Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6678165
-
Patent Number
6,678,165
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, February 27, 200223 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 13, 200421 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Martin; David
- Phan; Thanh S.
Agents
- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 361 737
- 361 740
- 361 741
- 361 747
- 361 759
- 403 24
- 403 4091
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
Electronic equipment comprises a main body, a front panel and a recording medium receiving unit. The front panel is provided movably between an opened position and a closed position on a front side of the main body. A card-type recording medium is to be loaded or unloaded into or from the recording medium receiving unit. The recording medium receiving unit is concealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel is in the closed position. The recording medium receiving unit is displaced along with movement of the front panel so as to be exposed and accessible when the front panel moves from the closed position to the opened position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates electronic equipment, and more particularly to electronic equipment having on its front side an openable and closable front panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Installation of electronic equipment such as an audio device and a navigation device on a vehicle has widely been put into practice.
On the other hand, use of a card-type recording medium having a small size, called a “memory card” has also recently been generalized.
It has recently become possible to store information, which is to be used in the above-mentioned electronic equipment, in the card-type recording medium, so as to provide information sharing between the electronic equipment and a domestic or personal computer, as well as between a plurality of electronic equipment.
With respect to installation of the above-mentioned card-type recording medium on electronic equipment, a casing of the electronic equipment, which has a stationary front panel
101
as shown in
FIG. 9
, is embedded into a dashboard of a vehicle. As a result, it is necessary to form a slot-shaped insertion opening
106
into or from which the card-type recording medium is to be loaded or unloaded, on any place of the front panel
101
.
It is however necessary to provide parts such as an operating dial
102
, operating mode buttons
105
, an operation displaying unit
104
and selection buttons
103
a
and
103
b
, by which the electronic equipment is caused to function, on the above-mentioned front panel
101
. Accordingly, the above-mentioned insertion opening
106
must be formed on a place other than the above-mentioned parts such as the operating dial
102
. Formation of the insertion opening
106
is however restricted by design which is made when determining arrangement of the parts such as the operating dial
102
on the front panel
101
, thus causing problems.
The insertion opening
106
is exposed on the front panel
101
, resulting in an increased possibility that the card-type recording medium loaded into the insertion opening
106
may be stolen, thus also causing problems.
There has also been known electronic equipment, which is to be mounted on a vehicle and has an openable or closable front panel. FIG.
10
(
a
) is a partial side view of typical electronic equipment
200
in which a front panel
201
is opened by swinging the front panel
201
around a pivot shaft
206
provided on the lower side of the front panel
201
, while moving forward a supporting member
202
to which the pivot shaft
206
is connected. FIG.
10
(
b
) is a partial side view of the other typical electronic equipment
200
in which a front panel
201
is opened by swinging the front panel
201
around a pivot shaft
206
.
In either case, there is adopted a structure that an insertion opening
205
for the card-type recording medium MC is formed on an inner wall
204
, which is exposed from the front end opening of the casing of the electronic equipment when the front panel
201
is kept in the opened position (i.e., a state as shown in the lower portions of FIGS.
10
(
a
) and
10
(
b
)), and a connector
203
into which the card-type recording medium MC is to be inserted is further provided in a place corresponding to the insertion opening
205
.
However, the card-type recording medium MC, which has an extremely small size, is connected to the connector
203
so as to project from the above-mentioned inner wall
204
by a small length. As a result, it is not easy to pull out the card-type recording medium MC from the insertion opening
205
, thus causing a problem, even when the front panel
201
is opened as shown in the lower portions of FIGS.
10
(
a
) and
10
(
b
).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention, which was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, is therefore to provide electronic equipment, which permits to perform easy loading and unloading of a card-type recording medium, reduce the possibility of theft of the card-type recording medium and relieve restriction in design of the front panel.
In order to attain the aforementioned object, the electronic equipment of the first aspect of the present invention comprises:
a main body;
a front panel provided movably between an opened position and a closed position on a front side of the main body; and
a recording medium receiving unit into or from which a card-type recording medium is to be loaded or unloaded,
wherein:
the recording medium receiving unit is concealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel is in the closed position; and
the recording medium receiving unit is displaced along with movement of the front panel so as to be exposed and accessible in case where the front panel is in the opened position.
According to such features of the first aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit is displaced so as to be exposed and accessible when the front panel moves from the closed position to the opened position. It is therefore possible to provide technical effects of achieving the easy loading and unloading of the card-type recording medium, and reducing the possibility of theft of such a medium. It is not necessary to form any insertion hole for the card-type recording medium on the front panel, thus relieving restriction in design of the front panel.
