JP5576339B2 - Waterproof housing and electronic device including the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a waterproof casing and an electronic device including the same.

  Recently, there is an increasing demand for electronic devices such as portable electronic terminals, cameras, and watches equipped with a waterproof structure. In order to improve the waterproofness of the electronic device, it is indispensable to prevent water from entering from an opening / closing part such as a lid and an operation part. As a typical waterproof structure for preventing water from entering the battery cover, for example, a support member is fixed separately on the battery cover side, and the waterproof member is attached to the protruding portion of the support member, and the waterproof member is attached to the main body. There is known a structure for waterproofing by press-fitting into a groove on the side (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-288174 A

  However, the electronic device having the waterproof structure has the following problems. Since the support member is used separately from the battery cover, the thickness of the electronic device increases, which is contrary to the thinning of the electronic device. A method of attaching a waterproof member directly to the battery cover and not using a support member is also conceivable, but if that method is adopted, in the process of integrally forming the waterproof member on the back side of the battery cover, the surface of the battery cover will be There is a problem that irregularities are formed along the shape of the waterproof member, or the decorative layer on the front surface is deteriorated, and as a result, the appearance of the electronic device is impaired. On the other hand, it is necessary to provide a structure for waterproofing the operation unit attached to the opposite side of the battery cover in the thickness direction of the electronic device. At this time, if the waterproof member is separately formed on both sides in the thickness direction of the electronic device, the member for fixing the waterproof member is heated a plurality of times, which tends to adversely affect the adhesion and dimensional accuracy of the waterproof member. As a result, the waterproofness of the electronic device is reduced.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and has an object to achieve waterproofing on both sides in the thickness direction of an electronic device with high accuracy without impairing the appearance and thinning of the electronic device. And

  In order to achieve the above object, the present inventors have considered a configuration in which a waterproof member for waterproofing is fixed to a casing inside in the thickness direction of the electronic device. In addition, the present inventors have considered a configuration in which a continuous waterproof member is formed on both the front surface and the back surface of the casing. A specific form of this configuration is as follows.

  That is, one form of the present invention is a waterproof housing in which a waterproof member is fixed to an internal housing disposed in the thickness direction of the electronic device, and the waterproof member is fixed to the internal housing in the thickness direction. A waterproof housing comprising a plurality of annular waterproof members fixed to the respective annular regions, and a plurality of annular waterproof members and connecting portions connecting them are integrally formed. is there.

  Another form of the present invention is a waterproof housing further comprising at least one through hole or groove connecting a plurality of annular regions as a portion forming the connecting portion in the inner housing.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the inner casing further includes one or more penetrating regions, the waterproof member includes a sealing member fixed around each penetrating region, and the sealing member includes a plurality of sealing members. A waterproof casing connected to at least one of the annular waterproof members.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a waterproof housing further including a first projecting portion projecting inward of the opening of at least one of the plurality of annular waterproof members.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a waterproof housing further comprising a second projecting portion projecting in the direction of a covering member that covers the inner housing from its thickness direction on at least one of the plurality of annular waterproof members.

  Another embodiment of the present invention is a waterproof housing further including at least one stepped portion which is one step higher outside at least one region of the plurality of annular regions.

  One embodiment of the present invention is an electronic device including any one of the above waterproof casings.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, waterproofing of the thickness direction both sides of an electronic device can be aimed at with high precision, without impairing the external appearance and thickness reduction of an electronic device.

FIG. 1 shows a front view (A) and a side view (B) of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 schematically shows an exploded cross-sectional view of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 disassembled in the thickness direction. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the waterproof casing in FIG. 2 as viewed from the end side of the second wall portion. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the waterproof casing in FIG. 2 as viewed from the end side of the first wall portion. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view in which the waterproof casing shown in FIG. 4 is virtually disassembled into an internal casing and a waterproof member. 6 shows a perspective view of the waterproof member shown in FIG. 5, an enlarged perspective view of a part P thereof, and a perspective view of a cross section taken along the line AA in the part P. FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view (A) of the vicinity of the first annular region of the inner casing shown in FIG. 5 viewed from the front side, and a plan view (B, C) of a modification of the first annular region viewed from the front side. ).

  Next, embodiments of a waterproof casing and an electronic apparatus including the waterproof casing according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a front view (A) and a side view (B) of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The electronic apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped appearance, and the front cover 2 and the back cover 3 are arranged in the thickness direction of the electronic apparatus 1. The front cover 2 preferably includes a display unit 4 inside thereof. The display unit 4 may be a display that simply displays characters and images, an operation unit that allows an input operation, or an area that combines the display and the operation unit.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows an exploded cross-sectional view of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 disassembled in the thickness direction.

