This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-054801 filed on Mar. 11, 2011. The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-054801 is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a cabinet structure assembly. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cabinet structure assembly for attaching an attachment member to a cabinet.
2. Background Information
With conventional image display devices, a variety of wall brackets have been proposed. The wall brackets are mounted to an interior wall or the like, and are attached to a cabinet of the image display device. A conventional wall mounting structure for relatively heavy electronic devices has an L-shaped latching piece. The L-shaped latching piece is provided to a wall mounting base that is attached to a rear face of an electronic device. The L-shaped latching piece is engaged with a guide hole of a wall bracket that is fixed to a wall (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2002-158456, for example). With another conventional wall mounting structure, an attachment bracket fixed to a wall has a hook. A rear face of a housing that contains electronic parts has a hook latching component. The hook is fitted to the hook latching component (see Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3,044,576, for example). With further another conventional wall mounting structure, a housing of an electronic device is attached to an attachment rail with a housing fixing apparatus (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2001-284837, for example).
These conventional wall mounting structures are related to a constitution for attaching a housing of an electronic device to a wall bracket, a hook, or the like that is fixed to an interior wall or the like. However, these conventional wall mounting structure do not pertain to a structure for attaching an attachment member attached to a wall bracket to a cabinet of a flat-screen television set or the like.
Meanwhile, another type of conventional structure employs a sheet metal attachment member with a threaded hole. The attachment member is mounted to a cabinet of an image display device in order to attach the cabinet to a wall bracket fixed to an interior wall or the like.
Specifically, one conventional structure of this type has an attachment member (e.g., a wall mount bracket). The attachment member is made of sheet metal and formed in a crank shape in side view. The attachment member is fastened with an attachment screw to a cabinet. Specifically, the attachment member is disposed on an inside of a plastic rear cabinet of a flat-screen television set. The attachment member has a threaded hole. The threaded hole faces an opening on the rear cabinet.
Another conventional structure for this type has a support frame and an attachment member. The support frame is formed in a square tube shape, and is made of plastic. The support frame is integrally formed on an inside of a cabinet. Specifically, the support frame is formed on a plastic rear cabinet of a flat-screen television set. The attachment member is made of sheet metal. The attachment member is press-fitted into the support frame. The support frame is then covered with a plastic box-shaped cover such that an opening in the support frame is covered by this box-shaped cover. With this conventional structure, the attachment member further has a threaded hole that faces an opening of the rear cabinet. The rear cabinet further has an engagement hook for fixing the box-shaped cover.
It has been discovered that, with the above-mentioned conventional structures, the work entailed by screwing the attachment member to the rear cabinet is time-consuming In particular, when the attachment members are mounted at a plurality of places (such as four places) on the rear cabinet, screws need to be fastened at each of these places, which makes the assembly work much more difficult. Also, television sets have increasingly been moving toward flat-screen style of late. Thus, there is a trend in which an attachment position of the attachment member is closer to a wiring board that is essential to the control of the television set. Because of this, a large prohibited region in which there is no control circuit on the wiring board must be ensured in order to ensure adequate spacing between the attachment member and the control circuit formed on the wiring board, to meet ESD testing (electrostatic damage testing) requirements, and so forth. This is disadvantageous to board design.
On the other hand, with the above-mentioned conventional structure having the box-shaped cover, the attachment member inserted into the plastic support frame is covered by the box-shaped cover made of plastic (e.g., a non-conductor). With this configuration, a range over which the discharge of static electricity from the attachment member will adversely affect the control circuit of the wiring board becomes smaller. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the prohibited region in which no control circuit is provided to the wiring board, which is advantageous to board design. Also, the attachment member is fixed merely by inserting the attachment member into the support frame. Thus, even when the attachment member is mounted at four places on the rear cabinet, a situation in which the assembly work is made more difficult by the work of fastening screws can be avoided.
However, it has also been discovered that the above-mentioned conventional structure requires two steps in assembly, namely, a step of tightly press-fitting the attachment member into the support frame, and a step of covering the support frame into which the attachment member has been inserted with the box-shaped cover. Therefore, it is difficult to remove the attachment member. Also, the support frame has to be formed on the rear cabinet, and forming the box-shaped cover also entails extra work.
