US20120048757A1

US20120048757A1 - Output device and operation unit cover

Info

Publication number: US20120048757A1
Application number: US13/212,321
Authority: US
Inventors: Seiji Ohsawa; Toshihide Ooba; Ooi Kok Hwa; Cheng Wee Jian
Original assignee: Sony Corp
Current assignee: Sony Corp
Priority date: 2010-08-26
Filing date: 2011-08-18
Publication date: 2012-03-01
Also published as: JP2012049794A; CN102387682A

Abstract

An output device which houses a portable device in an internal space and which outputs at least audio or images outputted from the housed portable device to the outside, includes: a case body including a housing portion housing the portable device; a lid body to be locked to the case body, closing the housing portion in a locked state with respect to the case body and opening the housing portion in a lock release state with respect to the case body as well as a window portion is formed; and an operation unit cover made of transparent or semitransparent rubber materials and attached to the lid body in a state of closing the window portion. The housing portion includes a frame-shaped housing rib, and the housing portion includes a housing recess surrounded by the housing rib and a bottom surface is a placing surface for the portable device.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a technical field concerning an output device and an operation unit cover. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a technical field in which the operation unit cover is formed to have a given shape by using rubber materials to thereby prevent the operation unit cover from being broken.

BACKGROUND

There exists an output device which houses a portable device such as a music reproduction device and an image reproduction device in an internal space and which outputs audio and images outputted from the housed portable device to the outside.
As one of the above output devices, there is one in which a lid body can be opened and closed with respect to a case body, a portable device is mounted in the internal space with the lid body in an opened state and the portable device is stored and held in the internal space by connecting the lid body to the case body for sealing the portable device (For example, refer to JP-A-2007-313020 (Patent Document 1).
In the output device described in Patent Document 1, for example, a speaker unit for outputting audio outputted from the portable device to the outside is provided at the case body. A window portion is formed in the lid body and a transparent operation unit cover having flexibility is attached so as to cover the window portion.
In a state in which the lid body is connected to the case body, the lid body is locked with respect to the case body due to buckles pivotally supported at the case body, as a result, the internal space is sealed for securing the waterproof property. In the state in which the lid body is locked with respect to the case body and the portable device is housed in the internal space, the operation unit cover is pressed onto the portable device and the portable device is held, therefore, unnecessary movement of the portable device in the internal space is prevented.
When a user performs operation of an operation unit of the portable device with the operation unit cover from the outer surface side, for example, audio outputted from the portable device can be outputted to the outside.

