JPH11202973A - Storage structure of speaker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a speaker which can improve sound quality and expand a utilization range for portable information equipment such as a notebook type computer and a word processor. SOLUTION: This structure is equipped with two plane members which face each other to constitute a part of the housing of information equipment (computer) 1, a specific rotary shaft for storage which is supported between the plane members along the normal direction of each plane member, a coupling member 3 which enters and exits from the storage space between the plane members as the rotary shaft for storage rotates, and thin type speakers 2a and 2b which are mounted atop of the coupling member 3. The speakers 2a and 2b are fitted rotatably on the axis of a rotary shaft for angle adjustment provided to the coupling member.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a speaker for an information device, and more particularly to a structure of a speaker for a portable information device such as a notebook personal computer or a word processor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, portable information devices such as notebook type personal computers have been used to inform a user of the state of the computer and to output music.
A predetermined speaker is built in. The specific structure of the speaker is as follows. That is, FIG.
As shown in (A), there is a liquid crystal panel equipped with thin speakers on both the left and right sides. This speaker can be stored on the back side of the liquid crystal panel along a rail (not shown), and when not used, the speaker is completely hidden as shown in FIG. 6 (B). .

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of a completely fixed speaker. That is, the speaker shown in FIG. 7 is directly fixed to the wall surface of the computer on which the liquid crystal panel is provided. On the other hand, the speaker shown in FIG. 8 shows an example in which the speaker is fixed to the keyboard.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, the direction of a speaker can be adjusted. That is, the speaker is supported by a rotating shaft (not shown) in a boundary area between the liquid crystal panel side and the keyboard side of the computer. The user can fine-tune the angle of the speaker to make the sound easier to hear.

[0005]

However, each of the above-mentioned prior arts has the following disadvantages. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, in the case of a speaker that can be put in and taken out along a predetermined rail, the angle of the speaker cannot be changed due to structural limitations. That is, since the speaker itself moves in parallel along the two rails, these rails also need to be rotated in order to rotate the speaker itself. However, on notebook computers,
There is no space to rotate the rail itself. For this reason,
There has been an inconvenience that the speaker cannot be rotated.

In the speakers shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
Since the speaker itself is built in the inside of the computer body and there is not enough space for mounting the speaker, only a small speaker can be built in and the sound quality is poor.

As shown in FIG. 9, a speaker whose angle can be adjusted has been developed. However, it has not been possible to make the speaker sound when the computer is closed or to make a sound toward the back of the main body. Therefore, the speaker could not be pointed at the other party behind the main body of the computer.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a speaker capable of improving the sound quality and expanding the range of use in portable information equipment such as a notebook computer or a word processor.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the first aspect of the present invention, two opposing planar members constituting a part of a housing of an information device and each of these planar members are provided. A predetermined storage rotation shaft supported between the planar members along the normal direction of the planar member, and a storage space between the planar members with the rotation of the storage pivot. It has a connecting member that goes in and out, and a thin speaker provided at the tip of the connecting member, and the speaker is rotatably mounted around an angle adjusting rotation shaft provided on the connecting member. I am taking it.

With the above configuration, when the thin loudspeaker is exposed to the outside of the information device (computer), the loudspeaker can be rotated around the rotation shaft for angle adjustment. At the same time, the connecting member supporting the speaker can rotate about the storage rotation shaft. That is, the storage rotating shaft that supports the connecting member is provided between the planar members and in the normal direction of each planar member. Therefore, by rotating the connecting member, the speaker can be completely stored in the information device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the information device is constituted by a notebook computer, and a storage space is formed in a lid member of the computer. Is the same as A notebook computer generally uses a liquid crystal panel as a display. Therefore, it is relatively easy to form a space along the liquid crystal panel on the back side of the liquid crystal panel. Therefore, a storage space is formed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel of the lid member, and a thin speaker can be stored in the storage space.

Further, the third aspect of the invention adopts a configuration in which the speaker is formed in a semicircular shape, and the other configurations are the same as those of the first or second aspect of the invention. With this configuration, the storage space may have a fan-like shape centered on the storage rotation shaft of the connecting member. This is because the loudspeaker itself also rotates around the storage rotation shaft. Therefore, a so-called dead space can be eliminated.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a portable information device (computer) includes a semicircular thin speaker 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, as a structure for supporting the speakers 2a and 2b and the speakers 2a and 2b, a connecting part having two axes can rotate and house the speaker 2 and adjust the angle. Hereinafter, this will be described in detail.

