JP5142834B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus having an opening for inserting an insertion part such as an IC card into a housing, and in particular, for guiding the insertion part inserted into the opening to a proper position in the housing. Concerning structure.

  A portable computer, which is an example of an electronic device, includes a computer main body having a keyboard and a display unit having a liquid crystal display panel.

  The display unit is supported by the housing of the computer main body via left and right hinge devices. The hinge device includes a first bracket fixed inside the housing, a second bracket fixed inside the display unit, and an end portion of the first bracket and an end portion of the second bracket. And a hinge shaft for connecting the two. Therefore, the display unit is rotatable between a closed position lying on the casing with the hinge shaft as a fulcrum and an open position standing from the rear end of the casing.

  By the way, recent portable computers tend to increase the weight of the display unit as the liquid crystal display panel becomes larger. For this reason, even if it is a hinge apparatus, in order to hold | maintain a display unit reliably in an open position, or to perform rotation of a display unit smoothly, the enlargement of the 1st and 2nd bracket is achieved.

  For example, in the hinge device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a portion of the first bracket opposite to the hinge axis extends to the front end of the housing, and the first bracket extends along the side wall of the housing. ing.

On the other hand, a portable computer to which an IC card such as a smart card or an SD card can be mounted has a card connection device inside the casing. The card connection device includes a card slot for inserting an IC card. This type of card slot is often opened in the side wall of the housing.
JP 2005-217297 A

  In the portable computer disclosed in Patent Document 1, the first bracket of the hinge device extends along the side wall of the housing.

  However, this Patent Document 1 does not disclose any relative positional relationship between the card slot opened in the side wall of the housing and the first bracket, and is inserted into the card slot using the first bracket. It is not assumed that the IC card is led to a regular position inside the housing.

  Therefore, especially when the first bracket crosses between the card slot and the card connection device, a dedicated guide member for guiding the IC card inserted into the card slot to the card connection device must be prepared.

  For this reason, the presence of the guide member causes problems such as an increase in the number of parts of the portable computer and a factor that hinders the thinning of the housing.

  An object of the present invention is to obtain an electronic device that can reliably guide an insertion part inserted into an opening of a housing to a proper position of the housing without providing a dedicated guide member.

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention provides:
A housing that has a peripheral wall provided with an opening into which the insertion part is removably inserted, and in which a connection device having an insertion port through which the insertion part is guided ;
A reinforcing metal fitting provided in the casing so as to be along the peripheral wall and the opening of the casing.
The housing includes a guide wall that protrudes from the peripheral wall toward the inside of the housing so as to connect the edge of the opening and the edge of the insertion port of the connection device,
The reinforcing bracket includes a guide portion together face with the guide wall above the housing when guiding the insertion direction of the insertion part to be inserted into the interior of the housing from the opening, the connection in succession the guide portion A portion overlapping the end of the device where the insertion port is opened, and the guide portion cooperates with the guide wall to insert the insertion component inserted into the housing from the opening. The connection device is configured to be guided to the insertion port .

  According to the present invention, since the reinforcing metal fitting also serves as a function of guiding the insertion direction of the insertion part, a dedicated guide member is not necessary, and the insertion part inserted into the opening is securely placed at a proper position in the housing. Can lead to.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 discloses a portable computer 1 which is an example of an electronic apparatus. The portable computer 1 includes a main unit 2 and a display unit 3.

  The main unit 2 has a first housing 4 made of synthetic resin. The first housing 4 has a flat box shape having a bottom wall 4a, a front wall 4b, left and right side walls 4c, and an upper wall 4d. The side wall 4c is an example of a peripheral wall, and stands up so as to straddle between the side edge of the bottom wall 4a and the side edge of the upper wall 4d.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the first housing 4 includes a base 5 and a cover 6. The base 5 has a bottom wall 4a and a peripheral wall portion 7a. The peripheral wall portion 7a rises from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 4a. The cover 6 has an upper wall 4d and a peripheral wall portion 7b. The peripheral wall portion 7b extends downward from the peripheral edge of the upper wall 4d.

  The cover 6 is placed on the base 5 and is connected to the base 5 via a plurality of screws (not shown). By this connection, the peripheral wall portion 7a of the base 5 and the peripheral wall portion 7b of the cover 6 are brought into contact with each other to constitute the front wall 4b and the side wall 4c of the first housing 4.