SUMMARY

However, the operation unit cover is formed in a planar shape in the output device described in Patent Document 1, therefore, the amount of stretch in the operation unit cover is large in the state in which the portable device is held by the operation unit cover. As the load with respect to the operation unit cover is high, the operation unit cover is liable to be broken when the output device is accidentally fallen or some other occasions. There is also the danger that the operation unit cover is caught between the portable device and part of the lid body or the case body at the time of falling of the output device and some other cases, which may also lead to the breaking of the operation unit cover.
Particularly, in the case where the portable device is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the load with respect to portions of the operation unit cover pressing corner portions of the portable device is extremely high, which increases probability that the portions pressing the corner portions will be broken.
As the amount of stretch in the operation unit cover is large, high load is accordingly applied from the operation unit cover to the lid body to which the operation unit cover is attached, which may cause deformation of the lid body to be an obstacle for open/close operation of the lid body.
Particularly, the output device is often used under environment of high temperature such as outdoor or indoor environment. There is also a disadvantage that the breaking of the operation unit cover, the deformation of the lid body and so on are more liable to occur when the amount of stretch in the operation unit cover is further increased due to variation of temperature.
In view of the above, it is desirable to provide an output device and an operation unit cover which can prevent the operation unit cover from being broken or being damaged.
An embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to an output device which houses a portable device in an internal space and which outputs at least audio or images outputted from the housed portable device to the outside includes a case body including a housing portion housing the portable device, a lid body to be locked to the case body closing the housing portion in a locked state with respect to the case body and opening the housing portion in a lock release state with respect to the case body as well as a window portion is formed, and an operation unit cover made of transparent or semitransparent rubber materials and attached to the lid body in a state of closing the window portion, in which the housing portion includes a frame-shaped housing rib, the housing portion includes a housing recess surrounded by the housing rib and a bottom surface is a placing surface for the portable device, the operation unit cover is fitted onto the housing rib in the locked state to close the housing recess, the operation unit cover is provided with a front surface portion covering the housing recess in the locked state and a circumferential surface portion rising from an outer circumferential edge of the front surface portion and covering an outer peripheral surface of the housing rib in the locked state from the outside, and the front surface portion of the operation unit cover includes a holding surface portion facing the placing surface of the housing recess to hold the portable device and two inclined surface portions respectively continuing from both ends of the holding surface portion, in which the distance to the placing surface is increased as drawing away from the holding surface portion.
Therefore, at least part of the respective two inclined surface portions of the operation unit cover does not touch the portable device in the locked state in the output device.
In the above output device, it is preferable that a frame-shaped waterproof rib is provided on the outer peripheral side of the housing rib in the case body, the operation unit cover includes a base portion protruding outward from an edge opposite to the holding surface portion in the circumferential surface portion, a frame-shaped inner protruding ridge rising from the base portion and positioned on the outer peripheral side of the circumferential surface portion and a frame-shaped outer protruding ridge rising from the base portion and positioned on the outer peripheral side of the inner protruding ridge, and a portion between the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge on a surface where the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge are not formed in the base portion of the operation unit cover is pressed onto the waterproof rib in the locked state.
As the portion between the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge on the surface where the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge are not formed in the base portion of the operation unit cover is pressed onto the waterproof rib, the portion liable to be elastically deformed between the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge in the base portion is pressed onto the waterproof rib.
In the above output device, it is preferable that the housing rib is provided with a recess for removal communicating with the housing recess for removing the portable device housed in the housing recess by inserting a finger by a user.
As the recess for removal communicating with the housing recess for removing the portable device housed in the housing recess by inserting a finger by a user is formed in the housing rib, it is possible to insert a finger from the recess for removal into the housing recess.
In the above output device, it is preferable that a nonslip sheet made of a rubber material is attached to the placing surface of the housing portion.
As the nonslip sheet made of a rubber material is attached to the placing surface of the housing portion, the movement of the portable device arranged in the housing recess is restricted by the nonslip sheet.
In the above output device, it is preferable that a connector to be connected to the portable device is arranged inside the housing rib, the placing surface of the housing recess is formed in an approximately rectangular shape, the two inclined surface portions of the operation unit cover are positioned to be apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the placing surface, and the connector is positioned at one end portion in the longitudinal direction.
As the two inclined surface portions of the operation unit cover are positioned to be apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the placing surface, and the connector is positioned at one end portion in the longitudinal direction, the connector does not touch the operation unit cover.
Another embodiment of present the disclosure is directed to an operation unit cover used for an output device which houses a portable device in an internal space, which outputs at least audio or images outputted from the housed portable device to the outside and which includes a case body having a housing portion including a housing recess surrounded by a frame-shaped housing rib and a bottom surface of which is a placing surface for the portable device to house the portable device, and a lid body to be locked to the case body closing the housing portion in a locked state with respect to the case body and opening the housing portion in a lock release state with respect to the case body as well as a window portion is formed, in which the operation unit cover is made of transparent or semitransparent rubber materials and attached to the lid body in a state of closing the window portion and closes the housing recess by being fitted onto the housing rib in the locked state, a front surface portion covering the housing recess in the locked state and a circumferential surface unit rising from an outer peripheral edge of the front surface portion and covering an outer peripheral surface of the housing rib from the outside in the locked state are provided, and the front surface portion includes a holding surface portion facing the placing surface of the housing recess to hold the portable device and two inclined surface portions continuing from both ends of the holding surface portion, in which the distance to the placing surface is increased as drawing away from the holding surface portion.
Therefore, in the operation unit cover, at least part of the respective two inclined surface portions of the operation unit cover does not touch the portable device in the locked state.
