JP5178572B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a housing structure of an electronic device configured by engaging a plurality of exterior covers with engaging claws.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some electronic devices such as a digital camera have a configuration in which an internal functional component is covered with an exterior cover divided into front and rear. The plurality of exterior covers are engaged with each other by, for example, a plurality of screws and a plurality of engagement claws. Thus, by using a housing structure that can be fastened with screws or the like, it is possible to eliminate gaps between the exterior covers, but there are cases where the number of screws on the surface of the housing increases and the designability is lowered.

  Then, the electronic device of the housing | casing structure which reduced the location of fastening with a screw as much as possible, and couple | bonds exterior covers with only an engaging claw came to be provided.

  However, since there are variations in the part shape of the engaging claw part and the mounting position on the cover, and it is necessary to secure clearance for engaging the claw, the exterior covers are fastened with a plurality of screws. It is more difficult to narrow the gap between the covers than the housing structure. For example, FIG. 8 shows an example of a digital camera in which an exterior cover is engaged only with a conventional engagement claw.

  In FIG. 8, a gap (for example, a gap C in FIG. 5A) of the engaging claw portion is generated due to the above-described variation in the part shape and the convenience of the clearance for engaging the claw. The gap between the engagement claws allows the rear cover unit 22 to move with respect to the front cover unit 21 by the amount of the gap, and a gap D is formed between the rear cover unit 22 and the front cover unit 21.

  To solve the above problem, an assembly structure of a housing for adjusting the gap between the joints of the exterior cover has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-141129 A

  However, in the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, the cover clearance is adjusted by configuring the cover retracting mechanism with a plurality of parts. Have difficulty.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device having a housing structure that can minimize the gap between cover members with a small number of parts and an occupied area.

In order to achieve the above object, the electronic device according to the present invention is configured such that the engaging portion formed on the first cover member is engaged with the engaging portion formed on the second cover member , so an electronic device having a structure for covering the component, the first cover member, said engaging portion formed on the first cover member is engaged with the engaging portion formed on the second cover member by further comprising a biasing unit that is formed to provide a biasing force to the second cover member when the said second cover member includes a locking portion formed in said first cover member The urging portion and the contact portion are further provided with an abutment portion formed so that the urging portion abuts when engaged with the engagement portion formed on the second cover member . The locking portion formed on the first cover member is the locking portion formed on the second cover member. When the locked state to the urging force receiving the abutting portion from the urging portion, and the force that presses the second cover member on the outside of the outer cover, the second cover member It is formed so that it may become a resultant force with the force drawn in to the said 1st cover member side .

  According to the present invention, the gap between the exterior covers can be reduced without adding screws.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a digital camera that is an example of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which removed the exterior cover of the digital camera of FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the front cover unit and the rear cover unit of FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the state change at the time of engagement of a front cover unit and a rear cover unit, (a) shows before engagement, (b) shows after engagement. (A) is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion where the hooking claw is locked to the protrusion, showing a cross section cut along the line AA in FIG. 4 (b), and (b) is a portion of the portion where the hooking claw is locked to the protrusion. It is a fragmentary perspective view. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the engaging part of the energizing part and hole which shows the section cut by the BB line of Drawing 4 (b). It is a top view of the digital camera engaged with the urging portion and the hole in addition to the engagement with the hooking claw and the protrusion. It is a top view of the conventional digital camera with which the exterior covers were engaged only with the engaging claws.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a digital camera which is an example of an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a digital camera 1 is provided with a power button 2 at a substantially central portion on the upper surface thereof. A release button 3 and a zoom lever 4 are provided in the vicinity of the power button 2. The release button 3 is locked to the zoom lever 4 with a claw (not shown). Three holes on the upper surface of the digital camera 1 are speaker holes 5, and a speaker (not shown) is arranged below the speaker holes 5.

  An imaging unit 6 is disposed in the front center of the digital camera 1. The imaging unit 6 includes a lens unit (not shown) including a focus lens, a zoom lens, and the like, and an imaging device (hereinafter referred to as “CCD”) that captures an optical image incident through the lens unit and outputs an electrical signal (video signal). (Not shown). A strobe light emitting unit 7 is located in the vicinity of the imaging unit 6.

  The digital camera 1 includes a front cover 8 made of metal, a center cover 9 made of metal, a rear cover 10 made of metal, and a top cover 11 made of a polymer material.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the exterior cover of the digital camera 1 of FIG. 1 is removed.

  The digital camera 1 has a structure in which a front cover unit 21 (first cover member) and a rear cover unit 22 (second cover member) cover an internal component 23 as an exterior cover. The internal component 23 includes an imaging unit 6, a strobe light emitting unit 7, a main chassis 29, a main board 30, a speaker 31, a battery box 32, an external connection terminal connection connector 33, a display panel (not shown), and the like. 29 is fixed with a screw (not shown).

