1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a casing structure for an electronic device, such as a personal computer, and an electronic device having the casing structure as a frame.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, a display-integrated personal computer gains popularity among desktop personal computers in which a display has been integrated with a main body of the computer.
A liquid crystal display (LCD) integrated personal computer 20 that has a liquid crystal display 22 is shown in
The LCD 22 itself acts as a load to the main body section 21 of the LCD-integrated personal computer 20. Therefore, when the LCD 22 rotates by a user, the LCD 22 is pressed against the main body section 21 with the load and a force applied by the user.
The LCD-integrated personal computer 20 has a space for receiving the keyboard 23 shown in
Accordingly, this LCD-integrated personal computer requires a reinforced casing structure for the main body section which may endure the force as shown in
A general desktop-type personal computer also requires consideration of forces applied to its main body section since a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display may be placed on the main body section, and in this sense, an reinforced casing structure has been proposed for the main body section. For instance, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-91618 proposes a reinforced casing structure which is reinforced by forming a concave and convex structure using a draw-bending process, and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-92456 proposes a casing structure on which a frame is additionally mounted that has a rib structure.
In the field of LCD-integrated personal computers, recently, the load exerted onto the casing structure tends to increase correspondingly as liquid crystal displays become larger and larger. In the conventional casing structures, for example, disclosed in the above patent publications, whenever the load applied onto the casing structure increases, the casing structure needs to be fundamentally redesigned. Accordingly, it becomes difficult to apply the casing structure to LCD-integrated personal computers to which increased load is expected to be applied. Thus, a casing structure is required which is sufficient in strength and easy to be further reinforced.
Although the LCD-integrated personal computer has been exemplified to describe any problems associated with reinforcement of casing structures, these problems are not limited to such an LCD-integrated personal computer. These problems may generally exist in display-integrated personal computers having the other display than the liquid crystal display, and furthermore in any electronic devices on which something heavy such as display is placed.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and provides a casing structure that is not only sufficient in strength but also easy to be further reinforced, and an electronic device having the casing structure as a frame.
A casing structure according to an aspect of the present invention includes:
a first part having a top surface section;
a second part having a top surface section and a bending section that is bent on the top surface section at a position where the first part and the second part abut each other; and
a securing part mounted on the top surface section of the first part, which includes the position, and the top surface section of the second part, the securing part securing a predetermined part to an upper portion of the second part.
According to the aspect of the casing structure, a load, such as the weight of the predetermine part or force exerted onto the part, is applied onto an interface between the first part and the second part through the securing part. At this time, the second part has the bending section at the location of abutting the first part. The bending section has high strength against the load, and therefore, the basic example of the casing structure may exhibit sufficient reinforcement against the load. The casing structure has two parts, and therefore, if the casing structure needs to be further reinforced in the future, the casing structure may be easily reinforced further by making the first part have a bending section at the location of abutting the second part without changing the fundmental principle of the present invention that the casing structure has the two parts. That is, the casing structure according to the aspect may exhibit sufficient strength and easily provide further reinforcement.
It is preferable, in the casing structure according to the present invention, that the top surface section of the first part has a concave section depressed from a base surface of the top surface section.
With this preferable feature, the concave section, which improves the strength of the first part, cooperates with the bending section of the second part to enable further reinforced casing structure.
Further preferably, in the casing structure according to the present invention, the first part has a bottom surface section facing the top surface section, and the bottom surface section has a convex section protruding from a base surface of the bottom surface section to an upper side of the base surface.
With this preferable feature, the convex section, which improves the strength of the first part, cooperates with the bending section of the second part to enable further reinforced casing structure.
In addition, according to the present invention, the top surface section of the second part may have a surface which becomes broader as further goes in a longitudinal direction, and
the second part further has:
a surface which becomes broader as further goes in a lateral direction of the top surface section, which is a direction crossing the longitudinal direction;
a hole or a depressed section formed in the position where the first part and the second part abut each other; and
a beam part that is selectively mounted at the second part, passes through the hole or depressed section of the second part, and extends in the longitudinal direction of the top surface section.