The output device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure which houses a portable device in an internal space and which outputs at least audio or images outputted from the housed portable device to the outside includes a case body including a housing portion housing the portable device, a lid body to be locked to the case body closing the housing portion in a locked state with respect to the case body and opening the housing portion in a lock release state with respect to the case body as well as a window portion is formed, and an operation unit cover made of transparent or semitransparent rubber materials and attached to the lid body in a state of closing the window portion, in which the housing portion includes a frame-shaped housing rib, the housing portion includes a housing recess surrounded by the housing rib and a bottom surface is a placing surface for the portable device, the operation unit cover is fitted onto the housing rib in the locked state to close the housing recess, the operation unit cover is provided with a front surface portion covering the housing recess in the locked state and a circumferential surface portion rising from an outer circumferential edge of the front surface portion and covering an outer peripheral surface of the housing rib in the locked state from the outside, and the front surface portion of the operation unit cover includes a holding surface portion facing the placing surface of the housing recess to hold the portable device and two inclined surface portions respectively continuing from both ends of the holding surface portion, in which the distance to the placing surface is increased as drawing away from the holding surface portion.
Therefore, all or part of the inclined surface portions does not touch the portable device, the load applied from the portable device to the operation unit cover is small as well as the amount of stretch in the operation unit cover is small, which prevents the operation unit cover from being broken when the output device is accidentally fallen or some other occasions.
According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a frame-shaped waterproof rib is provided on the outer peripheral side of the housing rib in the case body, the operation unit cover includes a base portion protruding outward from an edge opposite to the holding surface portion in the circumferential surface portion, a frame-shaped inner protruding ridge rising from the base portion and positioned on the outer peripheral side of the circumferential surface portion and a frame-shaped outer protruding ridge rising from the base portion and positioned on the outer peripheral side of the inner protruding ridge, and a portion between the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge on a surface where the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge are not formed in the base portion of the operation unit cover is pressed onto the waterproof rib in the locked state.
As the waterproof rib is pressed onto the portion which is liable to be elastically deformed between the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge, adhesion between the waterproof rib and the base portion is good, therefore, the housing recess and the portable device arranged in the housing recess can be positively waterproofed.
According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing rib is provided with a recess for removal communicating with the housing recess for removing the portable device housed in the housing recess by inserting a finger by a user.
Therefore, the removal of the portable device from the housing recess can be easily performed, which improves user-friendliness of the output device.
According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a nonslip sheet made of a rubber material is attached to the placing surface of the housing portion.
Therefore, slipping of the portable device housed in the housing recess is prevented and the housing state of the portable device in the housing recess is stabilized.
According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector to be connected to the portable device is arranged inside the housing rib, the placing surface of the housing recess is formed in an approximately rectangular shape, the two inclined surface portions of the operation unit cover are positioned to be apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the placing surface, and the connector is positioned at one end portion in the longitudinal direction.
As the connector does not touch the operation unit cover and the operation unit cover does not affect the connection state between the connection terminal portion of the portable device and the connector, which realizes stable connection state between the connection terminal portion and the connector.
The operation unit cover according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is used for an output device which houses a portable device in an internal space, which outputs at least audio or images outputted from the housed portable device to the outside and which includes a case body having a housing portion including a housing recess surrounded by a frame-shaped housing rib and a bottom surface of which is a placing surface for the portable device to house the portable device, and a lid body to be locked to the case body, closing the housing portion in a locked state with respect to the case body and opening the housing portion in a lock release state with respect to the case body as well as a window portion is formed, in which the operation unit cover is made of transparent or semitransparent rubber materials and attached to the lid body in a state of closing the window portion and closes the housing recess by being fitted onto the housing rib in the locked state, a front surface portion covering the housing recess in the locked state and a circumferential surface unit rising from an outer peripheral edge of the front surface portion and covering an outer peripheral surface of the housing rib from the outside in the locked state are provided, and the front surface portion includes a holding surface portion facing the placing surface of the housing recess to hold the portable device and two inclined surface portions continuing from both ends of the holding surface portion, in which the distance to the placing surface is increased as drawing away from the holding surface portion.
Therefore, all or part of the inclined surface portions does not touch the portable device, the load applied from the portable device to the operation unit cover is small as well as the amount of stretch in the operation unit cover is small, which prevents the operation unit cover from being broken when the output device is accidentally fallen or some other occasions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an output device;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the output device in a state seen from the opposite direction to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the output device in a state in which a lid body is opened;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the output device in a state in which the lid body is in an opened position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the output device in a state in which buckles are in a locked position;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the output device in a state in which the buckles are in a lock release position;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a case body in a state in which a nonslip sheet is separated;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in a state in which the buckle is in the lock release position;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in a state in which the buckle is in the locked position;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the case body with the portable device;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the lid body;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view of an operation unit cover;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the operation unit cover;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lid body is pivoted to a closed position and the portable device is held by the operation unit cover;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the portable device is held by the operation unit cover seen from a direction orthogonal to the view shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which the portable device connected to a connector is arranged in a housing recess;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lid body is pivoted from the opened position to the closed position and a first inclined surface of a locking protrusion touches a first inclined surface of a to-be-locked protrusion;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lid body is further pivoted from the opened position to the closed position, a locking claw and a to-be-locked piece are elastically deformed and the locking claw climbs over the to-be-locked piece;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the locking claw and the to-be-locked piece are elastically returned and the lid body is locked with respect to the case body; and

