JPH0435940Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Technical field of invention] This invention relates to small electronic devices.

[Prior art and its problems] In recent years, there has been a demand for miniaturization of electronic devices such as personal computers, and pocket-type computers have been developed. In such small electronic devices, the device case is divided into two parts and attached so that they can be opened and closed, and the two cases are overlapped and closed, and the hook provided on one case is locked to the locking part of the other case. People are starting to carry it with them.

However, with the above lock structure,
There was an inconvenience that sufficient engagement force could not be obtained, and the hook would come off the locking part and the device case would open when being carried.

[Purpose of the invention] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to securely and properly lock two cases connected so that they can be opened and closed from opening without permission. Our goal is to provide small electronic devices that can.

[Main points of the invention] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, this invention has the following two points.
a slide piece that connects one side edge of each of the two cases so as to be openable and closable, has a protrusion on the other side edge of the one case, and has a locking part on the protrusion;
A biasing means for always biasing this slide piece in one direction is provided, and the slide piece is moved to the other side edge of the other case against the biasing force of the biasing means to close both cases. The device is integrally provided with a closing means for holding the device in the closed position.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of this invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 illustrate a small portable electronic device, ie, a pocket type computer. This small electronic device 1 has a first case 2 and a second case 2.
The cases 2 and 3 are connected to each other so that they can be opened and closed by a connecting part 4 such as a hinge, and are also electrically connected, and rotate around the connecting part 4. As shown in FIG. 2, they overlap each other. In this case, the first case 2 is larger than the second case 3, and both cases 2 and 3 are each composed of an upper case 2a, 3a and a lower case 2b, 3b. Of the surfaces where both cases 2 and 3 face each other, the facing surface of the first case 2 (the upper surface of the upper case 2a) is provided with a display section 5 and an application selection key 6. A protrusion 7 is provided in a portion where the second case 3 does not overlap. Further, on the opposite surface (upper case 3a) of the second case 3, character keys 8, four arithmetic operation keys 9, a power switch 10, etc. are provided. The application selection key 6 is used to select applications such as schedules and product classifications, the character keys 8 are used to input characters such as alphabets, hiragana, and katakana, and the four arithmetic operation keys 9 are used to select the numeric keypad, fan, etc. It consists of push keys, etc., and is used to input numbers and calculation information.

3 to 5 are an exploded perspective view and a sectional view showing the main parts of the first case 2. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, this first case 2 has an upper case 2a and a lower case 2b attached to each other with screws 11, 11, and an interior plate 12 is installed inside the upper case 2a and a lower case 2b is attached to the protrusion 7 of the upper case 2a. A lock device 13 and a battery storage box 14 are provided inside. The upper case 2a overlaps the second case 3, and has a display window 2a ₁ on its upper surface at a location corresponding to the display section 5.
However, an opening 2a ₂ is provided at a location corresponding to the selection key 6, a connecting portion 4 is provided on one side edge of the upper case 2a (the right side edge in FIG. 4), and a protruding portion 7 is provided on the opposite side edge. is provided. Further, a reinforcing metal plate 15 is attached to the inner surface of the upper case 2a with screws 16. Note that the metal plate 15 is the display window 2a ₁
A portion corresponding to the opening _2a2 is cut out.

The interior panel 12 serves as a housing, is made of synthetic resin, and is attached to the inside of the first case 2 with screws 17, and a display section 5 and an application selection key 6 are mounted on the top surface of the interior panel 12.
A circuit board 18 is provided on the bottom surface. The display section 5 displays predetermined information, and is composed of a liquid crystal display panel, etc., and includes a display window 2a ₁ of the upper case 2a.
The displayed information can be seen through the display window _2a1 . In this case, a transparent touch switch 19 is provided on the top surface of the display section 5. This transparent touch switch 19 performs a switching function when switching to a predetermined mode (touch switch mode), and is made up of a stack of transparent movable contact sheets, spacers, and fixed contact sheets, and is activated by the display section 5. A display mark is displayed, and by pressing the part corresponding to this display mark, a predetermined switch signal is input. Further, the application selection key 6 is for selecting an application as described above, and is provided at a position corresponding to the opening _2a2 of the upper case 2a, and is operated through the opening _2a2 . There is. That is, similar to the touch switch 19 described above, the application selection key 6 is formed by laminating a flexible movable contact sheet 6a, a spacer 6b, and a fixed contact sheet 6c. A movable contact 6d is formed by printing or the like, and a fixed contact 6e is formed on the upper surface of the lowermost fixed contact sheet 6c, and the movable contact 6d and the fixed contact 6e are connected to the opening 6f of the spacer 6b.
They face each other so that they can come into contact and separate from each other. Therefore,
When the uppermost movable contact sheet 6a is pushed, this movable contact sheet 6a bends, and the movable contacts 6d on the lower surface contact the fixed contacts 6e on the fixed contact sheet 6c through the opening 6f of the spacer 6b, and generate a conduction signal. It is now output. In this case, the interior board 1 on which the application selection key 6 is arranged
A projection 12a is formed on the top surface of the application selection key 2, and this projection 12a improves the operability of the application selection key 6. In addition, the circuit board 1
Reference numeral 8 is attached to the lower surface of the interior panel 12, and an LSI 18a is provided on the upper surface thereof, and the above-mentioned display section 5 is electrically connected via the flexible sheet 5a, as well as a touch switch 19 and an application selection button. Key 6 is also connected in the same way.