  The electronic device 1 includes a front cover 2 that is an example of a covering member, a back cover 3 that is an example of a covering member, and a waterproof casing 5 that is sandwiched between the covers 2 and 3. The battery 6 is attached in the electronic device 1 so that it can be inserted and removed from the waterproof housing 5 side in a state where the waterproof housing 5 and the back cover 3 are overlapped. The front cover 2 includes an annular first protruding wall portion 7 that protrudes toward the waterproof housing 5 at the outer peripheral position of the display portion 4. On the other hand, the back cover 3 includes an annular second protruding wall portion 8 that protrudes toward the waterproof housing 5 in a form in which the battery 6 can be inserted and removed.

  The waterproof casing 5 is a casing in which a waterproof member 11 is fixed to an internal casing 5 a that is disposed inward in the thickness direction of the electronic device 1. The inner casing 5a is preferably made of a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin. The inner casing 5a includes an annular first wall portion 9 having an opening surface facing the front cover 2 side and an edge portion formed larger than the first projecting wall portion 7. The inner casing 5 a includes an annular second wall portion 10 that protrudes toward the back cover 3 and has an edge formed larger than the second protruding wall portion 8. The first wall portion 9 and the second wall portion 10 are formed such that the leading edge of the first wall portion 9 and the leading edge of the second wall portion 10 face in opposite directions. The waterproof member 11 is preferably made of a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermosetting elastomer or natural rubber, and more preferably made of silicone rubber.

  The waterproof member 11 is a first annular waterproof member 11 a that is one of the annular waterproof members fixed to the inside of the first wall portion 9 and one of the annular waterproof members that are fixed to the inside of the second wall portion 10. A second annular waterproofing member 11b is connected and provided. In this embodiment, the first annular waterproof member 11a has a shape projecting inward, and the second annular waterproof member 11b also has a shape projecting inward. When the front cover 2 and the back cover 3 are attached from both the front and back sides of the waterproof housing 5, the first annular waterproof member 11a is disposed between the first protruding wall portion 7 and the first wall portion 9, and the protruding surface is the first. The second annular waterproofing member 11 b is disposed between the second projecting wall portion 8 and the second projecting wall portion 8 and the second wall portion 10, and the projecting surface thereof is in close contact with the second projecting wall portion 8. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent water inward from the close contact portion in the electronic device 1. The inner casing 5a includes an opening 12 that penetrates in the thickness direction of the inner casing 5a inside the second wall section 10. The opening 12 allows the battery 6 to be inserted into and removed from the waterproof housing 5 side into a region (battery storage portion) surrounded by the second protruding wall portion 8 of the back cover 3.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the waterproof casing in FIG. 2 as viewed from the end side of the second wall portion.

  The inner casing 5 a includes penetrating regions 13 and 14 that penetrate the inner casing 5 a in the thickness direction independently of the opening 12 on the outside of the second wall portion 10. The penetrating regions 13 and 14 are portions to which, for example, operation keys and camera lenses provided on the back cover 3 side are attached. The penetrating regions 13 and 14 are respectively provided with seal members 16 and 17 around their inner peripheries. The seal members 16 and 17 constitute a part connected to the waterproof member 11. For example, the seal member 16 is integrated with the second annular waterproof member 11 b and the connection portion 19. In this embodiment, there are two seal members 16 and 17 and penetrating regions 13 and 14, respectively, but these may be one by three, three or more, or not at all.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the waterproof casing in FIG. 2 as viewed from the end side of the first wall portion.

  The seal member 17 is connected to the second annular waterproof member 11b and the first annular waterproof member 11a via the connection part 20 and the connection part 22, respectively. Further, the first annular waterproofing member 11a and the second annular waterproofing member 11b are preferably connected via the connection part 21 arranged along the back surface of the internal housing 5a without the seal members 16 and 17 being interposed. Have The above-described connecting portions 19, 20, 21, and 22 are all part of the waterproof member 11.

  The first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b are connected via four connecting portions 25 with the inner casing 5a interposed therebetween. That is, the first annular waterproofing member 11a and the second annular waterproofing member 11b arranged with the inner casing 5a interposed therebetween are integrated by the connecting portion 25 penetrating the inner casing 5a. Note that the number of connecting portions 25 is not limited to four, but may be one to three or five or more.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view in which the waterproof casing shown in FIG. 4 is virtually disassembled into an internal casing and a waterproof member.