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operation unit of the portable device is operated from the outside of the operation unit cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereafter, the best mode for carrying out the present disclosure will be explained with reference to the attached drawings.
An output device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is, for example, a device outputting audio and images outputted from a portable device housed in an internal space to the outside, which includes a case body and a lid body connected to the case body so as to pivot about a hinge portion.
In the following explanation, directions are shown in a normal use state of the output device for convenience of explanation. The side where the case body is positioned is assumed to be the back and the side where the lid body is positioned is assumed to be the front in a state in which the portable device is housed in the internal space. Directions are also shown on the assumption that the hinge portion is positioned on a lower side and speaker units are positioned right and left.
The directions of up, down, front, back, left and right which will be described below are shown for convenience of explanation, and the present technology is not exclusively applied to these directions.

[Structure of an Output Device]

An output device 1 has a structure in which a case body 2 and a lid body 3 are connected through a hinge portion provided at a lower end portion, and the lid body 3 can pivot with respect to the case body 2 about the hinge portion 4.
The case body 2 is formed to have, for example, an outer shape of rather oval in landscape orientation, and a portion ranging from an outer circumferential surface to an outer peripheral portion of a back surface is formed in a curved surface which is convex outward (refer to FIG. 2). On an upper surface of the case body, operation buttons 5, 5 are arranged right and left so as to be apart from each other (refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). The operation buttons 5, 5 function as, for example, volume adjustment buttons for adjusting volume of audio outputted from a later-described portable device.
At a lower end portion of the case body 2 on the back side, a supporting stand 6 is pivotally connected (refer to FIG. 2). An upper end portion of the supporting stand 6 is connected to the case body 2. The output device 1 can be placed in a standing state by pivoting the supporting stand 6 to be pulled out from the case body 2 (refer to FIG. 5).
At right and left portions on both sides of the case body 2 on the upper side, shallow cutout portions for arrangement 2 a, 2 a are formed (refer to FIG. 6). Buckles 7, 7 are pivotally supported at right and left portions on both sides of the case body 2 respectively on the upper side. The buckles 7, 7 can pivot between a locked position (refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) and a lock release position (refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6), and portions other than front end portions are housed in the cutout portions for arrangement 2 a, 2 a respectively in the locked position.
The buckle 7 includes a body 8, locking claws 9, 9 protruding inward from upper-and-lower both end portions (both end portions in a circumferential direction) in the front end portion of the body 8 and fulcrum shaft portions 11, 11 provided on the inner surface side of the body 8, which are integrally formed (refer to FIG. 4, FIG. 7, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9).
The locking claw 9 is formed in a triangular shape so as to be elastically deform with respect to the body 8, in which an locking protrusion 10 protruding backward is provided at a back surface of a tip portion (refer to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9). The locking protrusion 10 includes a first inclined surface 10 a positioned at the tip portion side and inclining so as to be displaced backward as coming close to the body 8 and a second inclined surface 10 b continuing from the first inclined surface 10 a and inclining so as to be displaced forward as coming close to the body 8.
The buckles 7, 7 are positioned so that outer surfaces continue to an outer surface of the case body 2 (refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 9) in the state of the locked position and are positioned so that front end portions are positioned on the outer side of the outer surface of the case body 2 in the state of the lock release position (refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 8).
On a front surface 2 b of the case body 2, a housing portion 12 is provided at the center in the right and left direction (refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7). A housing rib 13 formed to have an approximately rectangular-frame shape in portrait orientation is provided in the housing portion 12 and the inside of the housing rib 13 is formed as a housing recess 14.
The housing rib 13 includes first restriction walls 15, 15 positioned vertically apart from each other and extending right and left and second restriction walls 16, 16 positioned horizontally apart from each other and extending above and below. The protrusion amount (height) of the first restriction walls 15, 15 to the front direction from the front surface 2 b of the case body 2 is constant, and the protrusion amount of the second restriction walls 16, 16 to the front direction from the front surface 2 b of the case body 2 is increased from the center of the wall in the vertical direction toward upper and lower directions.
The housing rib 13 includes an edge surface 13 a whose outer surface faces the front, an outer peripheral surface 13 b continuing from an outer edge of the edge surface 13 a and an inner peripheral surface 13 c continuing from an inner edge of the edge surface 13 a. At the center of the second restriction walls 16, 16 in the vertical direction, recesses for removal 16 a, 16 a are respectively formed. The recesses for removal 16 a, 16 are communicated with the housing recess 14 and the edge surface portion 13 a is formed in an approximately arc shape which is convex backward.
In the housing rib 13, a width of the edge surface 13 a of the first restriction walls 15, 15 (a width H1 of an upper and lower edges) is formed to be smaller than a width of the edge surface 13 a of the second restriction walls 16, 16 (a width H2 of right and left edges) as shown in FIG. 4.
The width H1 of the edge surface 13 a of the first restriction walls 15, 15 is formed to be smaller as described above, thereby reducing the size of the housing rib 13 in the longitudinal direction which is the vertical direction to the minimum and miniaturizing the output device 1.
Concerning spaces between the inner peripheral surface 13 c of the housing rib 13 and an outer peripheral surface of a portable device 500 (refer to FIG. 10), spaces between the portable device 500 and the second restriction walls 16, 16 in the right and left direction are liable to be smaller than spaces between the portable device 500 and the first restriction walls 15, 15 in the vertical direction when considering the size of the portable device 500. Therefore, it is more likely that contact occurs between the portable device 500 and the second restriction walls 16, 16 than between the device and the first restriction walls 15, 15. The width H2 of the edge surface 13 a in the second restriction walls 16, 16 is formed to be larger, rigidity of the second restriction walls 16, 16 can be increased to thereby prevent damage occurring when the portable device 500 touches the walls.
The housing recess 14 is formed by the inner peripheral surface 13 c of the housing rib 13 and a placing surface 14 a facing the front as a bottom surface (refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7).
The case body 2 is provided with a battery mounting portion 2 c (refer to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9), and the battery mounting portion 2 c is closed by a battery lid 17 (refer to FIG. 7 to FIG. 9). The battery lid 17 is arranged at an approximately upper half portion of the housing recess 14, and a front surface of the battery lid 17 is formed as part of the placing surface 14 a. The user can mount batteries 200, 200 . . . in the battery mounting portion 2 c by opening the battery lid 17.
