JP5054475B2 - Split case connection structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a split case for joining a pair of split cases constituting the whole case or a part of the case by joining the opposing end faces together while bringing the opposing end faces into contact with each other. Concerning the bond structure.

For example, a compact digital camera case (camera body) is engaged with a pair of front and rear split cases where opposing end surfaces are joined to each other and a plurality of engagement holes (through holes) drilled in the front and rear split cases. And a decorative plate that includes a plurality of engaging pieces and covers a part (for example, the upper part) of the front and rear divided cases.
JP 2006-202910 A

  If the divided case having the structure as described above is not accurately molded according to the design shape, when the front and rear divided cases and the decorative plate are integrated, a gap is generated between the opposed end surfaces between the front and rear divided cases. .

  Further, even if the engagement pieces of the decorative plate are engaged with the engagement holes of the front and rear divided cases, the opposing end surfaces of the front and rear divided cases are not joined to each other. Therefore, in order to join the opposing end faces of the front and rear split cases, the front and rear split cases must be screwed to the frame member, which is a component of the camera body, or the opposing end faces of the front and rear split cases must be bonded together. I had to.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a split case coupling structure in which a pair of split cases can be easily coupled with their opposing end surfaces joined without manufacturing the split case or the like with high shape accuracy. To do.

  In the split case coupling structure of the present invention, a pair of metal split cases constituting the whole case or a part of the case by joining the opposing end surfaces to each other, and a pair of split case surfaces. A single connecting member that is in contact with each other, a through hole that is formed in each of the pair of split cases, and the opposing distance between the opposing edge portions changes according to the position when the opposing end surfaces are joined together; A through piece projecting from the connecting member and penetrating the opposing through hole from the front surface side to the back surface side of the split case, and a locking piece for locking to the back surface of the split case projecting from the through piece A pair of locking claws made of a resin, and when the opposing end surfaces of the pair of split cases are joined to a pair of the opposing edge portions, the opposing distance between them is the opposing of the pair of penetrating pieces. From face-to-face distance And Kunar narrow portions, a pair of the through pieces equal to the opposing surface distance is characterized by the formation of the a contact portion for contacting.

  The opposed end surfaces of the pair of divided cases are both linear, the opposed edges of the pair of through holes are both linear, and at least one of the opposed edges is the opposed end surface of the divided case. Is preferably non-parallel.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the pair of opposing edge portions are both non-parallel to the opposing end surface of the split case and have a symmetrical shape with respect to the opposing end surface.

  It is preferable that the divided case constitutes the outer shape of the camera body, and the connecting member is a decorative plate exposed on the surface of the camera body.

  A fixing portion is formed in the at least one of the divided cases by changing the position from the through hole, and the fixing member is fixed to the fixing portion by changing the position of the coupling member from the position of the locking claw. Is preferably formed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the pair of locking claws protruding from the connecting member are respectively engaged with the through holes of the pair of metal split cases, the locking pieces of the locking claws are placed on the back surface of the split case. Since the connecting member contacts the surfaces of the pair of split cases, the pair of split cases are coupled by the connecting member.
In addition, when the penetrating pieces of the pair of locking claws come into contact with the contact portions of the opposing edge portions of the corresponding through holes, the pair of divided cases approach each other, and the opposing end surfaces are joined to each other. The opposing end faces of the pair of split cases can be joined together.

Further, since the pair of locking claws are made of resin and can be elastically deformed, even if the shape and molding position of the locking claws and the through holes are slightly deviated from the design shape, the pair of locking claws are engaged with the corresponding through holes. Is possible.
In addition, if the pair of locking claws are brought into contact with the contact portion of the opposing edge of the corresponding through-hole while elastically deforming the through-pieces of the pair of locking claws, the pair of split cases approach each other due to the elastic force of the pair of through-pieces. A pair of division | segmentation cases can be joined more reliably.

  If it comprises like Claim 2, since the opposing edge part of a through-hole is linear shape, it will become easy to engage the through piece of a latching claw with the opposing edge part (contact part) of a corresponding through-hole.