  The waterproof member 11 includes gate portions 26 at several locations on the first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b. The gate portion 26 is a portion where the waterproof member 11 is formed by injecting a liquid elastomer composition from the inner casing 5a side. The inner casing 5a includes annular regions for fixing the first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b in the thickness direction. One of them is a first annular region 30 that fixes the first annular waterproofing member 11 a inside the first wall portion 9. The other is a second annular region 31 that fixes the second annular waterproof member 11b inside the second wall portion 10. The first annular region 30 includes a plurality of injection holes 32 penetrating in the thickness direction of the inner casing 5a at some locations of the annular path. The liquid elastomer composition described above is injected through the injection holes 32 from a plurality of holes formed in the mold in contact with the second wall 10 side, and is mainly used for forming the first annular waterproofing member 11a. On the other hand, the second annular waterproofing member 11b is mainly formed from a liquid elastomer composition injected from a plurality of holes formed in a mold in contact with the second wall portion 10 side.

  At a position on the outer periphery of the opening 12 of the inner housing 5a and connected to the vicinity of the penetrating region 14, a recess 33 that is recessed inward of the inner housing 5a, the first annular region 30 and the second annular region 31 are provided. A recess 34 is formed for connection along the back surface of the internal housing 5a. The liquid elastomer composition can form the connecting portion 20 that connects the second annular waterproofing member 11 a and the sealing member 17 by flowing through the recess 33. Similarly, the liquid elastomer composition can form the connection portion 21 that connects the first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b by flowing through the recess 34.

  The inner casing 5 a includes four through holes 35 that connect the first annular region 30 and the second annular region 31 on the outer periphery of the opening 12 as a part for forming the connecting portion 25. As a result, the liquid elastomer composition flows through the through hole 35 so as to be able to form the connecting portion 25 that connects the first annular waterproofing member 11a and the second annular waterproofing member 11b.

  6 shows a perspective view of the waterproof member shown in FIG. 5, an enlarged perspective view of a part P thereof, and a perspective view of a cross section taken along the line AA in the part P. FIG.

  When the waterproof member 11 is formed, when a liquid elastomer composition is injected from a mold, the elastomer composition is indicated by arrows X and Y from an injection hole (position of the gate portion 26) formed in the mold. Flowing. As shown in the enlarged perspective view of a part P of the waterproof member 11, the connecting portion 25 includes an elastomer composition flowing from the first annular waterproof member 11a side and an elastomer composition flowing from the second annular waterproof member 11b side. It can be a merging position with. When the through-hole 35 is formed in the inner casing 5a, the waterproof member 11 can be fixed to the inner casing 5a in a single molding process. Moreover, the through-hole 35 functions as a location where air in each formation path of the first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b is driven, or a junction where the elastomer composition merges there. As a result, the first annular waterproofing member 11a and the second annular waterproofing member 11b are less likely to have a notch due to air storage or a step due to the merging of the elastomer composition. Therefore, it is possible to form the waterproof member 11 that is waterproof with high accuracy. In particular, in order not to form the notch or step in the seal members 16 and 17, in addition to the connecting portions 19, 20, 21, and 22, the first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b are provided. It is preferable to provide the connecting portion 25 that is easily connected to the elastomer composition. In order to form the highly accurate waterproofing member 11 with the defective portion reduced as much as possible, it is preferable to provide at least one injection hole on each of the first annular region 30 side and the second annular region 31 side of the mold. Furthermore, it is preferable to form more injection holes on the side where the first annular waterproofing member 11a having a larger volume is formed. Furthermore, it is preferable to make the opening area of the through hole 35 larger than the cross-sectional areas of the first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b. Further, when the waterproof member 11 is formed on the inner casing 5a, it is preferable that the through-hole 35 side is placed at a high position so that air is guided to the through-hole 35.

  As is apparent from the shape of the cross section S perpendicular to the length direction of the first annular waterproofing member 11a, the first annular waterproofing member 11a includes a first projecting portion 40 projecting inward of the opening. The 1st protrusion part 40 is a suitable part for closely_contact | adhering the outer peripheral surface of the 1st protrusion wall part 7 of the front side cover 2, and the 1st cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11a. For the same purpose, the first projecting portion suitable for closely contacting the outer peripheral surface of the second projecting wall portion 8 of the back cover 3 and the second annular waterproof member 11b also inside the opening of the second annular waterproof member 11b. 40 is preferably provided. The first annular waterproofing member 11 a includes a second protruding portion 41 that protrudes toward the front cover 2. The 2nd protrusion part 41 is a suitable part for closely_contact | adhering the wall and the 1st cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11a which are extended from the 1st protrusion wall part 7 of the front side cover 2 in a substantially right angle direction. If the 1st protrusion part 40 and the 2nd protrusion part 41 are formed, the front side cover 2 and the 1st cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11a can be contact | adhered in two places. For the same purpose, the wall extending from the second protruding wall portion 8 of the back side cover 3 and the second annular waterproof member 11b are also in close contact with the back cover 3 side of the second annular waterproof member 11b. It is preferable to provide a suitable second protrusion 41.