A shallow attachment recess 17 a opening to the front is formed at the battery lid 17 (refer to FIG. 7). A nonslip sheet 18 made of rubber materials such as silicon rubber is attached to the attachment recess 17 a of the battery lid 17. Arrangement of the nonslip sheet 18 to the housing recess 14 prevents slipping of the portable device 500 to be housed in the housing recess 14, which provides stability of a housing state of the portable device 500 in the housing recess 14.
The nonslip sheet 18 is detachable with respect to the attachment recess 17 a, therefore, the nonslip sheet 18 can be washed by removing the nonslip sheet 18 from the attachment recess 17 a.
In the housing recess 14, a cable arrangement groove 14 b opening to the front and a connector arrangement groove 14 c opening to the front are continuously formed in the vertical direction at a lower side of the battery lid 17.
A cable 300 is arranged in the cable arrangement groove 14 b, and one end of the cable 300 is connected to a not-shown circuit substrate arranged inside the case body 2. The other end of the cable 300 is connected to a connector 400, which is arranged in the connector arrangement groove 14 c.
The connector 400 and the cable 300 can be pulled out to the front from the connector arrangement groove 14 c and the cable arrangement groove 14 b respectively (refer to FIG. 10). The connector 400 and the cable 300 are pulled out to thereby connect the connector 400 to a connection terminal portion 501 of the portable device 500 easily.
On the outer periphery side of the housing rib 13 in the front surface 2 b of the case body 2, a frame-shaped waterproof rib 19 is provided. An amount of protrusion of the waterproof rib 19 from the case body 2 is small, which is formed to have an approximately rectangular shape in portrait orientation.
In the front surface 2 b of the case body 2, speaker arrangement portions 20, 20 are respectively provided so as to protrude forward at right and left of the housing portion 12. Output holes 20 a, 20 a, . . . , for outputting audio are formed in the speaker arrangement portions 20, 20. Respective units for outputting audio such as speakers 21, 21 and an amplifier circuit are respectively arranged inside the speaker arrangement portions 20, 20.
In the output device 1, the output holes 20 a, 20 a, . . . are communicated with the inside of the case body 2, however, a not-shown waterproof structure for preventing infiltration of moisture to respective units arranged inside the case body 2 through the output holes 20 a, 20 a, . . . is provided inside the case body 2.
The lid body 3 is formed to have an outer shape of rather oval in landscape orientation like the case body 2, and a portion ranging from an outer circumferential surface to an outer peripheral portion at a front surface is formed in a curved surface which is convex outward (refer to FIG. 1).
A window portion 3 a piercing in the front and back direction is formed at the center of the lid body 3 in the right and left direction, and the window portion 3 a is formed to have approximately the same size and shape as the outer shape of the housing rib 13 of the case body 2.
Audio output holes 3 b, 3 b, . . . are formed in the lid body 3 at right and left of the window portion 3 a. On a back surface side of the lid body 3, recesses 3 c, 3 c opening to the back are formed at right and left of the window portion 3 a and the audio output holes 3 b, 3 b, . . . are communicated with the recesses 3 c, 3 c as shown in FIG. 4.
Shallow cutout portions 3 d, 3 d are formed at right-and-left portions of both sides of the lid body 3 on the upper side as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, and the portions where the cutout portions 3 d, 3 d are formed in the lid body 3 are provided as engaging portions 22, 22 respectively.
At upper-and-lower both end portions of the engaging portion 22 (both end portions in the circumferential direction), to- be-locked pieces 23, 23 protruding outward are provided respectively. Tips of the to- be-locked pieces 23, 23 are positioned on an inner side of the outer circumferential surface of the lid body 3.
The to-be-locked piece 23 can be elastically deformed, and a to-be-locked protrusion 24 protruding forward is provided at a front surface of a tip portion (refer to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9). The to-be-locked protrusion 24 includes a first inclined surface 24 a positioned on the tip side and inclining so as to be displaced forward as drawing away from the tip and a second inclined surface 24 b continuing from the first inclined surface 24 a and inclining so as to be displaced backward as drawing away from the tip.
On the back side of the lid body 3, an inner wall portion 25 and an outer wall portion 26 having a frame shape are provided at the outer circumferential side of the window portion 3 a, and the outer wall portion 26 is provided apart from the outer peripheral side of the inner wall portion 25 with a certain clearance as shown in FIG. 11. The clearance between the inner wall portion 25 and the outer wall portion 26 is formed as a holding groove 27 opens to the back.
On the back side of the lid body 3, first attachment grooves 28, 28 are formed above and below the outer wall portion 26. The first attachment grooves 28, 28 respectively extend in the right and left direction and open to the back. Additionally, second attachment grooves 29, 29, . . . are formed on the right and left sides of the outer wall portion 26 on the back side of the lid body 3, the second attachment grooves 29, 29, . . . respectively extend in the vertical direction and open to the back.
The lid body 3 is provided with an operation unit cover 30 (refer to FIG. 4). The operation unit cover 30 is made of transparent or semitransparent rubber materials such as silicon rubber. The operation unit cover 30 includes a front surface portion 31 formed to have an approximately rectangular shape in portrait orientation, a circumferential surface portion 32 rising from an outer circumferential edge of the front surface portion 31 to the backward direction and a flange portion 33 projecting outward from a back edge of the circumferential surface portion 32, which are integrally formed as shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13.
A portion of approximately one-third of the front surface portion 31 positioned at the center in the vertical direction is provided as a holding surface portion 31 a having a flat-plate shape facing the front and the back, and portions positioned above and below the holding surface portion 31 a are provided as inclined surface portions 31 b, 31 c gradually inclined so as to be displaced forward as drawing away from the holding surface portion 31 a.
The circumferential surface portion 32 is inclined so as to be gradually displaced to the outside as coming backward, and an outer periphery of the back edge is slightly larger than an outer periphery of the front edge.
The flange portion 33 includes a base portion 33 a facing front and back directions, a ring-shaped inner protruding ridge 33 b and an outer protruding ridge 33 c respectively protruding forward from the base portion 33 a, first to- be-attached protrusions 33 d, 33 d and second to- be-attached protrusions 33 e, 33 e, . . . respectively protruding forward from the base portion 33 a. The inner protruding ridge 33 b is positioned with a certain clearance with respect to the circumferential surface portion 32 outside the circumferential surface portion 32 and the outer protruding ridge 33 c is positioned with a certain clearance with respect to the inner protruding ridge 33 b outside the inner protruding ridge 33 b. The first to- be-attached protrusions 33 d, 33 d are positioned above and below the outer protruding ridge 33 c so as to apart from the outer protruding ridge 33 c and extend in the right and left direction. The second to- be-attached protrusions 33 e, 33 e, . . . are positioned at right and left sides of the outer protruding ridge 33 c so as to apart from the outer protruding ridge 33 c and extend upward and downward.
The front surface portion 31 and the circumferential surface portion 32 are inserted to the operation unit cover 30 from the back surface side of the window portion 3 a (refer to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15). The operation unit cover 30 is attached to the lid body 3 by fitting the inner protruding ridge 33 b and the outer protruding ridge 33 c to the holding groove 27, fitting the first to- be-attached protrusions 33 d, 33 d to the first attachment grooves 28, 28 respectively and fitting the second to- be-attached protrusions 33 e, 33 e, . . . to second attachment grooves 29, 29, . . . respectively.