On the other hand, the protruding part 7 provided on the upper case 2a houses the locking device 13 and the battery storage box 14, and has an elongated trapezoidal box shape, and has a connecting part 4 connecting the two cases 2, 3... and the second case 3 is located in the part that does not overlap,
The side facing the second case 3 (upper side in Figure 4)
The height of the protrusion is approximately the same as the thickness of the second case 3, and when both cases 2 and 3 are overlapped (when closed), the top surface of each case is as shown in Figure 2. They are designed to be on the same plane.

The lock device 13 locks both cases 2 and 3 from opening when they are closed, and includes a slide piece 20, a coil spring 21, and an operator 22 provided on the side of the protrusion 7 of the first case 2. and a locking hole 23 provided on the second case 3 side. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the slide piece 20 is arranged on the battery storage box 14 within the protrusion 7 and is adapted to slide in the longitudinal direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the slide piece 20 has a strip-like shape and has guide holes 20a at predetermined locations.
20a is formed, an operating protrusion 20b is formed on one end side (right end side in the figure), and a locking pin 20c is formed on the other end side.
In addition, locking convex portions 20d are formed at both ends and in the middle of the side edge on the near side so as to protrude toward the near side. The guide holes 20a, 20a are elongated holes into which dowel pins 7e, 7e (one not shown) provided on the inner surface of the protrusion 7 are inserted.
The slide piece 20 is guided by this dowel pin 7e. The operating protrusion 20b is inserted into a long hole 7a formed at the upper right end side of the protrusion 7 and protrudes upward, and the operating element 22 is inserted into this protruding portion.
is installed. Locking convex portion 20d...
are removably locked in the locking holes 23 on the second case 3 side, each side surface is an inclined surface, and the elongated opening 7b formed on the side surface of the protrusion 7 is formed. . . protrudes toward the display portion 5 side of the first case 2, and moves within each opening 7b as the slide piece 20 moves. The coil spring 21 is a biasing means that always biases the slide piece 20 in one direction (the locking direction indicated by the arrow X), and one end is connected to the locking hole 20c of the slide piece 20.
The other end is attached to a mounting portion 7d within the protrusion 7. The operator 22 is for sliding the slide piece 20 against the coil spring 21, and has a substantially flat plate shape, and has a connecting portion 22a formed on its lower surface as shown in FIG. 5, and a protruding portion 7. The connecting portion 22a on the lower surface is attached to the operating protrusion 20b of the slide piece 20 through a long hole 7a in the recess 7c. On the other hand, locking hole 2
3... is the slide piece 2 when both cases 2 and 3 are closed.
As shown in FIG. It is provided on the side surface of the second case 3 facing the side surface of the protrusion 7 . That is, the locking hole 23... is a notched recess formed in the side surface of the second case 3, and corresponds to the locking protrusion 20d... of the slide piece 20, and its shape is approximately rectangular. On the left side (lock side), sloped portions 23a projecting inward from top to bottom are formed.
Therefore, when both cases 2 and 3 are closed, the locking hole 23... locks the locking convex portion 20d... of the slide piece 20.
is moved along the inclined portion 23a..., and then,
Locking convex portion 20d drawn by coil spring 21
. . . is locked under the inclined portion 23a . As a result, both cases 2 and 3 are locked.

Further, the battery storage box 14 is an elongated box that stores the batteries 24, and is attached to the end of the lower case 2b and disposed within the protrusion 7 of the upper case 2a. In this case, the batteries 24... are cylindrical batteries such as AA batteries, and a plurality (three in this embodiment) are connected in series in the battery storage box 14.
It is stored tightly inside. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the battery storage box 14 is formed to a size that accommodates the battery 24, and its height is higher than the thickness of the first case 2 excluding the protrusion 7. The slide piece 20 mentioned above is lower than the height of the section 7.
is set at a height that allows it to be stored in a slidable state. Further, the battery storage box 14 has an open back side and a lower side, and a battery cover 25 is removably attached to the open portion. This battery cover 25, as shown in FIG.
It is a flat plate bent into an "L" shape, and an upper hook 25a and a lower hook 25b are formed on each side thereof. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper hooks 25a... are removably locked to the locking portions 14a provided on the back surface of the battery storage box 14, and the lower hooks 25b are attached to the lower side wall of the battery storage box 14. The insertion hole 14b formed in...
The part protrudes into the lower case 2b through the partition wall 2b ₁ provided in the lower case 2b.
It is now locked in place. Note that an electrode plate 26 and an electrode coil spring 27 are attached to both end surfaces of the battery storage box 14, respectively.