  If it comprises like Claim 3, since the opposing edge part of a pair of through-hole makes symmetrical shape regarding the opposing end surface of a division | segmentation case, insertion to the penetration piece of a latching claw, and the opposing edge part (contact) of a through-hole Part) can be more easily engaged.

  If comprised like Claim 4, it becomes possible to couple | bond the division | segmentation case of a camera body using the decorative board which is a decoration member of a camera body.

  According to the fifth aspect, when the fixing portion of the split case and the fixed portion of the connecting member are fixed in a state where the through hole and the locking claw are engaged, the engagement state of the through hole and the locking claw is maintained. Therefore, the joining state of the opposing end surfaces of the split case can be maintained.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are based on the arrow directions in FIGS.
In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a connecting structure of a case 10 of a camera body of a compact digital camera.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the case 10 that is a hollow box includes a front divided case 20, a rear divided case 30, and a decorative plate (connecting member) 40 as large components.
The front divided case 20 which is an integrally molded product made of metal is a member constituting the front half portion of the case 10, and a lens hole 21, a flash window hole 22, and the like into which a retractable lens barrel (not shown) is inserted on the front surface thereof. Is drilled. A left horizontal piece 23 and a central horizontal piece 24 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction near the upper edge (slightly below the upper edge) of the rear surface (rear surface) of the front divided case 20. Further, a right protruding piece 25 protrudes backward on the right side of the back surface of the front dividing case 20, and a bottom protruding piece 26 protrudes backward on the lower end of the back surface of the front dividing case 20. As shown in the drawing, the rear edge portions of the left horizontal piece 23, the central horizontal piece 24 and the bottom protruding piece 26 are all straight lines extending in the left-right direction, and the rear edge portion of the right protruding piece 25 is a straight line extending in the vertical direction. A notch 27 is formed in the left side wall of the front split case 20.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 6 and 7, the left horizontal piece 23 has a substantially trapezoidal through hole 28 in plan view. As shown in the figure, the edge 29 facing the rear edge of the left horizontal piece 23 in the through hole 28 is a straight line that is non-parallel to the rear edge of the left horizontal piece 23, and the left horizontal piece 23 as it goes from the right side to the left side. The facing distance (front-rear direction distance) with the rear edge portion becomes large.

The rear divided case 30 that is an integrally formed product made of metal is a member that constitutes the rear half of the case 10, and a display attachment hole 31, an operation button attachment hole 32, and the like are formed on the rear surface. A left horizontal piece 33 and a central horizontal piece 34 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction in the vicinity of the upper edge of the rear surface (front surface) of the rear divided case 30. Further, a right protrusion 35 protrudes forward on the right side of the rear surface of the rear divided case 30, and a bottom protrusion 36 protrudes forward on the lower end of the rear surface of the rear divided case 30. is there. As shown in the figure, the left horizontal piece 33, the central horizontal piece 34, the right protruding piece 35 and the bottom protruding piece 36 are symmetrical with the left horizontal piece 23, the central horizontal piece 24, the right protruding piece 25 and the bottom protruding piece 26, respectively. The front edge portions of the left horizontal piece 33, the central horizontal piece 34 and the bottom protrusion piece 36 are all straight lines extending in the left-right direction, and the front edge portion of the right protrusion piece 35 is a straight line extending in the vertical direction. Further, a notch 37 that is symmetric with the notch 27 is formed in the left side wall of the rear divided case 30.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 7, the left horizontal piece 33 is formed with a through-hole 38 having a substantially trapezoidal shape in plan view that is symmetrical with the through-hole 28. That is, the edge 39 facing the front edge of the left horizontal piece 33 in the through hole 38 is a straight line that is not parallel to the front edge of the left horizontal piece 33, and the front edge of the left horizontal piece 33 from the right to the left. The facing distance (front-rear direction distance) with the part increases.