An improved cabinet structure assembly was conceived in light of the above-mentioned problem. One object of the present disclosure is to provide a cabinet structure assembly with which assembly work becomes easier and the assembly process entails a single step.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a cabinet structure assembly includes a cabinet, an attachment cover and an attachment member. The cabinet includes a wall with an inner face. The attachment cover is disposed on the inner face of the cabinet. The attachment cover includes a top wall portion that faces the inner face of the cabinet and a side wall portion that extends between the inner face of the cabinet and the top wall portion. The top wall portion has an engagement recess. The attachment member is detachably disposed within the attachment cover for installation through an access opening of the attachment cover. The attachment member has a base plate and a top plate that is arranged relative to the base plate. The base plate has a threaded hole that is aligned with a through-hole of the inner face of the cabinet. The top plate has a bulging portion that is engaged with the engagement recess of the top wall portion. The attachment member is compressed between the top wall portion of the attachment cover and the inner face of the cabinet such that the top plate is biased against the top wall portion of the attachment cover and the base plate is biased against the inner face of the cabinet.
With the cabinet structure assembly, it is possible to provide a cabinet structure assembly with which assembly work becomes easier and the assembly process entails a single step.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment.
Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure:
A preferred embodiment will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from these disclosures that the following descriptions of the embodiment are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Referring to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As shown in
The protrusion 65 on the attachment member 30 and the recess 61 on the cover 50 form an engagement mechanism 60 that prevents the attachment member 30 from coming out of the opening 51 once inserted into the cover 50 through the opening 51 (see
In the course of assembling the mount structure A, the attachment member 30 is inserted into the cover 50. Specifically, the protrusion 65 on the attachment member 30 slides on the top component 56 of the cover 50, which elastically deforms the plate piece 33 of the attachment member 30. In other words, the attachment member 30 is gradually compressed between the top component 56 of the cover 50 and the inner face 22a of the rear cabinet 22 when the protrusion 65 of the attachment member 30 slides along the top component 56 of the cover 50 during the attachment of the attachment member 30 relative to the cover 50. With this arrangement, a situation that the top component 56 of the cover 50 will bend and crack or break can be prevented while the attachment member 30 is inserted into or removed from the cover 50. Furthermore, to make sure that the above-mentioned situation is further prevented, as shown in
Next, an assembly procedure for attaching the attachment member 30 to the cover 50 will be described in detail through reference to
At a first stage of this procedure, as shown in
At the next stage, the middle piece 34 of the attachment member 30 is pushed with a finger or the like, which pushes the attachment member 30 into the interior of the cover 50 as shown by an arrow P in
As described above, the assembly procedure of the attachment member 30 to the rear cabinet 22 can be finished in a single step of inserting the attachment member 30 into the cover 50. Accordingly, there is no need to use a separate attachment screw or to use a separate box-shaped cover as in the conventional structures. Accordingly, the number of parts required can be correspondingly reduced, and the assembly procedure is also simplified.
As shown in
When the attachment member 30 is removed from the cover 50, a screwdriver or some other rod-shaped tool T or the like, indicated by an imaginary line in
As shown in
In the embodiment described above, static electricity released from the attachment member 30 is confined by the electrostatic shielding function of the cover 50 that covers substantially the entire attachment member 30. However, static electricity released from the portion not covered by the cover 50, namely, the middle piece 34 of the attachment member 30 across from the opening 51 of the cover 50, or the protrusion 65 of the attachment member 30 fitted into the recess 61 (e.g., through-hole) of the cover 50, will be released to the outside of the cover 50 without being blocked by the cover 50. Accordingly, it is preferable to employ some means for reducing as much as possible the size of the prohibited region where no control circuit is provided to the wiring board 12 (see
As shown in
Furthermore, the recess 61 of the cover 50 is formed by a through-hole formed in the top component 56. Thus, a radiation region Z2 of static electricity released from the place where the protrusion 65 of the attachment member 30 is formed will be a range corresponding to an opening width of the recess 61 (e.g., diameter of the through-hole). In view of this, as mainly shown in
As mainly shown in
With the mount structure A, it is possible to provide a mount structure for the wall bracket attachment member 30 with which assembly work becomes easier than in the conventional structures and the assembly process entails a single step. Furthermore, the attachment member 30, once assembled, can be easily removed. Furthermore, there is no need for the separate formation of a box-shaped cover as in the conventional structures. Thus, so the assembly procedure is simplified and fewer parts are required. Moreover, despite this, it is possible to reduce the size of the prohibited region in which there is no control circuit on the wiring board 12.
