Embodiments described herein relate generally to an electronic device.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) No. H10-178728 discloses a conventional electronic device having a housing in which a cable is routed between an electronic component and the outer wall of the housing, and the cable is supported by the rib.
If this type of electronic device accidentally falls off, the electronic component may move toward the outer wall side in the housing due to the impact of the fall. Accordingly, the electronic device has been required to be configured such that damage to the cable can be prevented even in such a case.
A general architecture that implements the various features of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention.
Various embodiments will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, according to one embodiment, an electronic device comprises a housing, an outer wall, a rib, a cable, and a stopper. The housing is configured to house at least part of an electronic component. The outer wall is configured to constitute at least part of an outer contour of the housing. The rib is located between the outer wall and the electronic component, and the outer surface of the rib faces the inner surface of the outer wall. The cable is configured to be routed between the outer wall and the rib. The stopper is housed in the housing, and is configured to engage the rib to prevent the rib from inclining toward the outer wall.
According to another embodiment, an electronic device comprises a housing, an outer wall, a plurality of ribs, and a plurality of cables. The housing is configured to house at least part of an electronic component. The outer wall is configured to constitute at least part of an outer contour of the housing. The ribs are located between the outer wall and the electronic component, and the outer surface of the ribs faces the inner surface of the outer wall. The cables are configured to be routed between the outer wall and the ribs, and arranged in parallel in a direction along the outer surface or the inner surface between the outer wall and at least one of the ribs.
As illustrated in
The first body 2 is provided with a keyboard 5 as an input device, a pointing device 7, a click button 8, and the like, which are exposed on a front surface 2b as the outer surface of a housing 2a. On the other hand, the second body 3 is provided with a display device 6 such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel as an electronic component, which is exposed on a front surface 3b as the outer surface of a housing 3a. When the first body 2 and the second body 3 are in the open position, the keyboard 5, the display device 6, and the like are exposed to allow the user to use them. On the other hand, in the closed position, the front surface 2b closely faces the front surface 3b, and the keyboard 5, the display device 6, the pointing device 7, the click button 8, and the like are covered between the housings 2a and 3a. Incidentally,
The second body 3 is shaped in a rectangle that is long in the X direction and short in the Y direction in a plan view from the Z direction, and is thin and flat in the Z direction. The second body 3 comprises a housing 3a. The housing 3a comprises a first divisional body 3C and a second divisional body 3M. The first divisional body 3C has a bottom wall 3d that forms a back surface 3c. The second divisional body 3M has a top wall 3e that forms the front surface 3b. An opening 3f is formed in the center of the front surface 3b (the top wall 3e) of the second divisional body 3M, and a display surface 6a of the display device 6 is exposed from the opening 3f.
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When, for example, the electronic device 1 accidentally falls off, the display device 6 may move in a direction approaching the outer wall 3g relative to the housing 3a due to the inertial force acting on the display device 6. In such a case, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C have the function of absorbing the impact load on the display device 6. That is, when the electronic device 1 falls off, if the display device 6 relatively moves toward the outer wall 3g along with the deformation of the periphery of the brackets 6b and other parts, the display device 6 may come in contact with the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C. In the embodiment, the display device 6 in contact with the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C deforms them by pressure. This deformation absorbs energy, thereby alleviating the relative impact load on the display device 6 from the housing 3a (the outer wall 3g, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C, etc.).
The ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C further have the function of protecting the cable 9 routed between the display device 6 and the outer wall 3g. That is, as described above, when the electronic device 1 falls off, if the display device 6 relatively moves toward the outer wall 3g along with the deformation of the periphery of the brackets 6b (see
In view of preventing damage to the cable 9, preferably, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are not substantially inclined due to pressure caused by the relative movement of the display device 6. For this reason, in the embodiment, as illustrated in
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A description will now be given of each of the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C. As illustrated in
To overcome a heavier load, the protrusion 3i is provided as a stopper correspondingly to the rib 10A located at the end of the array. More specifically, in the state where the first divisional body 3C and the second divisional body 3M are assembled, the protrusion 3i is inserted in the gap ga between the rib 10A and the outer wall 3g. A gap ge is formed between the rib 10A and the protrusion 3i. Accordingly, when the rib 10A is pressed by the display device 6 and inclined, energy is absorbed by the deformation of the rib 10A until the rib 10A is stopped by the protrusion 3i.