[Open/Close Operation of the Lid Body]

Hereinafter, open/close operation of the lid body 3 will be explained.
When the lid body 3 is an opened state, the portable device 500 is inserted in the housing recess 14 of the housing portion 12 and arranged there (refer to FIG. 16). At the time of arranging the portable device 500 in the housing recess 14, the connector 400 is connected to the connection terminal portion 501. At this time, the connector 400 and the cable 300 can be pulled forward from the connector arrangement groove 14 c and the cable arrangement groove 14 b respectively as described above, therefore, the connector 400 can be connected to the connection terminal portion 501 easily.
The portable device 500 arranged in the housing recess 14 is placed on the placing surface 14 a in a state in which a display surface 502 on which images and characters are displayed and an operation unit 503 for performing given operation face the front. In the state in which the portable device 500 is placed on the placing surface 14 a, slipping of the portable device 500 is prevented by the nonslip sheet 18 attached to the battery rid 17, which allows the arrangement state of the portable device 500 to be stable.
In the opened position where the lid body 3 is opened, the buckles 7, 7 supported on the case body 2 are pivoted to the lock release position.
When the lid body 3 is pivoted about the hinge portion 4 to a closed position, the operation unit cover 30 is fitted onto the housing rib 13 of the case body 2 (refer to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15), and the housing recess 14 and the portable device 500 arranged in the housing recess 14 are closed by the operation unit cover 30.
In the state in which the operation unit cover is fitted onto the housing rib 13, the outer periphery of the front surface portion 31 is positioned so as to abut on or close to the edge surface 13 a of the housing rib 13 and the circumferential surface portion 32 is positioned so as to abut on or close to the outer peripheral surface 13 b.
The flange portion 33 of the operation unit cover 30 is in a state in which a back surface of the base portion 33 a of the flange portion 33 is pressed on the front surface 2 b of the case body 2. At this time, a portion between the inner protruding ridge 33 b and the outer protruding ridge 33 c of the base portion 33 a of the flange portion 33 is pressed on the waterproof rib 19, which gives waterproof property of the housing recess 14. As the portion of the base portion 33 a pressed on the waterproof rib 19 is liable to be elastically deformed between the inner protruding ridge 33 b and the outer protruding ridge 33 c, adhesion with respect to the waterproof rib 19 is good, therefore, the housing recess 14 and the portable device 500 arranged in the housing recess 14 can be waterproofed.
In the state in which the lid body 3 is pivoted to be in the closed position, the portable device 500 is held by portions other than part of the front surface portion 31 of the operation unit cover 30, for example, by the holding surface portion 31 a or by the holding surface portion 31 a and part of the inclined surface portions 31 b, 31 c (refer to FIG. 14). Therefore, the movement of the portable device 500 in the housing recess 14 is restricted and the stable housing state of the portable device 500 in the housing recess 14 can be secured.
In the above state, the portable device 500 is held by the holding surface portion 31 a of the operation unit cover or by the holding surface portion 31 a and part of the inclined surface portions 31 b, 31 c, therefore, all or part of the inclined surface portions 31 b, 31 c does not touch the portable device 500. Consequently, the load applied from the portable device 500 to the operation unit cover 30 is small and the amount of stretch in the operation unit cover 30 is small, therefore, the breaking of the operation unit cover 30 can be prevented also in the case where the output device 1 is accidentally fallen or some other occasions.
Additionally, all or part of the inclined surface portions 31 b, 31 c does not touch the portable device 500, therefore, there is no danger that the operation unit cover 30 is caught between the portable device 500 and part of the case body 2 or the lid body 3 at the time of falling of the output device 1 and some other cases, which prevents the breaking of the operation unit cover 30 caused by being caught.
Moreover, the load with respect to the portion of the front surface portion 31 pressing corner portions of the portable device 500 is also small, which can prevent the breaking in the portion.
Furthermore, the inclined surface portions 31 b, 31 c are provided in the front surface portion 31, therefore, a stretching margin of the front surface portion 31 is larger than in the case where the entire front surface portion 31 is formed in a planar shape, which can accordingly reduce the load applied from the operation unit cover 30 to the lid body 3. Consequently, the load with respect to the lid body 3 by the stretching of the operation unit cover 30 is reduced, thereby preventing deformation of the lid body 3 and securing smooth open/close operation of the lid body 3.
Particularly, the output device is often used under environment of high temperature such as outdoor or indoor environment. The load with respect to the operation unit cover 30 and the lid body 3 is reduced even when the operation unit cover 30 is stretched due to temperature variation by increasing the stretching margin of the operation unit cover 30, which can prevent the breaking of the operation unit cover 30 and deformation of the lid body 3 when temperature varies.
In the output device 1, the size of the housing portion 12 is prescribed to a fixed size by the housing rib 13 and the operation unit cover 30 is formed in a box shape having the front surface portion 31 and the circumferential surface portion 32 so as to correspond to the size and shape of the housing rib 13. Accordingly, the housing portion 12 and the window portion 3 a of the lid body are formed to have the minimum size, which realizes miniaturization of the output device 1.
As the housing rib 13 protruding forward from the front surface 2 b is provided in the housing unit 12, for example, infiltration of moisture to the housing recess 14 occurring when moisture is attached to the front surface 2 b can be prevented, which improves waterproof property.