With the mount structure A, the attachment member 30 is made of sheet metal and is coupled to the wall bracket B. The attachment member 30 is mounted to the plastic cabinet 20 at a position opposite the wiring board 12 that is provided on the inside of this cabinet 20. The threaded hole 31 is provided to the attachment member 30. The threaded hole 31 faces the opening 23 of the cabinet 20. The attachment member 30 is covered with the cover 50 that has an electrostatic shielding function and is molded from plastic integrally with the cabinet 20.
The cover 50 is a hood-shaped enclosure that has the side wall component 52 and the top component 56. The cover 50 has the opening 51 that allows the attachment member 30 to be passed through. The opening 51 is formed at one location of the side wall component 52. There is provided the engagement mechanism 60 that prevents the attachment member 30 that has been inserted through the opening 51 and into the cover 50 from coming out of the opening 51. This engagement mechanism 60 has the recess 61 provided in the top component 56 of the cover 50 and the protrusion 65 that is serrated in side view and is provided to the attachment member 30. The protrusion 65 engages with this recess 61.
Also, the protrusion 65 is formed by bulging out one part of the plate piece 33 of the attachment member 30 in a peaked shape. In the course of inserting the attachment member 30 into the cover 50, the protrusion 65 slides on the top component 56 of the cover 50 and is guided to the recess 61 while elastically deforming the plate piece 33. The attachment member 30 is elastically sandwiched between the cabinet 20 and the top component 56 of the cover 50 by the reaction force created when the protrusion 65 guided into the recess 61 elastically presses on the edge of the recess 61.
With this mount structure A, the threaded hole 31 is provided to the attachment member 30. The threaded hole 31 is utilized to screw a wall bracket B to the attachment member 30 with an integrated attachment bolt or with an attachment bolt that is separate from the wall bracket B. Also, the attachment member 30 is made of sheet metal, and is covered with the cover 50 that has an electrostatic shielding function. Thus, the spacing between the attachment member 30 and the wiring board 12 can be shorter. As a result, a television set or other such image display device equipped with this mount structure A can be made thinner.
With this mount structure A, the engagement mechanism 60 prevents the attachment member 30 from coming out of the opening 51 once it has been inserted through this opening 51 into the cover 50. Thus, this mount structure A can be easily assembled in a single step of inserting the attachment member 30 into the cover 50 that is molded from resin and integrally with the cabinet 20. In particular, the engagement mechanism 60 is formed by the peaked protrusion 65 of the plate piece 33 of the attachment member 30 and the recess 61 of the top component 56 of the cover 50. The arrangement takes advantage of the bending characteristics of the attachment member 30, in which this protrusion 65 is guided to the recess 61 while sliding on the top component 56 of the cover 50 and elastically deforming the plate piece 33 of the attachment member 30 in the step of inserting the attachment member 30 into the cover 50. Accordingly, this mount structure A can be assembled merely by performing a job that requires no special skill, such as inserting the attachment member 30 into the cover 50. Furthermore, the attachment member 30 is elastically sandwiched between the cabinet 20 and the top component 56 of the cover 50 by the reaction force created when the protrusion 65 guided into the recess 61 elastically presses on the edge of the recess 61.
Also, when the attachment member 30 is to be removed form the cover 50 after the attachment member 30 has been inserted, the protrusion 65 elastically bends and deforms the plate piece 33 and comes out of the edge of the recess 61 merely by pulling strongly on the attachment member 30 in the removal direction R of the cover 50. Thus, the attachment member 30 can be easily removed from the cover 50. Furthermore, the engagement mechanism 60 is formed by the recess 61 on the cover 50 and the peaked protrusion 65 on the attachment member 30. Thus, there is no need for a separate attachment screw as in the conventional structure as a means for mounting the cover 50 to the cabinet 20. Nor is there any need for a separate box-shaped cover as in the conventional structure.