  A palm rest 9 and a keyboard attaching portion 10 are formed on the surface of the upper wall 4d of the cover 6. The palm rest 9 is located in the front half of the upper wall 4 d and extends in the width direction of the first housing 4. The keyboard attachment portion 10 is a rectangular recess opened on the surface of the upper wall 4 d and is located behind the palm rest 9. A keyboard 11 is supported on the keyboard mounting portion 10. The keyboard 11 has a plurality of key tops 12. The key top 12 is exposed on the upper wall 4 d of the first housing 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, an optical disk device 14 is accommodated in the first housing 4. The optical disk device 14 is located below the palm rest 9 and the front half of the keyboard 11. The optical disk device 14 includes a flat box-shaped case 15 and a tray 16 that receives the optical disk. The tray 16 is movable between a loading position stored in the case 15 and an unloading position pulled out of the case 15, and a bezel 17 is provided at the front end of the tray 16.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a disk mounting opening 19 is formed in the front half of the left side wall 4 c of the first housing 4. The disk loading port 19 is used to insert and remove the tray 16 of the optical disk device 14, and has an elongated opening shape in the depth direction of the first housing 4. The disc loading opening 19 is closed by the becel 17 when the tray 16 is moved to the loading position.

  In the present embodiment, the disc mounting opening 19 is formed in the peripheral wall portion 7 a of the base 5. The peripheral wall portion 7 a of the base 5 has a guide wall 20 at a portion that defines the upper edge of the opening of the disk mounting opening 19. The guide wall 20 is used to guide the insertion of the vessel 17 into the disc mounting opening 19, and is formed integrally with the peripheral wall portion 7a. The guide wall 20 extends horizontally from the upper edge of the opening of the disk mounting opening 19 toward the inside of the base 5 and is located at the boundary between the base 5 and the cover 6. The upper surface of the guide wall 20 is a flat first guide surface 20a having no irregularities.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a card connection device 22 is accommodated in the first housing 4. The card connection device 22 is for detachably mounting an IC card 23 such as a smart card. The IC card 23 is an example of an insertion part that is inserted into the first housing 4. The IC card 23 is not limited to a smart card, and other card type recording media such as a smart media (R), an SD memory card, a memory stick (R), an xD picture card, and an MMC card (not shown) may be used. it can.

  The card connection device 22 includes a flat box-shaped device main body 24. The device main body 24 is mounted on a printed wiring board (not shown), and is disposed between the optical disc device 14 and the palm rest 9.

  As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the apparatus main body 24 has a card housing portion 25 into which the IC card 23 is inserted, and a slit-like insertion port 26 connected to the card housing portion 25.

  A plurality of connection terminals 27 that are in contact with electrodes (not shown) of the IC card 23 are disposed on the upper wall 24 a of the apparatus body 24. The connection terminal 27 is electrically connected to a controller (not shown) that reads and writes data. The controller is mounted on the printed wiring board.

  The insertion opening 26 is located at one end of the card housing portion 25 and opens toward the left side wall 4 c of the first housing 4. A card slot 30 is formed in the left side wall 4c. The card slot 30 is an example of an opening into which the IC card 23 is removably inserted, and faces the insertion slot 26 of the card connection device 22.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the card slot 30 is formed so as to straddle between the peripheral wall portion 7 a of the base 5 and the peripheral wall portion 7 b of the cover 6. Specifically, a notch 31 is formed at the upper edge of the peripheral wall 7 a on the left side of the base 5. The cutout 31 opens upward so as to face the lower edge of the peripheral wall portion 7 b on the left side of the cover 6. Therefore, the notch 31 forms the card slot 30 in cooperation with the lower edge of the peripheral wall portion 7 b of the cover 6.

  Further, the card slot 30 faces the insertion slot 26 of the card connection device 22 with the guide wall 20 of the base 5 interposed therebetween. The first guide surface 20 a of the guide wall 20 connects the lower opening edge of the card slot 30 and the lower opening edge of the insertion slot 26. In other words, the lower opening edge of the card slot 30 continues to the lower opening edge of the insertion slot 26 through the first guide surface 20a.

  On the other hand, the display unit 3 has a second housing 33. The second housing 33 has a flat box shape that is substantially the same size as the first housing 4. The second housing 33 accommodates the liquid crystal display panel 34. The liquid crystal display panel 34 has a display surface 34a for displaying character information and image information. The display surface 34 a is exposed outside the display unit 3 from the front surface of the second housing 33.