With this preferable feature, the casing structure may be reinforced by attaching the beam part to the second part, and this allows easier reinforcement of the casing structure.
Further preferably, according to the present invention, the second part has a leg section that is disposed on the first part, extended downward from the first part and supports the top surface section, and the first part has a leg section that is in surface contact with the leg section of the second part.
With this preferable feature, there may be provided a casing structure having high-strength leg section that includes the leg section of the first part overlaps the leg section of the second part.
In addition, the first part may have a bending section that abuts the bending section of the second part.
With this preferable feature, the bending section of the first part also exhibits high strength against a load such as the weight of the predetermined part or force exerted onto the part, and the bending section of the first part cooperates with the bending section of the second part to enable further reinforced casing structure.
Further preferably, the second part has a bottom surface section connected to a surface extending downward from the bending section, and a receiving section that detachably receives an input device at a lower portion of the bottom surface section.
With this preferable feature, there may be provided the casing structure that is reinforced by the bending section of the second part as well as provided with the receiving section.
Further preferably, the leg section of the second part may be provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the top surface section of the second part.
With this preferable feature, the top surface section of the second part may be integrally formed with the leg section of the second part by a simple process, for example, bending process.
According to another aspect of the present invention, in an electronic device having the above casing structure as a frame, the predetermined part performs a main function of the electronic device.
With this feature, the frame of the electronic device is sufficient in strength and easy to be further reinforced.
Further, it is preferable that the electronic device has a machine-driving electronic part creating vibration; and an attachment part attached to a predetermined location of the machine-driving electronic part through a gasket, the attachment part mounting the machine-driving electronic part in the receiving section of the second part.
With this feature, the gasket may absorb vibration created, for example, by a machine-driving electronic part such as a drive for DVD mounted in a personal computer.
In addition, the predetermined part may include a display unit.
With this feature, there may be provided an electronic device having the frame, such as a display-integrated personal computer in which the display unit has been integrated with the main body section of the personal computer.
Further preferably, the second part has a predetermined opening, the first part has an opening provided at a location facing the opening of the second part, and the opening of the first part and the opening of the second part constitute a receiving section for an electronic part.
With this feature, there may be provided an electronic device having the frame that has a receiving section for the electronic part.
As described above, the casing structure, which has been sufficiently reinforced, may be further reinforced according to the casing structure and the electronic device of the present invention. Specific effects of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention are as follows:
1. Sufficient strength may be previously ensured according to the present invention, and therefore, even when the display is exchanged with a heavier one, the existing frame mold may be reused,
2. The number of designing steps may be considerably decreased by 1),
3. Considerable reduction in cost may be expected by 1), and
4. It is possible to permit maximum inhibition of increase in size compared to conventional reinforcing means, and this makes a product compact or highly densified.
Embodiments of a casing structure and an electronic device having the casing structure will be described more specifically with reference to accompanying drawings.
Referring to
Hereinafter, the descriptions will focus on the structure of the frame included in the LCD-integrated personal computer 10.