  The CCD (not shown) constituting the image pickup unit 6 is electrically connected to the main substrate 30 via the CCD flex 34, the strobe light emitting unit 7 via the strobe flex 35, and the external connection terminal connecting connector 33 via the connector flex 36. ing. The front cover unit 21 and the rear cover unit 22 are fastened to the internal component 23 with screws 24 to 28.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the front cover unit 21 and the rear cover unit 22 of FIG.

  The front cover unit 21 includes a front cover 8, a metal inner member 41, and an urging portion 42 formed of a polymer material. The inner member 41 and the urging portion 42 are fixed to the inner surface of the front cover 8 by spot welding. The urging portion 42 is fixed to the edge portion of the front cover unit 21.

  The rear cover unit 22 includes the rear cover 10, the center cover 9, the top cover 11, and metal inner members 43, 44 and 45. Inner members 44 to 45 are fixed to the inner surface of the rear cover 10 and the inner member 43 is fixed to the inner surface of the center cover 9 by spot welding.

  The rear cover 10 and the center cover 9 are locked by engaging the claws 44 a to 44 d of the inner member 44 with the protrusions 43 a to 43 d of the inner member 43, respectively. A protrusion 43e protruding toward the inside of the digital camera is provided between the protrusion 43a and the protrusion 43b.

  Further, the rear cover 10 and the top cover 11 are fastened to the burring portion of the inner member 45 by a screw (not shown) while the claws 45a of the inner member 45 engage with a rib (not shown) of the top cover 11. The top cover 11 is provided with a hole 46 that engages with the urging portion 42 fixed to the inner surface of the front cover 8.

  Next, the engagement state of the front cover unit 21 and the rear cover unit 22 will be described.

  4 (a) and 4 (b) are diagrams showing a change in state when the front cover unit 21 and the rear cover unit 22 are engaged. (A) is before engagement, and (b) is after engagement. Indicates. In the figure, the internal component 23 is omitted. 4A and 4B are drawn from the viewpoint when the top cover 11 is looked up from the inside of the digital camera.

  The inner member 41 fixed to the front cover 8 has a hooking claw 41a. The hooking claw 41 a is locked by a protrusion 43 e of the inner member 43 fixed to the center cover 9. The urging portion 42 fixed to the front cover 8 engages with the hole 46 of the top cover 11.

  5A is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion where the hooking claw 41a is locked to the protrusion 43e, showing a cross section cut along the line AA in FIG. 4B, and FIG. 5B is a hooking claw 41a. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the part latched by protrusion 43e.

  In the drawing, a gap C is generated between the hooking claw 41a and the protrusion 43e in the engaged state. The gap C is a necessary gap as in normal engagement. If the gap C becomes zero or less, there is a possibility that the hooking claw 41a rides on the protrusion 43e, and a good engagement state cannot be maintained. . The rear cover unit 22 can move with respect to the front cover unit 21 by the gap C of the engaging portion, and as a result, the gap between the exterior covers is generated.

  FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the engaging portion of the urging portion 42 and the hole 46 showing a cross section taken along line BB in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, the urging portion 42 is an elastic member, and has a sandwiching shape so as to sandwich the rear cover unit 22 while being engaged with a hole 46 provided in the top cover 11. The contact part 46 a is fixed to the edge of the rear cover unit 22.

  In the state shown in the figure, the urging portion 42 is urged in the direction of pressing the rear cover unit 22 outward by the urging force F at the corner 46 a of the hole 46. As shown in the figure, the urging force F is divided into forces Fy and Fz, and the vector of the force Fz is directed from the rear cover unit 22 to the front cover unit 21. That is, the rear cover unit 22 is attracted to the front cover unit 21 with the force Fz.

  When the front cover unit 21 and the rear cover unit 22 are combined, the urging portion 42 first hits a portion of the top cover 11 located in front of the hole 46. Then, the urging portion 42 is pushed down by the portion of the top cover 11 and elastically deformed so as to be displaced to the inside of the digital camera (left side in FIG. 6). When the front cover unit 21 and the rear cover unit 22 are aligned to the position where the hooking claw 41a is locked to the protrusion 43e, a part of the urging portion 42 pushed down by the top cover 11 enters the hole 46, A part of the elastic deformation of the urging portion 42 is restored. At this time, when the urging portion 42 is restored, the normal line at the contact portion 46a of the edge of the hole 46 and the urging portion 42 draws the rear cover unit 22 into the front cover unit 21 and this direction. It is located between the direction orthogonal to the direction and the outside of the digital camera. In this state, the force acting on the contact portion 46a of the edge of the hole 46 and the urging portion 42 becomes the urging force F. The contact portion of the urging portion 42 with the contact portion 46 a is formed by a surface that is inclined with respect to the direction in which the rear cover unit 22 is pulled into the front cover unit 21. Therefore, even if there is a slight variation in part shape or mounting error, the urging portion 42 can be reliably brought into contact with the contact portion 46a, and the same urging force F is generated on the contact portion 46a. Can be made.