  The display unit 3 is connected to the rear end of the main unit 2 via left and right hinge devices 40. Since the left and right hinge devices 40 have the same main configuration, the left hinge device 40 will be described as a representative.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the hinge device 40 includes a first bracket 41, a second bracket 42, and a hinge shaft 43. The first and second brackets 41 and 42 are formed by die-casting a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, and have sufficient mechanical strength and rigidity.

  The first bracket 41 is fixed to the inner surface of the bottom wall 4 a of the base 5 along the left peripheral wall portion 7 a of the base 5. More specifically, the first bracket 41 has a speaker support portion 44 and an arm portion 45. The speaker support portion 44 has a square plate shape, and a plurality of peripheral portions thereof are screwed to the rear end portion of the bottom wall 4 a of the base 5. The speaker support unit 44 supports a speaker (not shown). The speaker faces a plurality of sound emitting through holes 46 formed in the upper wall 4d of the cover 6.

  The arm portion 45 extends in a straight line from the speaker support portion 44 toward the front end of the base 5. As shown in FIG. 7, the arm portion 45 is formed in a band shape having a predetermined width dimension, and a boss portion 47 that protrudes downward is formed at an intermediate portion in the length direction of the arm portion 45. Yes. The boss portion 47 is screwed to the bottom wall 4 a of the base 5.

  At the same time, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the front half portion 45 a extending from the boss portion 47 toward the front end of the base 5 in the arm portion 45 is a guide wall 20 that defines the upper edge of the opening of the disk mounting opening 19. Is passing over. In other words, the front half portion 45 a of the arm portion 45 reaches the front end of the base 5 across the space between the card slot 30 and the insertion slot 26 of the card connection device 22.

  A fixing portion 48 that protrudes downward is formed at the front end portion of the arm portion 45. The fixing part 48 is fixed on a boss part 49 protruding from the bottom wall 4 a of the base 5 via a screw 50.

  Further, ribs 52 are integrally formed on both side edges along the width direction of the arm 45. The rib 52 extends in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 45 and protrudes from the upper surface and the lower surface of the arm portion 45. Therefore, the arm portion 45 has an H-shaped cross-sectional shape that is advantageous for securing rigidity, and the upper end of the rib 52 is in contact with the inner surface of the upper wall 4d of the cover 6.

  Therefore, the metal first bracket 41 is combined with the base 5 and the cover 6, and has a function as a reinforcing metal fitting that reinforces both from the inside of the first housing 4.

  The second bracket 42 is accommodated in the second housing 33 of the display unit 3. The second bracket 42 extends along the left side of the second housing 33 and is fixed to the second housing 33.

  The hinge shaft 43 is bridged between the speaker support portion 44 of the first bracket 41 and one end of the second bracket 42, and these both are rotatably connected. The hinge shaft 43 has a horizontal rotation axis O1 extending in the width direction of the portable computer 1. A connecting portion between the first and second brackets 41 and 42 and the hinge shaft 43 is covered with a hinge cover 53 shown in FIG.

  Accordingly, the display unit 3 can be rotated between the closed position and the open position with the hinge shaft 43 as a fulcrum. In the closed position, the display unit 3 lies on the main unit 2 so as to cover the palm rest 9 and the keyboard 11 from above. In the open position, the display unit 3 stands from the rear end of the main unit 2 so that the palm rest 9, the keyboard 11, and the display surface 34a of the liquid crystal display panel 34 are exposed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the first bracket 41 of the hinge device 40 has a guide portion 55 at a location that crosses between the card slot 30 and the insertion slot 26 of the card connection device 22. Yes. The guide portion 55 is formed integrally with the front half portion 45 a of the arm portion 45 and is located above the guide wall 20 of the base 5.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the guide portion 55 has a width dimension W <b> 1 along the insertion direction of the IC card 23 with respect to the card slot 30. The width dimension W1 of the guide part 55 is set larger than the width dimension W2 in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the arm part 45.

  The guide portion 55 has a second guide surface 55a. The second guide surface 55a faces the first guide surface 20a and is disposed in parallel with the first guide surface 20a.

  Furthermore, the rib 52 is deleted at a position corresponding to the second guide surface 55a. Therefore, the second guide surface 55a is finished to be a flat surface without unevenness, and is continuous without a step with respect to the upper edge of the opening of the insertion port 26 of the card connection device 22. The second guide surface 55 a defines a gap 56 that allows the IC card 23 to pass between it and the first guide surface 20 a, and this gap 56 is continuous with the card slot 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper surface of the guide portion 55 is in contact with the inner surface of the palm rest 9 to support the palm rest 9 from the inside of the first housing 4. A stepped portion 57 that is one step lower is formed on the edge of the upper surface of the guide portion 55 on the side facing the card slot 30. The step portion 57 extends over the entire length of the guide portion 55.