A space (the gap ga) between the rib 10A and the outer wall 3g is larger than that between the rib 10B and the outer wall 3g. In other words, a larger space is secured in which the cable 9 is allowed to move. This prevents damage to the cable 9, and also compensates for reduction in the space by the protrusion 3i inserted in the gap ga between the rib 10A and the outer wall 3g.
As illustrated in
The gap gb is smaller than the gap ga between the rib 10A and the outer wall 3g. The smaller gap gb increases the capability of retaining the cable 9, which prevents the cable 9 from deviating from the original route. The rib 10B is located in the middle of the array, and therefore the load is likely to be distributed and low compared to that on the rib 10A. Accordingly, even if the gap gb is smaller than the gap ga, it is possible to reduce damage to the cable 9.
The outer wall 3g is partly recessed at a portion facing the rib 10B as a recessed portion 3p. If the gap gb is formed smaller than the gap ga while the outer wall 3g is formed in a straight shape, the rib 10B needs to be positioned outside the rib 10A or formed thicker. It is not preferable to position the rib 10B outside in view of shock absorption. Meanwhile, it is not preferable to form the rib 10B thicker because it results in an increase in the weight. Regarding this point, according to the embodiment, the rib 10B can be easily aligned with respect to the rib 10A separated from the outer wall 3g by the larger gap ga. Moreover, by providing a convexo-concave surface to the outer wall 3g, the rigidity of the outer wall 3g can be improved.
As illustrated in
With the vertical wall 3o in which the notch 3n can be formed, the gap gf smaller than the other gaps ga and gb can be relatively easily obtained regardless of the relative positions of the outer wall 3g and the rib 10c.
As described above, according to the embodiment, the electronic device 1 comprises the housing 3a, the outer wall 3g, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C, the cable 9, and the protrusion 3i. The housing 3a houses at least part of the display device 6 as an electronic component therein. The outer wall 3g forms at least part of the outer contour of the housing 3a. The ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are located between the outer wall 3g of the housing 3a and the display device 6, and the outer surface 10b of them faces the inner surface 3j of the outer wall 3g. The cable 9 is located between the outer wall 3g and the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C. The protrusion 3i is provided to the housing 3a and stops the rib 10A as a stopper. With this, if the display device 6 relatively moves toward the outer wall 3g by some cause such as the fall of the electronic device 1, the protrusion 3i prevents the rib 10A which is pressed by the display device 6 from being inclined outside of where the cable 9 is routed. Thus, protection for the cable 9 can be improved. Moreover, the stopper can be formed with a relatively simple structure as the protrusion 3i located outside the rib 10A.
According to the embodiment, the housing 3a comprises the first divisional body 3C and the second divisional body 3M. The first divisional body 3C is provided with the outer wall 3g and the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C, while the second divisional body 3M is provided with the protrusion 3i as a stopper. This structure can be applied to a housing having a plurality of divisional bodies such as the second body 3 of the electronic device 1. With this, a structure in which the rib 10A is stopped by the protrusion 3i can be relatively easily obtained by assembling the first divisional body 3C with the second divisional body 3M after routing the cable 9 in a recessed portion surrounded by the outer wall 3g, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C, and the bottom wall 3d of the first divisional body 3C. Especially, in the structure in which the outer wall 3g and the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are provided on the bottom wall 3d of the first divisional body 3C, the cable 9 is routed in the recessed portion surrounded by the outer wall 3g, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C, and the bottom wall 3d, and the protrusion 3i is formed on the top wall 3e of the second divisional body 3M, the protrusion 3i is located on the edge side of the rib 10A. Thus, the protrusion 3i is not likely to interfere the cable 9 routed on the bottom wall 3d side in the recessed portion.