  When the front cover unit 21 and the rear cover unit 22 are combined, the urging portion 42 is supported by the front cover 8 at a position outside the top cover 11 in which the hole 46 is provided. The force Fy applied to the contact portion 46a by the urging portion 42 is received by the front cover 8, and the force Fz applied to the contact portion 46a is received by the contact surfaces of the front cover 8 and the rear cover 10. Therefore, the position of the rear cover unit 22 is stabilized with respect to the front cover unit 21 in both the direction in which the rear cover unit 21 is pulled into the front cover unit 21 and the direction orthogonal thereto.

  The hole 46 only needs to have a function of restoring a part of the elastic deformation of the urging portion 42, and may be a recess. FIG. 7 is a top view of the digital camera engaged with the urging portion 42 and the hole 46 in addition to the engagement with the hooking claw 41a and the protrusion 43e.

  As described above, since the force Fz is applied to the contact portion 46a, the rear cover unit 22 is attracted to the front cover unit 21 even if there is a gap C between the engaging portions of the hooking claws 41a and the protrusions 43e. As a result, the gap E between the mating portions of the front cover unit 21 and the rear cover unit 22 can be made substantially zero, compared to the conventional digital camera in which the exterior covers are engaged with each other only by the engaging claws shown in FIG. The gap D of the cover generated on the upper surface of the digital camera can be reduced as much as possible.

  According to the above embodiment, the front cover unit 21 is formed with the biasing portion 42 that applies the biasing force F to the rear cover unit 22, and the rear cover unit 22 is in contact with the biasing portion 42 a. Is formed. The urging force F received by the abutting portion 46 a from the urging portion 42 is a resultant force of the force Fy that presses the rear cover unit 22 outward and the force Fz that pulls the rear cover unit 22 into the front cover unit 21. Is set. Thereby, the clearance gap between exterior covers can be decreased, without adding a screw. As a result, the gap between the cover members can be minimized with a small number of parts and an occupied area.

  In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment has been described using a digital camera as an example of an electronic device. However, an apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited thereto, and may be a mobile phone, a PDA, or an electronic dictionary. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Digital camera 8 Front cover 9 Center cover 10 Rear cover 11 Top cover 21 Front cover unit 22 Rear cover unit 23 Main body component units 24-28 Screw 41 Inner member 42 Energizing part 43-45 Inner member 46 Top cover hole 46a With Contact portion between the support portion and the hole of the top cover

Claims (9)

In an electronic device having a structure that covers an internal component as an exterior cover by locking the locking portion formed on the first cover member to the locking portion formed on the second cover member,
It said first cover member is in the second cover member when the engaging portion formed on the first cover member is engaged with the engaging portion formed on the second cover member And further comprising an urging portion formed to give an urging force,
It said second cover member, said urging portion abuts when the engaging portion formed on the first cover member is engaged with the engaging portion formed on the second cover member further comprising an abutting portion formed to,
The urging portion and the abutting portion are arranged in a state where the engaging portion formed on the first cover member is engaged with the engaging portion formed on the second cover member . the biasing force receiving the abutting portion from the energized portion, and the force that presses the second cover member on the outside of the outer cover, the force to pull the second cover member to the first cover member side An electronic device characterized by being formed so as to have a resultant force. The urging portion is an elastic member,
The contact portion is an edge of a hole or a recess formed in the second cover member,
When the engaging portion formed on the first cover member is engaged with the engaging portion formed on the second cover member , the elastically deformed biasing portion is the hole or recess. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion receives the urging force from the urging portion by entering and restoring a part of the elastic deformation. Wherein the biasing unit, in the state in which the engaging portion formed on the first cover member is engaged with the engaging portion formed on the second cover member, the outer side than the contact portion 3. The electron according to claim 2, wherein the biasing portion is supported by the first cover member at a position where the biasing portion enters the hole or the recess from the inside to generate the biasing force. machine.   4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the urging portion has a clamping shape so as to sandwich the second cover member. 5.   A normal line at a contact portion of the urging portion with the contact portion is a direction in which the second cover member is drawn into the first cover member, and a direction perpendicular to the direction and outside the electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is located between the electronic devices. Contact portion between the contact portion of the urging unit, characterized in that the direction to pull the second cover member to the first cover member side, and is formed by a surface which gave a slope The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   The urging portion is fixed to an edge portion of the first cover member, and the contact portion is fixed to an edge portion of the second cover member. The electronic device according to any one of the above.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the urging portion is made of a polymer material. The first cover member and the second cover member are engaged by the hooking claw formed on the first cover member being locked to the protrusion formed on the second cover member,
2. The urging portion is formed in the vicinity of a hooking claw of the first cover member, and the abutting portion is formed in the vicinity of a protrusion of the second cover member. The electronic device of any one of thru | or 8.

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