Referring to
Here, the frame 100 shown in
The first frame 110 includes a top surface section 111 which is a wall of the LCD 12 side shown in
Referring to
The first frame 110 has been detailed with reference to
Returning to
In the second frame 120, the front surface section 124 has two openings 124a through which the drive 140 shown in
The hinge 130 includes a base section 131 secured to the top surface section 121 of the second frame by screws; an arm section 132 secured by screws to a metal frame (not shown) that constitutes the LCD 12 shown in
Here, in the frame 100, the base section 131 is secured near the front surface section 124 in the top surface section 121 of the second frame, and a portion of the base section 131 is placed near the bending section 115 in the top surface section 111 of the first frame 110. Accordingly, a load, such as the weight of the LCD 12 or hinge 130 and a force pressing the LCD 12 onto the main body section 11 which is produced when the LCD 12 is rotated by users, is exerted onto an interface between the first frame 110 and the second frame 120 through the hinge 130. At this time, the front surface section 124 of the second frame 120 is existent near the interface, which is formed by a bending process. The front surface section 124 of the second frame 120 has a great strength agaist a load applied from the front surface section 121 of the second frame 120, and therefore, the interface also has a great strength against the load exerted through the hinge 130. In this exemplary embodiment, the bending section 115 of the first frame 110 is also existent near the interface, which is formed by a bending process. The bending section 115 of the first frame 110 has a great strength against a load applied from the top surface section 111 of the first frame 110, and therefore, the interface also has a great strength against the load exerted through the hinge 130. In this exemplary embodiment, the first frame 110 is reinforced by the concave section 111a recessed in the top surface section 111 of the first frame 110 and the convex section 112a protruding from the bottom surface section 112a of the first frame 110. The interface may be further reinforced by reinforcement of the first frame 110.
As such, the frame 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been formed as a reinforced casing structure that has sufficient strength against the load involved in the LCD 12, thus effectively preventing bending of the LCD-integrated personal computer 10 caused by such load.
In the frame 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the leg section 123 of the second frame 120 is in surface-contact with the leg section 114 of the first frame 110 as described above. As a result, the frame 100 may have high-strength leg sections that consist of two types of leg sections 123 and 114.
In the field of LCD-integrated personal computers, recently, the load exerted onto the frame tends to increase correspondingly as liquid crystal displays become larger and larger. In the frame 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it is contrived to further reinforce the interface in preparation for a case where larger LCD is mounted on the frame 100.
In this exemplary embodiment, a hole 125 is formed in the second frame 120, which is extended along the interface. And in this exemplary embodiment, an additional reinforcing member, i.e. beam part 126, as represented in dotted limes in
In this exemplary embodiment, mounting of the drive 140 in the frame 100 shown in
In this exemplary embodiment, the mounting of the drive 140 is performed from the rear side of the frame 100 as marked with an arrow C shown in
As shown in
Hereinafter, the attachment part 160 will be described more specifically.
Referring to
Two pins 162 protrude from a surface of the attachment part 160 facing a side surface of the drive 140 as indicated by dotted lines of
Two resilient gaskets 163 are provided at a surface of the attachment part 160 facing a side surface of the drive 140 as indicated by dotted lines of
As described above, the frame 100 of the LCD-integrated personal computer 10 according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may exhibit sufficient strength against loads applied to the LCD 12. In a case where an LCD larger than the LCD 12 is mounted on the frame and the load applied to the frame 100 increases, the frame 100 may be further reinforced by a simple method, such as attaching the beam part 126 to the frame 100. In the LCD-integrated personal computer 10 according to the exemplary embodiment, the drive 140 that reads and writes data from/to a CD or DVD is mounted in the frame 100 through the resilient gasket 163 by the two attachment parts 160 that hold the drive 140 at left and right sides. Accordingly, vibration occurring upon operation of the drive 140 may be well absorbed by the gasket 163, and therefore, noises created in the LCD-integrated personal computer 10 may be inhibited.
Although the LCD-integrated personal computer has been exemplified as an embodiment of the electronic device according to the present invention, the electronic device is not limited thereto. For instance, the electronic device may include a display-integrated personal computer having a display other than the LCD, or a common electronic device such as home appliances on which something heavy may be mounted, such as a display.
Although a method has been described in the exemplary embodiment, where the casing structure is further reinforced by adding a separate reinforcing member, i.e. a beam part, to the frame, the method of further reinforcing the casing structure is not limited thereto. For example, the casing structure may be further reinforced by making the bending section of the first frame 110 further higher.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007-323430 | Dec 2007 | JP | national |