixed in close contact with the case body 2 side.

  In this example, the locking means 5 is constituted by a snap lock, but other locking methods may be used, and the case body 2 and the case cover 3 are tightly sealed by two seal portions 27 and 34. Other modes are also included in the present invention as long as the maintained state can be maintained.

  Next, an example of a procedure for using the water resistant protective case 1 (speaker) will be described. The use is extremely simple. First, as shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device E is placed on the bottom plate 24 with the case cover 3 opened. At the same time, a connection connector (not shown) provided in the sealed storage chamber 22 is inserted into the earphone jack of the electronic device E.

  Next, the case cover 3 is attached so as to cover the case main body 2, and finally locked by the locking means 5. According to this, as shown to Fig.9 (a), the distance L of the mounting surface of the sealed storage chamber 22 and the elastic sheet 33 is set smaller than the thickness T of the electronic device E (L <T). As a result, the electronic device E is elastically held between the bottom plate 24 and the stretchable sheet 33.

  At that time, the electronic device E is pressed against the bottom plate 24 side by the extension force of the elastic sheet 33, but the pressing force is allowed by the deformation of the cushion sheet 25, so the elastic sheet 33 is stretched. It is suppressed that it is broken and is damaged due to stress concentration at one point.

  After that, by operating the electronic device E through the stretchable sheet 33 adhered along the operation surface of the electronic device E, the electronic device E can be used even in a highly humid environment such as a bathroom. After use, the electronic device E can be taken out from the case body 2 if the lock is released after wiping off moisture.

  In this example, the water-resistant protective case 1 has been described by taking a speaker with a built-in speaker unit as an example. However, in addition to this, for example, a microphone, a monitor for operation, a button, a touch pad, and the like are provided. Other modifications may also be included in the present invention as long as they function as at least a water-resistant protective case.

1 Water-resistant protective case (speaker)
2 Case body 21 Electrical component room 22 Sealed storage room 24 Bottom plate 25 Cushion sheet 3 Case cover 31 Frame 32 Open window 33 Elastic sheet E Electronic device

Claims (8)

A case main body having a sealed storage chamber in which an upper surface is opened and an electronic device is hermetically stored therein; and a case cover attached so as to close the open surface. The case main body includes the electronic device. The case cover is disposed such that an operation window for operating the electronic device in a state where the electronic device is hermetically housed in the hermetic storage chamber is opposed to the bottom plate. The operation window is provided with an operation panel that is in close contact with the operation surface of the electronic device. The thickness of the electronic device is T, and the distance from the mounting surface of the electronic device to the operation panel is set. When L, the operation window is a water-resistant protective case arranged so that L <T.
The bottom plate is provided with cushion means that is deformed by a pressing force applied to the electronic device via the operation panel when the case cover is attached to the case body and the operation panel is brought into close contact with the operation surface. Water-resistant protective case characterized by being.   The water resistant protective case according to claim 1, wherein the operation panel is made of a flexible elastic sheet.   The water resistant protective case according to claim 1, wherein the operation panel is a hard panel.   4. The water-resistant protective case according to claim 1, wherein a foam sheet as the cushion means is provided on a mounting surface of the electronic device of the bottom plate.   The case main body is provided with a stepped surface for receiving a part of the bottom plate, and the cushion means is provided between the stepped surface and the bottom plate. 3. The water-resistant protective case according to 3.   The water-resistant protective case according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the bottom plate is also made of a flexible elastic sheet, and supports both sides of the electronic device so as to be sandwiched between the elastic sheets.   The case cover is attached so that inner peripheral surfaces thereof overlap with each other along the outer peripheral surface of the case main body. The outer peripheral surface of the case main body receives an open edge of the case cover, and also includes the sealed storage chamber. A first seal portion is provided for preventing water from entering the space, and a second seal portion for preventing water from entering the sealed storage chamber is provided between the open end edge of the case body and the case cover. The water-resistant protective case according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the water-proof protective case is provided so as to prevent water from entering the sealed storage chamber in a double manner.   A speaker comprising a speaker unit incorporated in the water-resistant protective case according to claim 1.

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