Furthermore, when the position of the portable device 500 housed in the housing recess 14 is moved due to the shock, vibration and so on, the moved portable device 500 abuts against the housing rib 13 and the movement is restricted. Therefore, the state in which the portable device 500 is held on the front surface portion 31 of the operation unit cover 30 can be maintained even when the shock, vibration and so on occur.
Additionally, when the portable device 500 housed in the housing recess 14 is moved, all or part of the inclined surfaces 31 b, 31 c of the operation unit cover 30 does not touch the portable device 500. Therefore, when the portable device 500 housed in the housing recess 14 is moved, there is no danger that the operation unit cover 30 is caught between the portable device 500 and part of the case body 2 or the lid body 3 when the output device 1 is fallen and some other occasions, which prevents the breaking of the operation unit cover 30 caused by being caught.
As the connector 400 to be connected to the connection terminal portion 501 of the portable device 500 is positioned behind the inclined surface portion 31 c of the operation unit cover 30, the connector 400 does not touch the operation unit cover 30 and the load from the operation unit cover 30 is not applied to the connector 400. Consequently, the operation unit cover 30 does not affect the connecting state between the connection terminal portion 501 of the portable device 500 and the connector 400, which secures the stable connecting state between the connection terminal portion 501 and the connector 400.
When the buckles 7, 7 are pivoted from the lock release position to the locked position in the state in which the lid body 3 is pivoted to the closed position, the lid body is locked with respect to the case body 2 in the closed position as explained below (refer to FIG. 17 to FIG. 19).
As the buckle 7 is pivoted from the lock release position toward the locked position, the first inclined surface 10 a of the locking protrusion 10 provided at the locking claw 9 of the buckle 7 touches the first inclined surface 24 a of the to-be-locked protrusion 24 provided at the to-be-locked piece 23 of the lid body 3 (refer to FIG. 17).
When the buckle 7 is further pivoted toward the locked position, the first inclined surface 10 a of the locking protrusion 10 makes sliding contact with the first inclined surface 24 a of the to-be-locked protrusion 24, and the locking claw 9 and the to-be-locked piece 23 are elastically deformed, as a result, the locking claw 9 climbs over the to-be-locked piece 23 (refer to FIG. 18).
When the buckle 7 is further pivoted toward the locked position, the second inclined surface 10 b of the locking protrusion 10 makes sliding contact with the second inclined surface 24 b of the to-be-locked protrusion 24, and the locking claw 9 and the to-be-locked piece 23 are elastically returned, as a result, the second inclined surface 10 b of the locking protrusion 10 is engaged with the second inclined surface 24 b of the to-be-locked protrusion 24 (refer to FIG. 19). The second inclined surface 10 b of the locking protrusion 10 is engaged with the second inclined surface 24 b of the to-be-locked protrusion 24, thereby allowing the buckle 7 to be in the locked position and allowing the lid body 3 to be locked with respect to the case body 2.
As described above, when the lid body 3 is locked with respect to the case body 2, the flange portion 33 of the operation unit cover 30 is pressed onto the portion around the housing rib 13 on the front surface 2 b of the case body 2, which secures good waterproof property with respect to the housing portion 12.
In the state in which the lid body 3 is locked with respect to the case body 2, operation is performed by a finger 100 with respect to the operation unit 503 of the portable device 500 which is pressed onto the placing surface 14 a of the housing recess 14 by the operation unit cover 30 (refer to FIG. 20). When the operation is performed with respect to the operation unit 503 of the portable device 500, for example, audio output from the portable device 500 is transmitted to the speakers 21, 21 through the connector 400, as a result, audio is outputted from the speakers 21, 21. The audio outputted from the speakers 21, 21 is outputted to the outside through the output holes 20 a, 20 a, . . . formed in the speaker arrangement portions 20, 20 of the case body 2 and the audio output holes 3 b, 3 b, . . . formed in the lid body 3.
Additionally, images displayed (outputted) on the display surface 502 of the portable device 500 are transmitted through the front surface portion 31 of the operation unit cover 30 and outputted to the outside.
In the state in which the lid body 3 is locked with respect to the case body 2, the lock of the lid body 3 with respect to the case body 2 is released by pivoting the buckles 7, 7 from the locked position to the lock release position.
The pivoting operation from the locked position to the lock release position of the buckle 7 is a reverse operation to the pivoting operation from the lock release position to the locked position. That is, the release of the lock of the lid body 3 with respect to the case body 2 is performed in the manner in which the buckle 7 is pivoted from the locked position to the lock release position, the locking claw 9 and the to-be-locked piece 23 are elastically deformed and the locking claw 9 climbs over the to-be-locked piece 23, then, the buckle 7 is further pivoted toward the lock release position and the locking claw 9 and the to-be-locked piece 23 are elastically returned.
The lid body 3 is pivoted from the closed position to the opened position in the state in which the lock of the lid body 3 with respect to the case body 2 is released, thereby removing the portable device 500 from the housing access 14.
The removal of the portable device 500 from the housing recess 14 can be easily performed by inserting two fingers into the housing recess 14 through the recesses for removal 16 a, 16 a formed in the second restriction walls 16, 16 of the housing rib 13 and holding the portable device 500 from right-and-left both sides.
The recesses for removal 16 a, 16 a are formed in the housing rib 13 as described above, therefore, the portable device 500 can be easily removed from the housing recess 14, which improves user-friendliness of the output device 1.