With the mount structure A, the attachment member 30 is preferably formed in a U-shape in side view (e.g., as viewed in the widthwise direction). Specifically, the attachment member 30 has the base piece 32 that has the threaded hole 31, the plate piece 33 that is opposite this base piece 32, and the middle piece 34 that links the back end portions of the base piece 32 and the plate piece 33. Furthermore, the cover 50 has the recess 61 in the top component 56. The top component 56 is sloped so as to have the gradient θ1 rising toward the opening 51 with respect to the inner face 22a of the cabinet 20. With this arrangement, the attachment member 30 is formed in a simple shape (i.e., U shape in side view). Thus, the attachment member 30 can be produced easily. Also, the top component 56 of the cover 50 is sloped so as to have the gradient θ1 rising toward the opening 51. Thus, another advantage is that the attachment member 30 can be easily inserted through the opening 51 into the interior of the cover 50.
With the mount structure A, it is preferable that the recess 61 is formed at a place near the first edge portion 56a (e.g., front end) of the top component 56 of the cover 50, and that the protrusion 65 is formed at a place near the front end portion of the plate piece 33 of the attachment member 30. With this arrangement, in the step of inserting the attachment member 30 into the cover 50, the plate piece 33 elastically deforms more readily than the top component 56 of the cover 50. Thus, even though the strength of the sheet metal attachment member 30 is greater than the strength of the plastic cover 50, the plate piece 33 of the attachment member 30 will elastically deform more readily than the top component 56 of the cover 50. Also, since the plastic cover 50 is made more resistant to bending deformation by imparting bending deformability to the sheet metal attachment member 30, there is less risk of damage to the top component 56 of the cover 50 when the attachment member 30 is being inserted or removed.
With the mount structure A, it is preferable that the recess 61 includes a circular through-hole formed in the top component 56 of the cover 50, and that the protrusion 65 has a conical shape. The shape of the protrusion 65 can be a peaked shape that extends in a direction that traverses the plate piece 33 of the attachment member 30. However, the protrusion 65 is formed in a conical shape as illustrated in
With the mount structure A, it is possible to reduce the size of the prohibited region in which there is no control circuit on the wiring board 12 even if the spacing between the wiring board 12 and the attachment member 30 is shortened, because the sheet metal attachment member 30 is covered with the cover 50 that has an electrostatic shielding function. On the other hand, the cover 50 has the opening 51 on its side wall component 52. Thus, the electrostatic shielding function provided by the cover 50 is lost at the place where this opening 51 is formed.
To improve this point and reduce the size of the prohibited region of the wiring board 12, with the mount structure A, the enclosure forming the cover 50 extends to a position rearward of the attachment member 30 when the attachment member 30 has been inserted into the cover 50. With this arrangement, it will be possible to reduce the size of the radiation region Z1 over which static electricity discharges from the opening 51 in the cover 50. Thus, the prohibited region of the wiring board 12 can be reduced in size correspondingly. Similarly, in view of reducing the size of the prohibited region of the wiring board 12, the tubular part 59 extending to the outside of the cover 50 is contiguous with the edge of the through-hole of the recess 61.
As discussed above, with the mount structure A, assembly work can be easier, and the assembly procedure can be completed in a single step of merely inserting the attachment member 30 into the cover 50 through the opening 51. Furthermore, there is no need to screw down the attachment member 30, nor is it necessary to use a separate box-shaped cover to cover the attachment member 10. Thus, the assembly process is correspondingly simplified and fewer parts are required. Also, the attachment member 30 that has been attached to the cover 50 can be easily removed. Furthermore, the sheet metal attachment member 30 is covered by the cover 50 provided to the cabinet 20. Thus, it is possible to reduce the size of the prohibited region in which there is no control circuit on the wiring board 12.
In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components and groups, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components and groups. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts.
While a preferred embodiment has been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from these disclosures that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptions of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011-054801 | Mar 2011 | JP | national |