FIG. 1A shows a state in which speakers 2a and 2b are provided on both sides of a liquid crystal panel 5 of the computer 1. FIG. Particularly, in the present embodiment, the speakers 2a and 2b are supported on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 5 (LCD panel). An audio signal is transmitted to the left and right speakers 2a and 2b via an amplifier (not shown), and audio information is output from both the speakers 2a and 2b. In the present embodiment, the speakers 2a and 2b have a semicircular planar shape. This is, as described later, the speakers 2a and 2a.
This is because, when b is stored inside the computer 1, interference with internal devices is suppressed. Therefore, a square speaker may be used as long as necessary space can be secured inside the computer 1.

Next, FIG. 1B shows speakers 2a and 2b.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which is stored in the computer 1. The speakers 2a and 2b are supported by connecting members 3 provided at both left and right ends of the liquid crystal panel 5. Specifically, the connecting member 3 is provided with a storage rotary shaft 5a (5b: see FIG. 3) shown in FIG. This rotating shaft for storage 5a is
It is supported in a direction perpendicular to the planes of the thin speakers 2a and 2b. In relation to the computer 1, the liquid crystal panel 5
Is a direction that penetrates vertically. Therefore, the storage rotary shaft 5
When the connecting member 3 is rotated around "a", the speakers 2a and 2b are housed in the computer 1 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 1C is a diagram showing a state in which the speakers 2a and 2b are completely housed in the computer 1. That is, since the speakers 2a and 2b are formed in a semicircular shape, if the rotation angle is set appropriately, the speakers 2a and 2b
a and 2b are not exposed to the outside. in this way,
If the speakers 2a and 2b can be completely housed inside, if the speakers 2a and 2b are unnecessary, etc., if they are housed appropriately, they will not be an obstacle.

FIG. 2 shows the connecting member 3 having the storage rotary shafts 5a and 5b. The connecting member 3 is provided with an angle adjusting rotation shaft 4 for adjusting the angles of the speakers 2a and 2b.

In FIG. 3, the storage rotary shafts 5a and 5b are stretched between the planar member 1a on the liquid crystal panel side of the computer 1 and the planar member 1b on the lid side. Therefore, when the connecting member 3 is rotated around the storage rotation shafts 5a and 5b, the connection member 3 is rotated in a plane parallel to the liquid crystal panel 5.

Further, the rotation shaft 4 for adjusting the angle is connected to the speaker 2.
This is for arbitrarily adjusting the installation angles of a and 2b. The rotation shaft 4 for angle adjustment is perpendicular to the rotation shafts 5a and 5b for storage.

Next, a method of adjusting the angles of the speakers 2a and 2b by using the connecting member 3, the storage rotating shafts 5a and 5b, and the angle adjusting rotating shaft 4 will be described with reference to FIG. . As shown in FIG. 4A, when the speakers 2a and 2b protrude from both left and right sides of the liquid crystal panel 5, the angle can be adjusted. That is, the state shown in FIG. 4A is a case where the speakers 2 a and 2 b are substantially parallel to the liquid crystal panel 5. In a normal use state, it is in the direction of the operator of the computer 1, and it is preferable to use the computer 1 as it is.

However, for some reason, the speaker 2
There are cases where it is desired to change the output direction of the sound from a and 2b. For example, there is a case where it is desired to make sound sound in the whole room where the computer 1 is placed, or a case where the person behind the computer 1 wants to hear the sound information. FIG.
(B) is a diagram showing a state in which the speakers 2a and 2b are slightly inclined toward the ceiling. Thus, the speaker 2
By turning a and 2b toward the ceiling side and increasing the volume at the same time, not only the user of the computer 1 but also other people around the computer 1 can hear the sound.