  A synthetic resin decorative member 58 is attached to the stepped portion 57 of the guide portion 55. The decorative member 58 extends over the entire length of the guide portion 55. The decorative member 58 has a tip portion 59 that enters the card slot 30. The front end portion 59 extends along the upper edge of the opening of the card slot 30 and covers the edge of the guide portion 55 facing the card slot 30 from the direction of the card slot 30. A front end 59 of the decorative member 58 defines a gap 60 that allows the IC card 23 to pass between the opening lower edge of the card slot 30.

  In such a configuration, the IC card 23 is guided to the card connection device 22 inside the first housing 4 through the card slot 30 opened in the side wall 4c.

  At this time, the lower edge of the opening of the card slot 30 and the lower edge of the opening 26 of the card connection device 22 are connected by the first guide surface 20 a located on the upper surface of the guide wall 20 of the base 5. . For this reason, the IC card 23 inserted into the card slot 30 is slidably in contact with the first guide surface 20a, and is guided from below by the first guide surface 20a. It is guided toward the insertion port 26.

  Further, the first bracket 41 of the hinge device 40 crossing between the card connecting device 22 and the card slot 30 has a second guide surface 55a facing the first guide surface 20a. The second guide surface 55a is continuous without a step on the upper edge of the opening of the insertion port 26. For this reason, the IC card 23 inserted into the card slot 30 is slidably in contact with the second guide surface 55a and is guided from above by the second guide surface 55a. It is guided toward the insertion port 26.

  As a result, the first bracket 41 of the hinge device 40 also has a function of guiding the insertion direction of the IC card 23, and the IC card 23 inserted into the card slot 30 is tilted in the vertical direction or shifted in the vertical direction. It can be surely prevented from moving. Therefore, the IC card 23 inserted into the card slot 30 can be guided straight toward the card connection device 22, and the IC card 23 can be inserted smoothly.

  Further, since a guide member dedicated to the IC card is not necessary, it is not necessary to secure a space for accommodating the guide member in the first housing 4 and the number of parts of the portable computer 1 can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost. Can be reduced.

  In addition, since the insertion direction of the IC card 23 is determined by the guide wall 20 of the base 5 and the guide portion 55 of the first bracket 41, the insertion of the IC card 23 in a direction other than the normal direction can be prevented beforehand. For this reason, erroneous insertion of the IC card 23 can be avoided, and damage to the IC card 23 due to this erroneous insertion can be prevented.

  At the same time, since the metal first bracket 41 crosses the inside of the card slot 30, the first bracket 41 is used to reinforce the portion of the first housing 4 where the card slot 30 opens. be able to. For this reason, the strength around the card slot 30 is improved, and for example, even if the IC card 30 is forcibly pushed in a state inclined with respect to the card slot 30, damage to the first housing 4 can be prevented.

  According to the above configuration, the rib 52 is deleted at the position corresponding to the second guide surface 55a in the arm portion 45 of the first bracket 41, so that the thickness of the guide portion 55 can be reduced. Therefore, the guide part 55 can be comfortably stored in the limited space between the palm rest 9 and the guide wall 20, and the thinning of the first housing 4 is not impaired.

  Furthermore, since the first bracket 41 is a die-cast product, if the rib 52 is removed from the second guide surface 55a, there is an advantage that the structure of the molding die can be simplified.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  For example, the insertion component is not specified as a card-type recording medium such as a smart card, and may be a disk device that is exchangeably accommodated in an accommodation unit in the housing, for example.

  Furthermore, the electronic apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to a portable computer having a display unit, and can be implemented in the same manner, for example, even if it is a pen input type portable computer or a thin television without a rotatable display unit.