According to the embodiment, the second protrusion 3m is provided to the second divisional body 3M inside the outer wall 3g of the first divisional body 3C as a second stopper that engages the outer wall 3g. When the display device 6 that relatively moves outward presses the protrusion 3i through the rib 10A, the second protrusion 3m engages the outer wall 3g of the first divisional body 3C, thereby preventing the protrusion 3i from moving to the outside. Thus, it is possible to reliably achieve the effect of preventing the inclination of the rib 10A by the protrusion 3i.
According to the embodiment, at least part of the inner surface 3j of the outer wall 3g that faces the outer surface 10b of the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C is formed flat. The flat inner surface 3j prevents the cable 9 from being concentrically-loaded, thereby improving the protection for the cable 9.
According to the embodiment, the reinforcing rib 10c is formed on the outer surface 10b of the ribs 10A and 10B as a reinforcing member including a convex portion. Meanwhile, the inner surface 3j of the outer wall 3g that faces the outer surface 10b is formed flat. This increases the rigidity and the strength of the ribs 10A and 10B as well as improving the protection for the cable 9.
According to the embodiment, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are provided so that the gaps ga, gb, and gc between them and the outer wall 3g are different in size. The outer wall 3g is partly recessed at a portion facing the rib 10B with the small gap gb as the recessed portion 3p. This facilitates linear alignment of the rib 10A with the large gap ga and the rib 10B with the small gap gb, and also prevents the load from electronic components from concentrating on specific one of the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C.
According to the embodiment, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are linearly aligned spaced apart in a plan view from the direction in which the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are raised (the Z direction). The display device 6 as an electronic component is arranged so that the side surface 6c thereof faces the inside of an array of the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C. The protrusion 3i is provided as a stopper correspondingly to at least the rib 10A located at the end of the array. The protrusion 3i prevents the inclination of the rib 10A that is located at the end of the array and may be loaded most heavily. Thus, it is possible to effectively prevent damage to the cable 9.
According to the embodiment, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are provided so that the gaps ga, gb, and gc between them and the outer wall 3g are different in size. The ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are linearly aligned spaced apart in a plan view from the direction in which the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are raised (the Z direction). The display device 6 as an electronic component is arranged so that the side surface 6c thereof faces the inside of an array of the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C. Among the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C, the rib 10B with the small gap gb is located at a middle position of the array except for the ends . Since the rib 10B with the small gap gb is located at a middle position of the array except for the ends where the load acting from the display device 6 is likely to be lighter, it is possible to increase the capability of retaining the cable 9 as well as to prevent damage to the cable 9.
According to the embodiment, the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C are provided so that the gaps ga, gb, and gc between them and the outer wall 3g are different in size. The display device 6 as an electronic component is arranged so that the side surface 6c thereof faces the inside of an array of the ribs 10A, 10B, and 10C. The plurality of cables 9 are arranged in parallel in the direction along the outer surface 10b or the inner surface 3j, more specifically, in the direction in which the rib 10B is raised, at least between the outer wall 3g and the rib 10B with the small gap gb. This prevents an increase in the size of the housing 3a with respect to the size of the display device 6 viewed from the Z direction. By reducing the size of the gap gb with respect to each of the cables 9, it is possible to increase the capability of retaining the cable 9.
While the electronic device 1 of the embodiment is described above by way of example as a notebook personal computer, it may be any other electronic device than a notebook personal computer. Besides, the ribs may be arranged to face another side surface of the display device. The ribs may also be arranged correspondingly to another electronic device than the display device. The specification (location, size, shape, direction, etc.) can be changed as required for the outer wall, the ribs, the stopper, the second stopper, the electronic component, the reinforcing member, and the like.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-296177 | Dec 2009 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/903,108, filed Oct. 12, 2010, which is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-296177, filed Dec. 25, 2009, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12903108 | Oct 2010 | US |
Child | 13244190 | US |