JP2629032B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device, and in particular, to a first case in which cases for housing components of the electronic device are rotatably coupled to each other.
And an electronic device comprising a second case, wherein the first case is mounted on a mounting surface of the electronic device, and the second case is turned to stand on the first case. It relates to an electronic device to be used.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional electronic devices such as a portable word processor and a personal computer have a so-called foldable case structure as shown in FIG. 4 for the purpose of enhancing portability and protecting a display. Has been adopted.

That is, in this case, the case includes the lower case 101 and the upper case 103. A keyboard 102 is housed in the lower case 101.
A display 104 is housed in the upper case 103. Further, other components such as a control circuit and a power supply (not shown) for controlling the entire electronic device are housed in the lower case 101 or the upper case 103.

The lower case 101 and the upper case 103 are connected to each other by hinges 108 so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows a and b. That is, the upper case 103 is stacked on the lower case 101 so as to be folded on the lower case 101, or is rotatably provided so as to stand up as shown in the drawing. Further, a locking structure (not shown) is provided for locking the upper case 103 at a predetermined angle or an arbitrary angle as shown in the state where the upper case 103 is rotated so as to stand on the lower case 101 as shown. Have been.

When using this electronic device, the electronic device is used in a state where the lower case 101 is placed on the mounting surface of the electronic device, and the upper case 103 is turned on the lower case 101 to stand as shown in the figure. When the electronic device is stored or carried, the upper case 103 is turned in the direction b so that the upper case 103 is folded over the lower case 101 from the state shown in the figure. At this time, the claw 105 provided in the upper case 103 is fitted and engaged with the opening 107 formed in the lower case 101, so that the upper case 103 is locked to the lower case 101. In this state, the electronic device can be safely carried.

The engagement between the claw 105 and the opening 107 can be disengaged by operating the knob 106 coupled to the claw 105. After disengaging the engagement, the upper case 103 is rotated in the direction a to stand on the lower case 101. You can do it.

In such a portable electronic device, a printer for recording and outputting is formed separately and connected via a cable.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the electronic device as shown in FIG. 4, when the upper case 103 is used with the upper case 103 standing on the lower case 101 as shown in the figure, the weight of the upper case 103 side is reduced. Is applied to the lower case 101 side. There is no problem if the weight of the lower case 101 is significantly larger than the weight of the upper case 103, but if the difference in weight is not so large, the above-mentioned moment deteriorates the stability of the entire electronic device. In such a state, if the user touches the upper case 103 by mistake and pushes it backward, the lower case 101 rises from the mounting surface, and the entire electronic device falls down to the rear side of the upper case 103. There is a risk that it will.

Then, the electronic device may be damaged by the impact of the overturn. To prevent this, it is conceivable to set the weight of the lower case 101 side sufficiently larger than that of the upper case 103 side, but the degree of freedom of design is limited in connection with this.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to prevent the electronic device of this type from falling during use without impairing the above-described degree of freedom in design.

[Means for Solving the Problems] According to the present invention, to solve the above problems, a first and a second case in which a case accommodating constituent members of an electronic device are rotatably coupled to each other from a closed state to an open state. In the electronic device comprising the two cases, a support member for supporting the electronic device is slidably provided on the first case, and the support member is substantially housed in the first case in the closed state of the case. In the open state, a structure in which the first case protrudes from the first case is employed.

[Operation] According to such a structure, it is possible to reliably prevent the electronic device from falling down behind the second case during use by the support member.

Example An example of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows the overall appearance of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This electronic device is portable and is configured as, for example, a word processor or a personal computer.

The case of this electronic device includes a lower case 1 and an upper case 3. In this case, the lower case 1 and the upper case 3 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a corresponding size. As shown, the lower case 1 houses a keyboard 2 for inputting information to an electronic device. The upper case 3 has a display 4 comprising a liquid crystal display or the like for displaying input / output information of the electronic device.
Is stored. Also, other components of the electronic device, such as a control circuit for controlling the entire electronic device, a power supply, and the like, are provided in the lower case 1.
Or, it is stored in the upper case 3.

The lower case 1 and the upper case 3 are coupled to each other via hinges 8 at the side edges of one end thereof so as to be rotatable in the a and b directions with respect to each other. That is, the upper case 3 is folded on the lower case 1 as in the case of the above-described conventional example, or is rotatably connected so as to stand up as shown in the figure. Although not shown in detail, the hinge 5 includes, for example, a rotating member and a bearing thereof.