  The first annular region 30 of the inner housing 5 a can include at least one stepped portion 42 that is one step higher outside the region 30. Similarly, the second annular region 31 can also include at least one step portion 42 that is one step higher outside the region 31. Thus, when the level | step-difference part 42 is provided, the contact area of the 1st cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11a and / or the 2nd cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11b, and the 1st cyclic | annular area | region 30 and / or the 2nd cyclic | annular area | region 31 will increase, It is possible to improve the adhesion.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments of the waterproof casing and the electronic device including the waterproof casing according to the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and does not depart from the spirit of the present invention. Various modifications can be made.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view (A) of the vicinity of the first annular region of the inner casing shown in FIG. 5 viewed from the front side, and a plan view (B, C) of a modification of the first annular region viewed from the front side. ).

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the first annular region 30 of the inner casing 5a described above includes a plurality of through holes 35 penetrating in the thickness direction of the inner casing 5a. The connecting portion 25 can be formed. However, the inner casing 5a may not be provided with the through hole 35 but may be provided with a groove 35a that opens to the mold 50 side as shown in FIG. By forming a through hole between the groove 35 a and the inner surface of the mold 50, a portion similar to the connecting portion 25 can be formed in the waterproof member 11. Further, the through hole 35 and the groove 35a are not provided in the first annular region 30, and as shown in FIG. 7C, an opening is made on the contact surface with the inner casing 5a of the mold 50 toward the inner casing 5a. The groove 51 may be formed. By forming a through hole between the groove 51 and the inner casing 5a, it is possible to form a portion similar to the connecting portion 25 in the waterproof member 11.

  Although the connection part 25 is formed in the position which connects one side of the 1st cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11a and the one side of the 2nd cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11b, it can form without limiting to the said position. For example, the connecting portions 25 may be formed on two, three, or all sides of the first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b facing each other. Further, in addition to the first annular region 30 and the second annular region 31, in addition to the thickness direction of the inner casing 5a, a third, further fourth annular region, etc. are formed, and the first annular waterproofing member 11a, A third and further fourth annular waterproof member other than the two-annular waterproof member 11b may be added to the waterproof member 11. The first annular waterproofing member 11a may be fixed to the outside of the first wall portion 9 instead of the inside thereof. Further, the second annular waterproof member 11b may be fixed to the outside of the second wall portion 10 instead of the inside thereof. That is, the 1st cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11a and the 2nd cyclic | annular waterproofing member 11b do not ask | require the location fixed as long as it is being fixed to the thickness direction of the internal housing 5a. The seal members 16 and 17 may be connected to both the first annular waterproof member 11a and the second annular waterproof member 11b, or may be connected to only one of them. The first protrusion 40 may be provided only in the first annular waterproof member 11a or only in the second annular waterproof member 11b. Similarly, the second protrusion 41 may be provided only in the first annular waterproof member 11a or only in the second annular waterproof member 11b. There may be two or more step portions 42 as well as one.

  The present invention can be used for waterproof electronic devices.

1 Electronic equipment 2 Front cover (covering member)
3 Back cover (coating material)
5 Waterproof housing 5a Internal housing 11 Waterproof member 11a First annular waterproof member (annular waterproof member)
11b Second annular waterproof member (annular waterproof member)
13, 14 Penetrating regions 16, 17 Seal member 25 Connecting portion 30 First annular region (annular region)
31 Second annular region (annular region)
35 Through-hole 35a Groove 40 First protrusion 41 Second protrusion 42 Step part

Claims (7)

A waterproof housing in which a waterproof member is fixed to an internal housing disposed in the thickness direction of the electronic device,
The inner casing is used together with a mold to form the waterproof member, and includes a plurality of annular regions for forming and fixing the waterproof member in the thickness direction thereof.
The waterproof member is provided with a plurality of annular waterproof members formed and fixed by the respective annular regions, and the waterproof casing is formed by integrally forming the plurality of annular waterproof members and connecting portions connecting them.   The waterproof casing according to claim 1, wherein the inner casing includes one or more through holes or grooves that connect the plurality of annular regions as a portion that forms the connecting portion. The internal housing includes one or more penetrating regions,
The waterproof member includes a seal member fixed around each of the through regions,
The waterproof casing according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is connected to at least one of the plurality of annular waterproof members.   4. The waterproof housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of annular waterproof members includes a first projecting portion that projects toward an inner side of the opening. 5.   5. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of annular waterproof members includes a second projecting portion that projects in a direction of a covering member that covers the inner casing from a thickness direction thereof. The waterproof casing according to item 1.   The waterproof casing according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of annular regions includes at least one step portion that is one step higher outside the region.   An electronic device comprising the waterproof casing according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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