The decorative plate 40, which is an integrally molded product made of synthetic resin, is a decorative member that is attached to the upper surfaces (front surfaces) of the front divided case 20 and the rear divided case 30.
The decorative plate 40 is a member extending in the left-right direction, and a pair of front and rear locking claws 41 project from the left end portion of the lower surface thereof. The locking claw 41 includes a penetrating piece 42 extending downward from the lower surface of the decorative plate 40 and a locking piece 43 extending leftward from the lower end of the penetrating piece 42. The rear surface of the front locking claw 41 and the front surface of the rear 41 are both planes (vertical surfaces) orthogonal to the camera optical axis.
A projecting piece 45 projects downward from the right end portion of the decorative plate 40, and a circular through hole 46 is formed in the projecting piece 45.

Next, the point which comprises the front side division | segmentation case 20, the rear side division | segmentation case 30, and the decorative board 40 mutually and comprises the case 10 is demonstrated.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the front divided case 20 and the rear divided case 30 are opposed to each other in the front-rear direction, the rear edge of the left horizontal piece 23, the front edge of the left horizontal piece 33, and the rear edge of the central horizontal piece 24 And the front edge of the central horizontal piece 34, the rear edge of the right protrusion 25 and the front edge of the right protrusion 35, and the rear edge of the bottom protrusion 26 and the front edge of the bottom protrusion 36 are joined together. To do.
Next, while the decorative plate 40 is inclined so that the left end portion thereof is located below the right end portion, the decorative plate 40 is brought close to the upper surfaces of the front divided case 20 and the rear divided case 30, and the locking pieces 43 of the front and rear locking claws 41 are moved. They are inserted into the through holes 28 of the front divided case 20 and the through holes 38 of the rear divided case 30, respectively. At this time, the front and rear locking pieces 43 are inserted not in the left part of the through hole 28 and the through hole 38 but in the right part. This is because the opposing distance between the left portion of the opposing edge 29 and the opposing edge 39 is longer than the distance between the opposing surfaces of the front and rear engaging claws 41, so that the front and rear engaging pieces 43 are connected to the through holes 28 and 38. Although it cannot be inserted even if it tries to insert in the left part, the opposing distance of the narrow width parts 29a and 39a (refer FIG. 4, FIG. 7) which is the right part of the opposing edge part 29 and the opposing edge part 39 is the front and rear locking claws. This is because it is shorter than the distance between the opposed surfaces of 41 and can be inserted into the right part of the through hole 28 and the through hole 38.

When the front and rear locking pieces 43 are inserted into the through hole 28 and the through hole 38 in this way, the left end portion of the decorative board 40 is further moved downward to move the front and rear through pieces 42 to the through holes 28 and 38. Insert in the right part. Then, the decorative plate 40 is moved relative to the left with respect to the front divided case 20 and the rear divided case 30, and as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 8, the front and rear penetrating pieces 42 are moved to the opposite edge 29 and It moves until it contacts the contact parts 29b and 39b (refer FIG. 4) which are the left end part vicinity of the opposing edge part 39. FIG.
Since the front-rear direction distance between the contact portions 29b, 39b of the opposing edge portion 29 and the opposing edge portion 39 is equal to the distance between the opposing surfaces of the front and rear engaging claws 41 (front-rear direction distance), the front and rear engaging claws 41 are positioned at this position. Is moved to the contact portion 29b of the through-hole 28 and the contact portion 39b of the through-hole 38 from the front and rear locking claws 41, the force in the direction in which the through-hole 28 and the through-hole 38 are brought close to each other. The joining force between the rear edge and the front edge of the left horizontal piece 33 is increased. Further, at this time, the rear edge of the central horizontal piece 24 and the front edge of the central horizontal piece 34, the rear edge of the right protrusion 25 and the front edge of the right protrusion 35, the rear edge and the bottom of the bottom protrusion 26 The joining force between the protrusion 36 and the rear surface of the left side wall of the front split case 20 and the front surface of the left side wall of the rear split case 30 is also increased.
When the front and rear locking claws 41 are moved to the positions shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 8, the front and rear locking pieces 43 are moved to the rear surface (lower surface) of the left horizontal piece 23 and the rear surface (lower surface) of the left horizontal piece 33. And the lower surface of the decorative plate 40 is in contact with the upper surface of the left horizontal piece 23 and the upper surface of the left horizontal piece 33 (see FIG. 8), so that the decorative plate 40, the front divided case 20 and the rear divided case 30 are Join each other.