On the other hand, on both sides of the front end of the upper case 3, claws 5 are loosely fitted into long holes 3 a formed in the upper case 3 and are provided movably in the directions of arrows c and d. Always energized. A knob 6 for manually operating the claw 5 is integrally formed with the claw 5, and the knob 6 is fitted to the case 3 so as to be slidable in the c and d directions. In the lower case 1, openings 7 are formed at respective portions corresponding to the claws 5.

When the electronic device is used under such a structure, the lower case 1 is placed on the mounting surface of the electronic device as shown in the figure, and the upper case 3 is rotated on the lower case 1 in the direction a, as shown in the figure. The electronic device is used in the upright position. It is assumed that the upper case 3 is locked in an upright state as shown in the figure by a locking structure (not shown).

Also, when the electronic device is not used, stored and carried, the upper case 3 is rotated in the direction b and folded on the lower case 1. At this time, with the rotation of the upper case 3 in the direction b,
The claw 5 abuts on the edge on the far side of the opening 7, and the claw 5 is displaced in the d direction through the inclination of the edge and the inclination of the tip of the claw 5 to fit into the opening 7. Is displaced in the direction c by the bias of the spring and engages with the edge of the opening 7. By this engagement, the upper case 3 is locked to the lower case 1. Thus, upper case 3
The electronic device can be safely carried with the device locked.

From the state where the upper case 3 is locked to the lower case 1 as described above, the claw 5 is displaced in the d direction by operating the knob 6 to disengage the claw 5 from the opening 7, and the engagement of the upper case 3 is stopped. You can remove the stop.

By the way, the structure of the part described above is the same as that of the above-described conventional example. In addition to this structure, in the present embodiment, the electronic device is connected to the rear side of the upper case 3 in the use state shown in FIG. A support member 9 is provided to prevent the device from falling over.

As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 9 is formed in a substantially U-shaped frame shape, and a large-width stopper portion 9a is formed at each of the ends at both ends. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1b denotes a side plate along the hinge 8 to which the upper case 3 is connected to the lower case 1. The bent both ends of the support member 9 are slidably fitted into the holes 1c, 1c formed at both ends of the side plate 1b. The left and right side plates 1 of the lower case 1
Guide plates 1a, 1a are provided near the inside of d, 1d in parallel with the side plates 1d, 1d, and a stopper portion is provided between the guide plate 1a and the side plate 1d.
9a is slidably fitted. Although not shown, the guide plate 1a is bent in an L-shape, and abuts on the side and upper part of the stopper 9a. With such a structure, the support member 9 is provided so as to be slidable in the direction e protruding from the lower case 1 to the outside and in the direction f opposite thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, when using the electronic device by rotating the upper case 3 so as to stand on the lower case 1, the user slides the support member 9 in the direction e in FIG. It is to be projected from the side plate 1b of the lower case 1. As a result, the support member 9 comes into contact with the mounting surface of the electronic device below the rear of the upper case 3 erected as shown in FIG. 1, and the electronic device is held so that the electronic device does not fall behind the upper case 3. To support.

When the upper case 3 is folded over the lower case 1 and the electronic device is not used, the user slides the support member 9 in the direction f in FIG. 2 to store the entire bent portions on both sides in the lower case 1. Shall be. That is, the support member 9 is substantially housed in the lower case 1.

According to the present embodiment, the support member 9 can reliably prevent the electronic device from overturning during use as described above, and can prevent damage to the electronic device due to the impact of the overturn. Since there is no risk of falling, the user can operate the electronic device with a sense of security and can improve the operability. Further, when designing the electronic device, the restrictions on the weight of the lower case 1 and the upper case 3 are relaxed, so that the degree of freedom of design can be obtained. Furthermore, when the electronic device is not used (during storage or when carrying), the support member 9 is substantially stored in the case 1 so that the support member 9 does not become an obstacle.

When the support member 9 is slid in the direction e in the above structure, the stopper 9a abuts on the edge of the hole 1c,
The support member 9 is prevented from dropping from the lower case 1. Further, by making the strength of the support member 9 itself and the strength of the mounting portion of the support member 9 in the lower case 1 sufficient with the above structure, the support member 9 can be used as a handle when the electronic device is carried.