Next, the small electronic device 1 configured as described above is
We will explain the case of folding and carrying.

In this case, first, the first case 2 and the second case 3 are rotated about the connecting portions 4 and closed so as to overlap each other. When both cases 2 and 3 are closed in this way, the second case 3 overlaps avoiding the protrusion 7 of the first case 2, and
The side surface of the protrusion 7 and the side surface of the second case 3 are closely opposed to each other. At this time, the locking protrusions 20d formed on the slide piece 20 in the protrusion 7 are inserted into the locking holes 23 of the second case 3, and at the same time, during this insertion, the locking protrusions 20d... ...is locking hole 2
3..., and when both cases 2 and 3 are closed (both cases 2 and 3 are completely overlapped), the slide piece 20 is constantly moved. The locking protrusion 20 is biased in the locking direction (arrow X direction) by the coil spring 21.
d... is pulled under each inclined portion 23a... of the locking hole 23... and is locked. Therefore, the first case 2 and the second case 3 can be reliably locked with sufficient engagement force, and both cases 2 and 3 will not open without permission when carrying, making it convenient to carry. I can do it. Moreover, the locking operation is performed simply by folding the first case 2 and the second case 3 over each other, and the locking projections 20d of the slide piece 20 are automatically locked into the locking holes 23. , extremely simple and easy. Furthermore, since the upper surface of the protruding portion 7 is substantially the same as the upper surface of the second case 3, the entire device becomes simple and compact, making it even more portable.

In addition, when both cases 2 and 3 are opened and used, the operator 22 provided at the top of the protrusion 7 of the first case 2 can be slid against the biasing force of the coil spring 21. . Then, the slide piece 20 moves in the opposite direction to the arrow X as the operator 22 moves, and the locking protrusions 20d... move in the same direction with this movement, so that they are not engaged with the locking protrusions 20d... The engagement of the stop holes 23 with the inclined portions 23a is released. As a result, the first case 2 and the second case 3 become openable and closable, and both cases 2 and 3 can be opened and unfolded as shown in FIG.
It can be used well.

In the above embodiment, the protrusion 7 is provided on the side edge opposite to the side surface of the connecting portion 4 that connects the first case 2 and the second case 3, but this invention is not limited to this. It may be provided on the front and rear side edge portions perpendicular to the side surface on the connecting portion 4 side. In this case as well, it goes without saying that the protrusion 7 is located in a portion where both cases 2 and 3 do not overlap.

[Effects of the invention] As described above in detail, according to the small electronic device of this invention, each of the two cases has one side edge connected in an openable/closable manner, and the other side edge of the one case has a protrusion. a slide piece having a locking part on the protrusion, and a biasing means for always biasing the slide piece in one direction, and the slide piece is attached to the other side edge of the other case. Since the closing means is integrally provided to hold both cases in the closed position by moving against the biasing force of the biasing means, it is possible to close both cases when carrying.
This has the advantage that it can be reliably locked with sufficient engagement force to prevent the two cases from opening on their own.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures show one embodiment of this invention; Fig. 1 is an external perspective view showing the unfolded state during use, Fig. 2 is an external perspective view when carried, and Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the first case. Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along A-A, and Figure 5 is taken along B-B.
FIG. 1... Small electronic device, 2... Second case, 3...
...Second case, 4...Connection part, 5...Display part,
7...Protrusion part, 8...Character key, 9...Four arithmetic operation keys, 13...Lock device, 20...Slide piece, 20d...Latching convex part, 21...Coil spring,
23... Locking hole, 23a... Inclined part.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) At least one side edge of a case having a display panel and a case having a key input section are connected in an openable/closable manner, and the other side edge of said one case is connected to both cases. A slide piece that protrudes to the opposite surface side of the case and has a locking part on the protrusion, and a biasing means that always biases the slide piece in one direction, and the A small electronic device, characterized in that a closing means is integrally provided for moving the slide piece against the urging force of the urging means to hold both cases in the closed position. (2) Utility model registration claim 1, characterized in that the protrusion provided on the one case and the other case have upper surfaces substantially on the same plane when both cases are in a closed state. Small electronic devices described in .