JP4376567B2 - Buffer member for external storage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a buffer member that protects an external storage device such as a hard disk device housed in an information processing device such as a notebook type personal computer from impact and vibration.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a notebook type personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as “notebook PC”) 1 as an information processing apparatus 1 includes a hard disk device 2 as an external storage device that accommodates a disk-shaped storage medium. Is stored. The hard disk device 2 includes a thin plate-like housing 3 having an upper surface 3a and a bottom surface 3b that are substantially rectangular. A sheet-like cushioning member 4 made of a rectangular elastic material is fixed to the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b with, for example, a double-sided tape. Then, as schematically shown in FIG. 12, when the hard disk device 2 is stored in the storage unit 1a of the notebook PC 1 and closed by the lid 1b, the sheet-like buffer member 4 is moved between the hard disk device 2 and the storage unit 1a. It is arranged in a state of being sandwiched between the gaps, and bears the function of protecting the hard disk device 2 from vibration and impact. An example of prior art relating to the sheet-like buffer member 4 is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-379283 (Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-379283

  By the way, if such a hard disk device 2 is mounted on a notebook PC 1 or the like, it may be used while riding a car or a train. Therefore, it is more necessary to protect the hard disk device 2 from external vibrations and shocks than when used in a stationary environment.

  However, if the conventional sheet-like cushioning member 4 is attached to a portion near the center of the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b facing the magnetic disk 2a built in the hard disk device 2, the upper surface 3 The gap between the back surface of 3a and the magnetic disk 2a is narrowed, which may adversely affect the operation of the magnetic head 2b that requires precise operation. Even if the hard disk device 2 is attached to the end portion rather than the central portion, the hard disk device 2 comes into contact with the storage portion 1a and the lid 1b through the sheet-like buffer member 4 over a wide range of the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b. Therefore, vibrations in the vertical direction are transmitted to the hard disk device 2 directly through the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b of the housing 3 in a wide range, which is not preferable.

  Further, since the sheet-like buffer member 4 is fixed to the four corners of the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b of the hard disk device 2 individually by double-sided tape even in the mounting operation thereof, there is a problem that workability is poor and fixing positioning is difficult. . If the fixed position is shifted, the originally planned vibration damping characteristic may not be obtained.

  On the other hand, as a method of attaching the sheet-like cushioning member 4, as shown in FIG. 13, the sheet-like cushioning member 4 wider than the height T1 of the hard disk device 2 is used, and the longitudinal side surface 3c of the housing 3 of the hard disk device 2 is used. There is also a method in which the sheet-like cushioning member 4 is placed on the side, and the sheet-like cushioning member 4 is projected upward and downward from the end of the long side surface 3c and supported by the housing 3 using screws 5. However, this method is disadvantageous in that it needs to be attached to the external storage device with a screw 5 or the like, and it takes time and labor for the attachment work and the number of parts increases. If the sheet-like cushioning member 4 is attached to the hard disk device 2 with a double-sided tape or an adhesive without using the screws 5 or the like, it is also disadvantageous in that the adhesiveness is weak.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a shock-absorbing member used in an external storage device such as a hard disk device, and more particularly, to obtain a shock-absorbing member that is difficult to transmit external vibration and shock to the external storage device and can be easily mounted. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a buffer made of an elastic material interposed in a gap between an external storage device that houses a disk-shaped recording medium in a housing and a storage portion of an information processing device that houses the external storage device. Regarding the members, a side surface holding part that holds the side surface of the housing of the external storage device, a top surface holding part that protrudes from the side surface holding part in a cantilever shape, and holds the top surface of the housing, and a cantilever shape from the side surface holding part And a bottom surface holding portion that holds the bottom surface of the housing, and the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface with respect to the protruding length along the vertical direction of the side surface holding portion from the top surface and the bottom surface of the housing. A shock-absorbing member characterized in that the thickness of the holding portion is formed thin.

  According to the shock-absorbing member of the present invention, the external storage device can be reliably held by a simple mounting operation by the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion protruding in a cantilever shape from the side surface holding portion. And the thickness of these upper surface holding | maintenance parts and bottom face holding | maintenance parts is thinner than the protrusion length of the side surface holding | maintenance part which protrudes along an up-down direction from the upper surface and bottom face of a housing | casing. For this reason, the upper end and the lower end of the side surface holding portion abut against the storage portion, and the external storage device can be elastically supported in a floating manner, so that shock and vibration can be effectively buffered.