Second Embodiment By the way, in the structure of the above-described first embodiment, the movement of the support member 9 for projecting the support member 9 from the lower case 1 or substantially storing the support member 9 in the lower case 1 is performed. It is also possible to configure so as to perform the operation in conjunction with the rotation of the third rotation. FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention constructed as described above.
An example is shown. 3, common or corresponding parts to those in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals, and detailed description of the common parts is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment, the support member 9 for preventing overturning is provided by the lower case 1.
Guide plate slidably mounted on and similarly formed
It is provided so as to be slidable in the direction of an arrow e protruding from the rear side of the lower case 1 through 1a and in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow (f direction in FIG. 2) substantially accommodated in the lower case 1. The support member 9 is formed in a substantially U-shaped frame shape as viewed from above, for example, as in the case of the first embodiment. And the first
A different point from the embodiment is that a rack 9b is formed on at least one upper side of the bent portions on both sides of the support member 9.

Gears 10 to 12 are provided to move the support member 9 in the direction e or the opposite direction in conjunction with the rotation of the upper case 3 via the rack 9b. The gears 10 and 11 are integrally rotatably provided in the lower case 1 by a common shaft 10a. The gear 11 meshes with the rack 9b. The gear 12 is a component on the upper case 3 side of the hinge 8,
For example, it is provided integrally with the upper case 3 at the portion of the rotating shaft,
Teeth are formed on the outer circumference of approximately 3/4 circumference projecting from the main body of the upper case 3. Then, the gear 12 meshes with the gear 10.

Under such a structure, when the electronic device is used, when the upper case 3 is turned on the lower case 1 in the direction a as shown in FIG. 3, the gear 12 integral with the upper case 3 rotates in the direction a. Then, the gear 10 and the gear 11 meshing with this rotate in the g direction,
The support member 9 is pressed via the rack 9b. The upper case 3 slides in the direction e, and projects from the rear side of the lower case 1 behind and below the upper case 3. Then, as in the case of the first embodiment, the support member 9 functions to prevent overturning.

In this state, when the upper case 3 is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction a (direction b in FIG. 1) and folded on the lower case 1, the support member 9 is moved in the opposite direction to the direction e by the operation reverse to the above. Second
It slides in the direction (f direction in the figure) and is substantially stored in the lower case 1.

According to this embodiment, the electronic device can be prevented from tipping over by the support member 9 in the same manner as in the first embodiment, so that the operability of the electronic device can be improved and the upper case 3 can be rotated. The supporting member 9 slides automatically in conjunction with the electronic device, and when the electronic device is used, it functions to prevent it from falling. When the electronic device is not used, the supporting member 9 is substantially housed in the lower case 1. It saves the trouble of a car and is more convenient.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the first and second cases in which the case accommodating the components of the electronic device are rotatably connected to each other from the closed state to the open state. In an electronic device including a case, a support member that supports the electronic device is slidably provided on the first case, and the support member is substantially stored in the first case in a closed state of the case, In the open state, a structure that protrudes from the first case is employed. Therefore, the support member can prevent the electronic device from falling down during use and prevent the electronic device from being damaged due to the fall, and can improve the operability of the electronic device by allowing the operator to operate the electronic device with peace of mind. At the same time, the degree of freedom in design can be increased. In addition, when the support member is not used, an excellent effect such as being able to be substantially stored in the first case and not being obstructed is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire external appearance of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention at the time of use, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a structure of a main part of an electronic device according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an entire appearance of the conventional electronic device when used. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Lower case, 2 ... Keyboard 3 ... Upper case, 4 ... Display 5 ... Claw, 6 ... Knob 7 ... Opening, 8 ... Hinge 9 ... Support member, 9b ... Rack 10 ~ 12 ... gears

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An electronic device comprising a first case and a second case in which a case accommodating components of the electronic device is rotatably connected to each other from a closed state to an open state, wherein a support member for supporting the electronic device is provided. The support member is slidably provided in the first case, and the support member is substantially housed in the first case when the case is closed and protrudes from the first case when open. Electronic equipment characterized by the following. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein movement of said support member for projecting and storing is performed via a transmission member interlocked with rotation of said second case relative to said first case. The electronic device according to claim 1.