As described above, in order to adjust the angles of the speakers 2a and 2b, the rotation shaft 4 for adjusting the angle is used. That is, when the speakers 2a and 2b are completely exposed to the outside, the angle adjusting rotation shaft 4 extends along both left and right outer sides of the liquid crystal panel 5. Therefore, when the speakers 2a and 2b are rotated around the angle adjustment rotation shaft 4,
As shown in FIG. 4B, the speaker can be rotated.

Next, a specific embodiment will be described in detail. In FIG. 2, semicircular and thin speakers 2a and 2b are mounted on the left and right sides of a liquid crystal panel 5 of the computer 1, respectively. The computer 1 is a so-called notebook type portable computer. The computer 1 has a main body composed of two main components. That is, a computer main body having a keyboard, a CD-ROM drive, and a hard disk, and a cover member that covers the keyboard and serves as a cover. The lid member is rotated by a predetermined hinge (not shown) during use,
The lid member can be opened and closed.

A liquid crystal panel (LCD panel) 5 is provided on the lid member side. The liquid crystal panel 5 displays the operation state of the computer 1 to the user of the computer 1. The liquid crystal panel 5 uses a DSTN method or a TF
T-types have been developed.

On the back side of the liquid crystal panel 5, a predetermined storage space 6 (see FIG. 3) is secured inside the lid member. The storage space 6 is provided with the speakers 2a, 2
b. Speaker 2 of the present embodiment
Since a and 2b are thin, the storage space 6 also extends in a planar manner on the back surface of the liquid crystal panel 5 correspondingly.
However, as shown in FIG. 1, since the speakers 2a and 2b have a semicircular shape, a semicircular space is enough to accommodate the speakers 2a and 2b.

The left and right ends of the liquid crystal panel 5
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a connecting member 3 is provided. More specifically, it is located in the storage space 6 described above. The connecting member 3 is bridged between the planar member 1a on the liquid crystal panel side and the planar member 1b on the outer wall member side by the rotating shaft 4 for storage (see FIG. 3). Therefore, when the connecting member 3 is rotated about the storage rotating shafts 5a and 5b, the connecting member 3 is rotated along the storage space 6. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, the speakers 2a and 2b are
Can be stored inside.

The connecting member 3 has a rotating shaft 4 for angle adjustment.
Is also equipped. Speakers 2a and 2b are fixed to the tip of the rotation shaft 4 for angle adjustment. Then, the speakers 2a and 2b can be turned around the angle adjusting turning shaft 4. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the angles of the speakers 2a and 2b can be freely adjusted.

Here, the storage rotary shafts 5a and 5b and the angle adjustment rotary shaft 4 of the connecting member 3 shown in FIG. 2 are rotatable and fixable shafts, respectively. The axis that can be rotated and fixed here is an axis that is rotated by the force of a certain degree of rotation when applied, and that is fixed by friction when no force is applied. Means.

As described above, when the speakers 2a and 2b are housed in the computer 1, first, the speakers 2a and 2b are made parallel to the liquid crystal panel 5 by rotating the rotation shaft 4 for angle adjustment. Thereby, the speaker 2
a and 2b are parallel to the storage space 6. Next, the speakers 2a and 2b are stored in the storage space 6 inside the computer 1 by rotating the connecting member 3 about the storage rotation shafts 5a and 5b.

In the above embodiment, the storage rotary shafts 5a, 5b
And the rotation shaft 4 for angle adjustment are connected to the speakers 2a,
2b and the planar members 1a and 1b, and the connecting member 3 enables the rotation of the shaft. However, on the contrary, the rotating shafts 5a and 5b for storage and the rotating shaft 4 for angle adjustment are fixed to the connecting member 3, and the thin speakers 2a and 2b and the liquid crystal panel 5 side
The same effect can be obtained by providing a mechanism for rotating and fixing the rotating shafts 5a and 5b for storage and the rotating shaft 4 for angle adjustment.