[Others]

In the above description, the structure in which a pair of buckles 7, 7 is pivotally supported at the case body 2 and the engaging portions 22, 22 to be engaged with the buckles 7, 7 are provided at the lid body 3 has been shown, however, a structure in which a pair of buckles are pivotally supported at the lid body and engaging portions to be engaged with the buckles are provided at the case body can be also applied in an opposite manner.
Specific shapes and structures of respective units shown in the above embodiment are just examples in the embodiment for implementing the present disclosure, and the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted in a limited manner.
The present disclosure contains subject matter related to that disclosed in Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2010-189537 filed in the Japan Patent Office on Aug. 26, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occur depending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they are within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An output device which houses a portable device in an internal space and which outputs at least audio or images outputted from the housed portable device to the outside, comprising:

a case body including a housing portion housing the portable device;

a lid body to be locked to the case body, closing the housing portion in a locked state with respect to the case body and opening the housing portion in a lock release state with respect to the case body as well as a window portion is formed; and

an operation unit cover made of transparent or semitransparent rubber materials and attached to the lid body in a state of closing the window portion,

wherein the housing portion includes a frame-shaped housing rib,

the housing portion includes a housing recess surrounded by the housing rib and a bottom surface is a placing surface for the portable device,

the operation unit cover is fitted onto the housing rib in the locked state to close the housing recess,

the operation unit cover is provided with a front surface portion covering the housing recess in the locked state and a circumferential surface portion rising from an outer circumferential edge of the front surface portion and covering an outer peripheral surface of the housing rib in the locked state from the outside, and

the front surface portion of the operation unit cover includes a holding surface portion facing the placing surface of the housing recess to hold the portable device and two inclined surface portions respectively continuing from both ends of the holding surface portion, in which the distance to the placing surface is increased as drawing away from the holding surface portion.

2. The output device according to claim 1,

wherein a frame-shaped waterproof rib is provided on the outer peripheral side of the housing rib in the case body,

the operation unit cover includes a base portion protruding outward from an edge opposite to the holding surface portion in the circumferential surface portion, a frame-shaped inner protruding ridge rising from the base portion and positioned on the outer peripheral side of the circumferential surface portion and a frame-shaped outer protruding ridge rising from the base portion and positioned on the outer peripheral side of the inner protruding ridge, and

a portion between the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge on a surface where the inner protruding ridge and the outer protruding ridge are not formed in the base portion of the operation unit cover is pressed onto the waterproof rib in the locked state.

3. The output device according to claim 1,

wherein the housing rib is provided with a recess for removal communicating with the housing recess for removing the portable device housed in the housing recess by inserting a finger by a user.

4. The output device according to claim 1,

wherein a nonslip sheet made of a rubber material is attached to the placing surface of the housing portion.

5. The output device according to claim 1,

wherein a connector to be connected to the portable device is arranged inside the housing rib,

the placing surface of the housing recess is formed in an approximately rectangular shape,

the two inclined surface portions of the operation unit cover are positioned to be apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the placing surface, and

the connector is positioned at one end portion in the longitudinal direction.

6. An operation unit cover used for an output device which houses a portable device in an internal space, which outputs at least audio or images outputted from the housed portable device to the outside and which includes a case body having a housing portion including a housing recess surrounded by a frame-shaped housing rib and a bottom surface of which is a placing surface for the portable device to house the portable device, and a lid body to be locked to the case body, closing the housing portion in a locked state with respect to the case body and opening the housing portion in a lock release state with respect to the case body as well as a window portion is formed,

wherein the operation unit cover is made of transparent or semitransparent rubber materials and attached to the lid body in a state of closing the window portion and closes the housing recess by being fitted onto the housing rib in the locked state,

a front surface portion covering the housing recess in the locked state and a circumferential surface unit rising from an outer peripheral edge of the front surface portion and covering an outer peripheral surface of the housing rib from the outside in the locked state are provided, and

the front surface portion includes a holding surface portion facing the placing surface of the housing recess to hold the portable device and two inclined surface portions continuing from both ends of the holding surface portion, in which the distance to the placing surface is increased as drawing away from the holding surface portion.