And this buffer member can form an upper surface holding | maintenance part and a bottom face holding | maintenance part gradually thinly toward the surface direction of the upper surface and bottom face of a housing | casing. Since the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion are gradually thinned in the in-plane direction of the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing, the buffer member is thick on the base side of the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion with respect to the side surface holding portion. Increases rigidity. For this reason, it is possible to reliably support the load of the external storage device, and even when an impact is applied, the external storage device is not easily detached from the buffer member and can be stably held. On the other hand, the tip (free end) side of the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion is thinner than the base side, so that it is possible to reduce the weight of the buffer member and reduce the amount of material compared to the case of the thick wall . Furthermore, because of the wide holding surface to the external storage device without them touch a storage unit such as the upper surface holding portion and the bottom holder, without changing the damping characteristics, can be improved retention of the outer portion storage device It is.

  In the present invention, the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion can be a buffer member formed so as to have an acute angle with respect to the side surface holding portion.

  According to this, the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion are inclined inward from each other, and when attached to the external storage device, they are spread outward, so that the holding force for the external storage device can be increased.

  According to the present invention, vibrations and impacts from outside the information processing apparatus are not easily transmitted to the external storage device. Therefore, it is particularly useful as a buffer member for an external storage device built in an information processing device that is susceptible to external vibration or impact, such as a notebook PC or a car navigation device. In addition, an inexpensive cushioning member that is easy to mount and does not use extra mounting parts can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, the buffer member of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an example in which the buffer member of the present invention is applied to a hard disk device mounted on a notebook PC. However, the embodiment can also be applied to a drive device of various disk media such as an optical disk device. The present invention can also be applied to other information processing devices such as a desktop personal computer, a car audio device, and a car navigation device using the external storage device. In addition, about the same thing as a prior art, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and duplication description is abbreviate | omitted.

1st Embodiment; The state which attaches the buffer members 11 and 11 of this invention to the hard-disk apparatus 2 is shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a front view of the hard disk device 2 with the buffer members 11 and 11 attached thereto. The shock-absorbing member 11 located on the right side of the hard disk device 2 will be described first. The shock-absorbing member 11 includes a side surface holding portion 12 that holds the right side surface 3c on the right side of the housing 3 of the hard disk device 2, and this side surface holding. The portion 12 protrudes upward or downward from the surface ends of the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b. Further, the upper surface holding portion 13 that protrudes from the side surface holding portion 12 in a cantilever shape so as to cover the edge portion of the upper surface 3a of the housing continuous with the longitudinal side surface 3c, and the bottom surface 3b. The bottom surface holding portion 14 that protrudes from the side surface holding portion 12 in a cantilever shape so as to cover the edge portion and holds the bottom surface 3 b of the housing 3 is provided. The outer surface 13a of the upper surface holding portion 13 and the outer surface 14a of the bottom surface holding portion 14 are inclined from the upper end 12a or the lower end 12b of the side surface holding portion 12 toward the surface of the upper surface 3a or the bottom surface 3b of the housing 3, respectively. A surface is formed. Further, the thickness (vertical thickness) T2 of the upper surface holding portion 13 and the bottom surface holding portion 14 is larger than the protruding length L3 along the vertical direction of the side surface holding portion 12 from the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b of the housing 3. It is thin and thin. Therefore, also when accommodated in the storage unit 1a of the notebook PC 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper end 12a or the lower end 12b of the side surface holding unit 12 is in contact with the storage unit 1a or the lid 1b of the storage unit 1a. 13 and the bottom surface holding part 14 are not in contact with the storage part 1a or the lid 1b. The buffer member 11 attached to the left side of the hard disk device 2 also has the same structure.

  As the material of the buffer member 11, an elastic body having a hardness of Shore A A10 to 70 is used, and according to required performance such as dimensional accuracy, heat resistance, mechanical strength, durability, reliability, vibration proofing characteristics, and control characteristics. It can be selected from thermoplastic elastomers, thermosetting rubbers and the like. If the hardness is lower than Shore A10, it is difficult to stably hold the external storage device. If the hardness is higher than Shore A70, the required vibration damping effect cannot be obtained and the shock cannot be buffered. As the thermoplastic elastomer, a styrene thermoplastic elastomer, an olefin thermoplastic elastomer, a polyester thermoplastic elastomer, a polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer, a polyamide thermoplastic elastomer, a vinyl chloride thermoplastic elastomer, or the like can be used. As thermosetting rubber, natural rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, styrene butadiene copolymer rubber, nitrile rubber, hydrogenated nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, chlorinated polyethylene, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, butyl rubber, Halogenated butyl rubber, acrylic rubber, fluorine rubber, urethane rubber, silicone rubber, or the like can be used. The buffer member 11 as described above can be manufactured by compression molding or the like.