The angle adjustment of the speakers 2a and 2b is made possible by using the thin speakers 2a and 2b and attaching the speakers to the lid member provided with the liquid crystal panel 5, and adopting a rotating storage system. is there. That is, the semicircular shape of the speakers 2a and 2b is not a necessary condition of the angle adjusting mechanism. In the rotary storage method, the shape that maximizes the surface area of a thin speaker that can be stored in a fixed storage space is a semicircular shape, and the present embodiment employs a semicircular shape. However, in the present invention, it is possible to provide an angle adjusting mechanism not only for a semicircular speaker but also for other shapes (such as a rectangle). Further, application to devices other than portable information devices (computers) is also conceivable.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a practical use of an information device having a speaker storage structure according to the present invention. FIG. 5A shows a case where the speakers 2 a and 2 b are directed to the back side of the lid member of the computer 1. As described above, when the speakers 2a and 2b are turned to the back side, it is possible to make the person other than the user of the computer 1 hear the audio information from the computer 1.

FIG. 5B shows a state in which audio information is output from the speakers 2a and 2b with the lid of the computer 1 closed. In the ordinary notebook computer 1, since the speakers 2a and 2b are provided inside, when the cover member is closed, the audio information cannot be heard. However, if the speakers 2a and 2b can be stored and taken out as in the present invention, the audio output can be directly heard from the speakers 2a and 2b even when the lid member is closed.

[0034]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, two opposed planar members constituting a part of the housing of the information equipment, and the planar members along the normal direction of each planar member. A rotating shaft for storage supported between the connecting members, a connecting member that enters and exits a storing space between the planar members with the rotation of the rotating shaft for storing, and a distal end of the connecting member. And a thin speaker which is mounted on the connecting member so as to be rotatable around an angle adjusting rotation shaft provided on the connecting member.

Therefore, when the thin loudspeaker is exposed to the outside of the information equipment (computer), the loudspeaker can be rotated around the angle adjusting rotation axis. At the same time, by rotating the connecting member, the speaker can be completely housed in the information device. That is, storage of the speaker in the information device and adjustment of the angle of the speaker itself can be enabled by the present invention.
This produces an excellent effect.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 employs a method in which the information device is constituted by a notebook computer, and the storage space is formed in a lid member of the computer. Therefore, it is relatively easy to form a space along the liquid crystal panel on the back side of the liquid crystal panel. Therefore, a storage space is formed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel of the lid member, and a thin speaker can be stored in the storage space. That is, by applying the present invention to a notebook computer, an excellent effect that a storage area for the speaker can be efficiently secured can be obtained.

Further, the third aspect of the present invention adopts a configuration in which the speaker is formed in a semicircular shape. For this reason, the storage space may be a fan-shaped shape centered on the storage rotation shaft of the connecting member. This is because the loudspeaker itself also rotates around the storage rotation shaft. Therefore, there is an excellent effect that a so-called dead space can be eliminated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
(A) shows a state where the speaker is exposed, and FIG.
FIG. 1B shows a state in which the speaker is being housed, and FIG.
Indicates a state in which the speaker is completely housed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connecting member used for the storage structure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the connecting member disclosed in FIG. 2 is disposed between planar members.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating angle adjustment of a speaker;
FIG. 4A shows a state in which the speaker is parallel to the liquid crystal panel, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the speaker is inclined with respect to the liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another example of the usage mode disclosed in FIG. 4, in which FIG. 5 (A) shows a state in which a speaker is directed to the back side of a lid member, and FIG. This shows a case where the speaker is used with the lid member closed.

6A and 6B are perspective views showing a conventional example, and FIG. 6A shows a state in which a speaker is exposed to the outside, and FIG.
Indicates a state in which the speaker is housed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing another conventional example.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information equipment (computer) 2a, 2b Speaker 3 Connecting member 4 Angle adjustment rotation axis 5 Liquid crystal panel 5a, 5b Storage rotation axis 6 Storage space

Claims (3)

[Claims] An information device includes two opposing planar members constituting a part of a housing of an information device, and a predetermined housing supported between the planar members along a normal direction of each of the planar members. A rotating member, a connecting member that moves in and out of the storing space between the planar members with the rotation of the storing rotating shaft, and a thin speaker provided at the tip of the connecting member. The speaker storage structure, wherein the speaker is rotatably mounted around an angle adjusting rotation shaft provided on the connecting member. 2. The speaker storage structure according to claim 1, wherein the information device is constituted by a notebook computer, and the storage space is formed in a lid member of the computer. 3. The speaker storage structure according to claim 1, wherein the speaker has a semicircular shape.