1 is a perspective view of a portable computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The perspective view which shows the positional relationship of the 1st bracket of the card slot in which an IC card is inserted, the card connection apparatus, and the hinge apparatus in embodiment of this invention. The side view of the computer main body in which the card slot was formed in embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which follows the F4-F4 line | wire of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted the IC card in the card | curd connection apparatus via the card slot in embodiment of this invention. The perspective view of the hinge apparatus used in embodiment of this invention. In embodiment of this invention, the perspective view of the 1st bracket which has a guide part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Housing | casing (1st housing | casing), 4c ... Peripheral wall (side wall), 20 ... Guide wall, 22 ... Connection apparatus (card connection apparatus), 23 ... Insertion part (IC card), 26 ... Insertion port, 30 ... Opening portion (card slot), 33 ... second housing, 40 ... hinge device, 41 ... first bracket (reinforcing metal fitting), 42 ... second bracket, 43 ... hinge shaft, 55 ... guide portion.

Claims (13)

A housing that has a peripheral wall provided with an opening into which the insertion part is removably inserted, and in which a connection device having an insertion port through which the insertion part is guided ;
Reinforcing metal fittings provided in the housing along the peripheral wall and the opening of the housing,
The housing includes a guide wall that protrudes from the peripheral wall toward the inside of the housing so as to connect the edge of the opening and the edge of the insertion port of the connection device,
The reinforcing bracket includes a guide portion together face with the guide wall above the housing when guiding the insertion direction of the insertion part to be inserted into the interior of the housing from the opening, the connection in succession the guide portion A portion overlapping the end of the device where the insertion port is opened, and the guide portion cooperates with the guide wall to insert the insertion component inserted into the housing from the opening. An electronic device configured to be guided to the insertion port of the connection device .   2. The reinforcing metal fitting according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing metal fitting has an arm portion extending along the peripheral wall of the housing, and the guide portion is formed integrally with the arm portion, and the insertion part is inserted therein. An electronic device having a width dimension along a direction larger than a width dimension of the arm portion.   3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion has a flat guide surface with which the insertion part contacts.   The electronic device according to claim 3, further comprising a decorative member that covers an edge of the guide portion facing the opening.   5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the housing includes a base and a cover that covers the base. The base and the cover each have a peripheral wall portion, and the peripheral wall portion of the base and the cover The peripheral wall part is an electronic device in which the peripheral wall of the housing is formed by abutting each other, and the opening is formed between the peripheral wall part of the base and the peripheral wall part of the cover.   6. The cover according to claim 5, wherein the cover has an upper wall continuous with the upper edge of the peripheral wall portion, and the reinforcing metal fitting overlaps the inner surface of the upper wall and supports the upper wall from the inside of the casing. Electronic equipment. A first housing in which a connection device having an insertion port through which an insertion part is guided is accommodated;
A second housing;
The first bracket provided in the first casing, the second bracket provided in the second casing, and the first bracket and the second bracket can be rotated. A hinge shaft that is coupled to the first housing and the second housing with the hinge shaft as a fulcrum, so that the first housing and the second housing are relatively rotatable.
The first casing includes the side wall provided with an opening through which the insertion part is removably inserted, and the edge of the opening and the edge of the insertion port of the connection device. A guide wall extending from the side wall toward the inside of the first housing,
The first bracket of the hinge device extends along the side wall and the opening, and guides the insertion direction of the insertion component inserted into the first housing from the opening. The guide portion facing the guide wall in the housing, and a portion overlapping the end portion where the insertion port of the connection device is opened continuously to the guide portion, An electronic device configured to guide the insertion component inserted into the first housing from the opening in cooperation with a guide wall to the insertion port of the connection device . 8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the guide portion is formed integrally with the first bracket, and a width dimension along an insertion direction of the insertion part is larger than a width dimension of the first bracket. . 9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the guide portion has a flat guide surface with which the insertion part contacts . The electronic device according to claim 9, further comprising a decorative member that covers an edge of the guide portion facing the opening . 11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the decorative member is attached to the first bracket . 12. The first housing according to claim 7, wherein the first housing has an upper wall continuous with an upper edge of the side wall, and the first bracket is an inner surface of the upper wall. And an electronic device that supports the upper wall from the inside of the first casing . A housing having a peripheral wall provided with an opening into which the insertion part is inserted, and a connection device in which the insertion part is mounted;
A metal fitting provided in the housing along the peripheral wall of the housing and the opening, and
The housing has a guide wall that protrudes from the peripheral wall toward the inside of the housing so as to connect the opening and the connection device,
The metal fitting has a guide portion that guides an insertion direction of the insertion component inserted into the housing from the opening and faces the guide wall in the housing, and the guide portion is configured by the housing. An electronic device configured to overlap the end portion of the connection device inside and to guide the insertion part inserted into the housing from the opening in cooperation with the guide wall to the connection device .

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