  If the cushioning members 11 and 11 are attached to the left and right longitudinal side surfaces 3c and 3c of the hard disk device 2 and stored in the storage portion 1a of the notebook PC 1, internal vibrations caused by the rotation of the magnetic disk 2a of the hard disk device 2 are also external to the notebook PC 1. External vibration transmitted from the shock absorber is also absorbed and reduced by the pressure deformation of the buffer member 11. In particular, a state in which vibration from the outside is transmitted through the buffer member 11 is schematically shown by arrows in FIG. The buffer member 11 is formed such that the upper surface holding portion 13 and the bottom surface holding portion 14 are gradually thinned toward the in-plane directions of the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b of the housing 3, and the storage portion 1a or the lid 1b, The upper end 12a and the lower end 12b of the holding part 12 are in contact with each other. Therefore, the vibration transmitted from the storage unit 1a of the notebook PC 1 is first transmitted to the upper end 12a of the side surface holding unit 12 in contact with the storage unit 1a. Thereafter, the light is transmitted through the side surface holding portion 12 and further transmitted to the lid 1 b through the lower end 12 b of the side surface holding portion 12. The same applies to the case where vibration is transmitted from the lid 1b to the storage unit 1a. As described above, the vibration in the vertical direction transmitted from the outside is transmitted through the side surface holding portion 12 of the buffer member 11 and is mainly absorbed and alleviated by the side surface holding portion 12. Therefore, vibrations are not easily transmitted to the hard disk device 2 supported by the upper surface holding unit 13 and the bottom surface holding unit 14. On the other hand, the side surface holding portion 12 is easily displaced even with respect to horizontal external vibration, and vibration is easily absorbed and shock is easily reduced. Therefore, it exhibits excellent vibration damping and shock absorbing characteristics against vibrations and shocks received when the notebook PC 1 is used in an automobile or train.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, the description of the same parts of the material, the shape, and the like is omitted as compared with the buffer member 11 shown in the first embodiment.

Second Embodiment; The buffer member 21 having the shape shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is a cover portion 25 that covers the short side surfaces 3d and 3d of the hard disk device 2 with respect to the shape of the buffer member 11 shown in FIG. , 15 are further added. The point which has holding parts, such as the side surface holding part 22, the upper surface holding part 23, and the bottom face holding part 24, is the same as that of the buffer member 11 shown in 1st Embodiment. For the hard disk device 2 in which the terminals are arranged up to the edge side portion of the short side surface 3d, it is difficult to cover the short side surface 3d and the buffer member 11 without the cover portion 25 is used. The buffer member 21 is effectively used when there is no such terminal or when it is necessary to buffer the impact in the longitudinal direction. Further, since the short side surfaces 3d and 3d are also covered and held, the hard disk device 2 can be held more stably.

Third Embodiment: In the buffer member 31 having the shape shown in FIG. 6, the upper surface holding portions 33, 33 and the bottom surface holding portions 34, 34 do not cover the entire edge of the upper surface 3 a or the bottom surface 3 b of the housing 3, It covers a part. Therefore, there is an advantage that the upper surface holding portions 33 and 33 and the bottom surface holding portions 34 and 34 are small in size, and less elastic material is required for manufacturing the buffer member 31. The upper surface holding portions 33 and 33 and the bottom surface holding portions 34 and 34 are different from the points having the side surface holding portions 32 and the protruding lengths along the vertical direction of the side surface holding portions 32 from the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b of the housing 3. The point that the thickness is formed thin, and the point that the outer side surfaces 33a, 34a of the upper surface holding portions 33, 33 and the bottom surface holding portions 34, 34 are inclined surfaces are the buffer members 11 shown in the first embodiment. It is the same.