As shown in FIG. 9, metal protruding pieces 20a and protruding pieces 30a are integrally projected on the right edge of the front divided case 20 and the right edge of the rear divided case 30, respectively. A circular through hole 20b (fixed portion) and a circular through hole (fixed portion) 30b having the same shape are formed in the 20a and the projecting piece 30a, respectively. Further, the projecting piece 20a and the projecting piece 30a overlap each other in the left-right direction with the circular through hole 20b and the circular through hole 30b concentric with each other, and the left side surface of the projecting piece 20a is inside the camera body (the front divided case 20). And the rear divided case 30) are in contact with the right end surface of the cylindrical protrusion 51 projecting from the right side surface of the housing 50 (which houses the zoom lens driving mechanism). A female screw hole (fixed part) (not shown ) is formed on the right end surface of the cylindrical protrusion 51, and this female screw hole is concentric with the circular through hole 20b and the circular through hole 30b.
When the front and rear locking claws 41 are moved to the positions shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 8, the decorative plate 40, the front divided case 20, and the rear divided case 30 are coupled to each other. The drilled circular through hole 46 is concentric with the circular through holes 20 b and 30 b and the female screw hole of the cylindrical protrusion 51. Accordingly, the bolt (not shown) inserted into the circular through hole 46, the circular through hole 20b, and the circular through hole 30b from the right side of the projecting piece 45 is screwed into the female screw hole of the cylindrical projecting portion 51, thereby the decorative plate 40 (projecting piece). 45) The front divided case 20 (projection piece 20a) and the rear division case 30 (projection piece 30a) can be fixed to each other. When the decorative plate 40 is fixed to the front divided case 20 and the rear divided case 30, the decorative plate 40 is exposed on the surface of the case 10.
When the right end portion of the decorative plate 40 is fixed to the right end portions of the front split case 20 and the rear split case 30 in this way, the locking pieces 43 of the front and rear locking claws 41, the left horizontal piece 23, and the left horizontal Since the engagement state with the lower surface of the piece 33 is maintained, the front and rear locking claws 41 are prevented from coming out of the through hole 28 and the opposing edge portion 29. Accordingly, the coupled state of the front split case 20 and the rear split case 30 is maintained.
Thereafter, the right and bottom surfaces of the front split case 20 and the rear split case 30, and the openings formed between the notches 27 of the front split case 20 and the notches 37 of the rear split case 30 are not shown. The case 10 is completed if each member is closed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the front divided case 20 and the rear divided case 30 can be joined using the decorative plate 40 that is a decorative member while joining the opposing end surfaces. Therefore, compared with the prior art, the front-side divided case 20 and the rear-side divided case 30 can be easily combined while joining the opposing end surfaces thereof.
Since the front and rear locking claws 41 made of synthetic resin can be elastically deformed, the shape accuracy of the through holes 28 of the front divided case 20, the through holes 38 of the rear divided case 30, or the front and rear locking claws 41 is somewhat low. In addition, the front and rear locking claws 41 can be engaged with the through holes 28 of the front divided case 20 and the through holes 38 of the rear divided case 30, respectively, so that the opposing end surfaces of the front divided case 20 and the rear divided case 30 are securely connected to each other. Can be joined.
Further, when the decorative plate 40 is moved to the position shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 8, the front and rear locking claws 41 are elastically deformed to the opposing edge 29 of the through hole 28 and the opposing edge 39 of the through hole 38. If they are in contact with each other, the front split case 20 and the rear split case 30 approach each other by this elastic force, so that the front split case 20 and the rear split case 30 can be more reliably joined.

Further, in the present embodiment, the through hole 28 and the through hole 38 are configured symmetrically in the front-rear direction, so that the engaging claw 41 is inserted into the through hole 28 and the through hole 38, and the opposing edge portion 29 of the engaging claw 41. It is possible to easily perform the engagement operation to the opposite edge 39.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the opposing edge 29 of the through-hole 28 and the opposing edge 39 of the through-hole 38 are both linear, the front and rear through pieces 42 are opposed to the opposing edge 29 and the opposing edge compared to the case where the opposing edge is not linear. There is an advantage that it can be easily engaged with 39.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on each embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement, giving various changes.
For example, only one of the opposing edge 29 of the through hole 28 and the opposing edge 39 of the through hole 38 is not parallel to the rear edge of the left horizontal piece 23 (the front edge of the left horizontal piece 33), and the other is parallel. Alternatively, the through hole 28 and the through hole 38 may be asymmetrical.
One of the projecting piece 20a and the projecting piece 20b may be omitted.
Alternatively, the decorative plate 40 may be formed from a natural resin that is an elastic material, or the locking claw 41 may be formed as a separate member from the main body of the decorative plate 40 and then integrated together.
Further, the present invention may be applied to cases other than the case 10 of the compact digital camera. Further, the paired divided cases may be implemented as constituting a part (for example, the upper half of the case) instead of the entire case which is a completed body when combined.

It is the perspective view which looked at the case of the camera body in one embodiment of the present invention from the front. It is the disassembled perspective view seen from the upper direction of the case of a camera body. It is the perspective view seen from the downward direction of a decoration board. It is a top view of the case of a camera body when a decoration board is removed. It is the perspective view seen from the lower part of a rear side division case and a decoration board. It is sectional drawing which follows the VI-VI arrow line of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the VII part of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VIII-VIII arrow line of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the right side of the camera body when a decoration board is removed.

Explanation of symbols

10 Case 20 Front split case (split case)
20a Projection piece 20b Circular through hole 21 Lens hole 22 Flash window hole 23 Left horizontal piece 24 Center horizontal piece 25 Right projection piece 26 Bottom projection piece 27 Notch 28 Through hole 29 Opposing edge 29a Narrow width portion 29b Contact portion 30 Rear division Case (split case)
30a Projection piece 30b Circular through hole 31 Display attachment hole 32 Operation button attachment hole 33 Left horizontal piece 34 Center horizontal piece 35 Right projection piece 36 Bottom projection piece 37 Notch 38 Through hole 39 Opposing edge 39a Narrow width portion 39b Contact portion 40 Decoration Board (connection member)
41 locking claw 42 penetrating piece 43 locking piece 45 protruding piece (fixed part)
46 circular through hole 50 housing 51 cylindrical projection

Claims (5)

A pair of metal split cases constituting the whole case or a part of the case by joining the mutually facing end faces;
A single connecting member that respectively contacts the surfaces of the pair of split cases;
A through hole that is formed in each of the pair of split cases, and the opposing distance between the opposing edges changes according to the position when the opposing end surfaces are joined together;
A through piece projecting from the connecting member and penetrating the opposing through hole from the front surface side to the back surface side of the split case, and a locking piece for locking to the back surface of the split case projecting from the through piece A pair of locking claws made of a resin having
A narrow portion where the opposing distance between the opposing end surfaces of the pair of split cases is narrower than the distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of penetrating pieces when the opposing end surfaces of the pair of split cases are joined to the pair of opposing edge portions, and the distance between the opposing surfaces And a contact portion where the pair of penetrating pieces come into contact with each other. In the split case coupling structure according to claim 1,
The opposing end faces of the pair of split cases are both linear.
A split case coupling structure in which the opposing edge portions of the pair of through holes are both linear, and at least one of the opposing edge portions is non-parallel to the opposing end surface of the split case. In the split case coupling structure according to claim 2,
A split case coupling structure in which a pair of opposing edge portions are both non-parallel to the opposing end face of the split case and are symmetrical with respect to the opposing end face. In the split case coupling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The above split case constitutes the outer shape of the camera body,
A coupling structure of split cases, in which the connecting member is a decorative plate exposed on the surface of the camera body. In the split case coupling structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
In the at least one of the divided cases, the fixing portion is formed by changing the position from the through hole,
A connecting structure of split cases in which a position to be fixed to the fixing portion is formed on the connecting member at a position different from that of the locking claw.

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