Fourth Embodiment: The buffer member 41 having the shape shown in FIG. 7 is slightly different from the buffer member 11 shown in FIG. 1 and the like in the shape of the upper surface holding portion 43 and the bottom surface holding portion 44. The outer surface 43 a of the upper surface holding portion 43 is inclined from the joint portion with the side surface holding portion 42, but has a rectangular shape near the tip of the upper surface holding portion 43. The shape of the bottom surface holding portion 44 is the same as that of the top surface holding portion 43. The thickness of the upper surface holding portion 43 and the bottom surface holding portion 44 is thin with respect to the point having the side surface holding portion 42 and the protruding length along the vertical direction of the side surface holding portion 42 from the upper surface 3a and the bottom surface 3b of the housing 3. The point formed in is the same as the buffer member 11 shown in the first embodiment.

Fifth Embodiment: The buffer member 51 according to the fifth embodiment is different from the buffer member 11 shown in the first embodiment in the shapes of the upper surface holding portion 53 and the bottom surface holding portion 54, and is shown in FIG. It has a different shape. The shock-absorbing member 51 according to the fifth embodiment does not have inclined surfaces on the outer surfaces 53a and 54a of the upper surface holding portion 53 and the bottom surface holding portion 54, so that the impact received by the side surface holding portion 52 is difficult to be transmitted to the hard disk device 2. In this respect, it is superior to the buffer member 11 and the like. On the other hand, since the upper surface holding portion 53 and the bottom surface holding portion 54 are uniform in thickness, the side surfaces of the upper bottom surface holding portions 53 and 54 are held as compared with the case where the upper surface holding portion 53 and the bottom surface holding portion 54 have an inclined surface like the buffer member 11 shown in FIG. The thickness on the part 52 side is relatively thin. Therefore, the upper surface holding portion 53 and the bottom surface holding portion 54 of the buffer member 51 are made larger than the upper surface holding portion 13 and the bottom surface holding portion 14 of the buffer member 11 so that the hard disk device 2 does not come off when receiving an impact. It is preferable to form.

Sixth Embodiment As shown in FIG. 9, the buffer member 61 according to the sixth embodiment is such that the inner side surface 63 b of the upper surface holding portion 63 and the inner side surface 64 b of the bottom surface holding portion 64 are joined to the side surface holding portion 62. From the above, it is formed in an inclined shape. In other words, the upper surface holding portion 63 and the bottom surface holding portion 64 are formed to have an acute angle with respect to the side surface holding portion 62. For this reason, the hard disk device 2 can be held more stably than in the case of being formed at a right angle.

Seventh Embodiment; A buffer member (not shown) according to the seventh embodiment has stepped outer surfaces of the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion, and the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion are the upper surface of the housing. And gradually becomes thinner toward the in-plane direction of the bottom. This buffer member can also hold the hard disk device 2 stably.

The shock-absorbing member (not shown) according to the eighth embodiment does not have one of the cover portions 25 with respect to the shock-absorbing member 21 having the cover portions 25 and 25 that cover both the short side surfaces 3d and 3d. It is a shape. If such a buffer member is used, it can be used by being installed at the four corners of the hard disk device 2. As another embodiment other than the above-described embodiment, a buffer member having a shape in which a cover portion is provided on the buffer members 31, 41, 51 that do not have the cover portion 25 can be exemplified.

  In the buffer members 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 described above, the hard disk device 2 has been described as having a holding portion that covers at least the longitudinal side surface 3c and the upper bottom surface 3a, 3b. Depending on the installation direction of the hard disk device 2 and the installation space, the short side surface 3d and the upper bottom surface 3a, 3b are covered, the upper surface 3a or the bottom surface 3b, and the two long side surfaces 3c, 3c are covered. Can be changed. That is, the surface on which the buffer member is attached can be selected as appropriate according to the posture of using the hard disk device 2 such as vertically or horizontally. However, the size of each holding part and cover part of the buffer member can change in each case.

  Further, by using a buffer member having a reduced length in the longitudinal direction, such as the buffer members 11, 31, 41, 51, 61, etc., for example, as shown in FIG. 10, two or more buffer members 71 are arranged on one side surface. It is also possible. Furthermore, it is also possible to arrange a buffer member between adjacent side surfaces (not shown).

  In addition, although various embodiment and the usage example of the buffer member of this invention were demonstrated, the buffer member of this invention and how to use it are not limited to these examples, and can be changed suitably.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the attachment state to the hard-disk apparatus of the buffer member by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the state which attached the buffer member by one Embodiment of this invention to the hard-disk apparatus. It is a schematic diagram of the state which accommodated the hard disk device in the storage part. It is a perspective view of the buffer member by another embodiment of the present invention. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line SA-SA in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a right side view of the buffer member shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of a buffer member by another embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a buffer member by another embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a buffer member by another embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of a buffer member by another embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the state where another buffer member of the present invention was attached to the hard disk device. It is an external perspective view of a hard disk device and a notebook type personal computer showing a mounting state of a sheet-like cushioning member according to a conventional example. FIG. 12 is an internal explanatory view schematically showing a state in which the hard disk device of FIG. 11 is housed in a storage unit. It is a perspective view explaining another example of use of the conventional sheet-like buffer member.

Explanation of symbols

1 Notebook PC (information processing device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a Storage part 1b Cover 2 Hard disk drive (external storage device)
2a Magnetic disk 2b Magnetic head 3 Housing 3a Upper surface 3b Bottom surface 3c Long side surface 3d Short side surface 4 Sheet-like cushioning member (conventional example)
5 Screws 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71 Buffer members 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62 Side surface holding portions 12a, 22a, 32a, 42a, 52a Upper end 12b, 22b Lower end 13, 23, 33 , 43, 53, 63 Upper surface holding portion 13a, 33a, 43a, 53a Outer surface 63b (of upper surface holding portion) Inner side surface 14, 24, 34, 44, 54, 64 Bottom surface holding portion 14a, 34a 54a Outer side surface (of the bottom surface holding portion) 64b Inner side surface (of the bottom surface holding portion) 25 Cover portion

Claims (9)

Elastic material of the housing to be interposed in a gap between the storage unit of the information processing apparatus to accommodate the external storage device of the external storage device Toko for accommodating the disc-shaped recording medium to absorb vibration and floatingly supported the external storage device relaxation In the buffer member,
A side surface holding portion that holds the side surface of the housing of the external storage device, a top surface holding portion that protrudes in a cantilever shape from the side surface holding portion, and a protrusion that protrudes in a cantilever shape from the side surface holding portion. A bottom holding part for holding the bottom of the housing, and a holding part having
The upper surface holding part and the bottom surface holding part shall not be in contact with the information processing device by making the wall thickness thin relative to the protruding length of the side surface holding part protruding vertically from the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing ,
The side surface holding portion has an upper end and a lower end that protrude in the vertical direction from the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing and contact the information processing device, respectively.
A shock absorbing member that absorbs and reduces vibration transmitted through the upper and lower ends of the side surface holding portion . The shock-absorbing member according to claim 1, wherein the elastic material has a hardness of A10 to 70. The shock-absorbing member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion are gradually formed thin in the in-plane direction of the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing. The shock-absorbing member according to claim 1, wherein each of the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion has a uniform thickness. The upper surface holding part is composed of two upper surface holding parts each covering a part of the upper surface edge of the external storage device, and the bottom surface holding part is composed of two bottom surface holding parts each covering a part of the bottom surface edge of the external storage device. The buffer member according to any one of claims 4 to 4. The buffer member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the side surface holding portion has an upper end surface and a lower end surface that contact the information processing device, and a side surface that does not contact the information processing device. The cushioning member according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the upper surface holding portion and the bottom surface holding portion are formed to have an acute angle with respect to the side surface holding portion. An external storage device that houses a disk-shaped recording medium in a housing;
An information processing apparatus that accommodates an external storage device;
In a vibration damping structure for an external storage device, comprising: a buffer member made of an elastic material that absorbs and relieves vibration by floatingly supporting the external storage device by interposing it in a gap between the external storage device and the storage unit of the information processing device ,
The buffer member has a side surface holding portion that holds the side surface of the housing of the external storage device, a top surface holding portion that protrudes in a cantilever shape from the side surface holding portion, and a cantilever beam from the side surface holding portion. A holding part having a bottom holding part protruding in a shape and holding the bottom face of the housing,
The upper surface holding part and the bottom surface holding part shall not be in contact with the information processing device by making the wall thickness thin relative to the protruding length of the side surface holding part protruding vertically from the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing,
The side surface holding portion has an upper end and a lower end that protrude in the vertical direction from the upper surface and the bottom surface of the housing and contact the information processing device, respectively.
A vibration buffering structure for an external storage device that absorbs and relieves vibration transmitted through the upper and lower ends of the side surface holding portion. 9. The vibration buffering structure for an external storage device according to claim 8, wherein the side surface of the side surface holding portion is provided away from the information processing device.

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