In the second aspect of the present invention, the electronic equipment according to the above-described first aspect of the present invention may further comprises an opening and closing mechanism for moving the front panel from the closed position to the opened position so that a front surface thereof faces generally upward, while pushing forward a lower portion of the front panel and lowering an upper portion thereof, and for returning the front panel from the opened position to the closed position. According to such a feature of the second aspect of the present invention, the front panel is kept in the opened position without exposing the rear surface of the front panel. As a result, no special care of the rear surface of the front panel is needed.
In the third aspect of the present invention, there may be adopted, in the above-described second aspect of the present invention, a structure in which the recording medium receiving unit is slidable relative to the casing; and there is provided a sliding mechanism for sliding the recording medium receiving unit between a retracted and inaccessible position and an extended and accessible position, in a same direction as a moving direction of the lower portion of the front panel in synchronization with movement thereof. According to such features of the third aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit slides to be exposed and accessible when the front panel is moved from the closed position to the opened position. It is therefore possible to carry out more easily a loading or unloading operation of the card-type recording medium.
In the fourth aspect of the present invention, the electric equipment according to the third aspect of the present invention may further comprise a supporting member on which the recoding medium receiving unit is mounted, said supporting member being movable in the same direction as the moving direction of the lower portion of the front panel. According to such a feature of the fourth aspect of the present invention, a stable and smooth slide of the recording medium receiving unit can be ensured.
In the fifth aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit in the above-described second aspect of the present invention may have a slot and be stationarily secured to the front panel so that the slot is exposed outside from a bottom surface of the front panel when the front panel is kept in the opened position. According to such a feature of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit moves together with the front panel, thus permitting to making the structure of the electric equipment simpler.
In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit in the above-described fifth aspect of the present invention may be placed in an inside of the front panel. According to such a feature of the sixth aspect of the present invention, there can be enhanced the appearance of the slot and its surrounding area of the recording medium receiving unit, when the front panel is kept in the opened position so that the slot thereof is exposed and accessible.
In the seventh aspect of the present invention, there may be adopted, in the above-described first aspect of the present invention, a structure in which the front panel is movable to swing between the closed position and the opened position in which a rear surface of the front panel faces generally upward, around a pivot shaft provided on a lower side of the front panel; and the recording medium receiving unit having a slot is stationarily secured to the front panel so that the slot is exposed outside from a bottom surface of the front panel when the front panel is kept in the opened position. According to such features of the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to make the structure of the electric equipment simpler.
In the eighth aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit in the above-described seventh aspect of the present invention may be mounted on the rear surface of the front panel. According to such a feature of the eighth aspect of the present invention, the further simpler structure of the electric equipment can be ensured.
In the ninth aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit in the above-described eighth aspect of the present invention may be swingable relative to the front panel. According to such a feature of the ninth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the area of the front panel, permitting use of the recording medium receiving unit having a relatively large size without enlarging the front panel.
In the tenth aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit in the above-described ninth aspect of the present invention may be swingable on a plane parallel to the rear surface of the front panel.
In the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit in the above-described ninth aspect of the present invention may be swingable on a plane perpendicular to the rear surface of the front panel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG.
1
(
a
) is a front view of electronic equipment of the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a front panel, which is kept in the closed position and FIG.
1
(
b
) is also a front view thereof, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position;
FIG.
2
(
a
) is a view illustrating an entire internal structure of the electronic equipment of the first embodiment of the present invention and FIG.
2
(
b
) is a view illustrating a detailed structure of a recording medium receiving unit of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
2
(
a
);
FIG.
3
(
a
) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment of the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the closed position and FIG.
3
(
b
) is also a sectional view thereof, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position;
FIG.
4
(
a
) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment of the second embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the closed position and FIG.
4
(
b
) is also a sectional view thereof, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position;
FIG.
5
(
a
) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of the third embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position, FIG.
5
(
b
) is a front view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
5
(
a
) and FIG.
5
(
c
) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
5
(
a
);
FIG.
6
(
a
) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position, FIG.
6
(
b
) is a front view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
6
(
a
) and FIG.
6
(
c
) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
6
(
a
);
FIG.
7
(
a
) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position, FIG.
7
(
b
) is a front view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
7
(
a
) and FIG.
7
(
c
) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
7
(
a
);
FIG.
8
(
a
) is a perspective view illustrating the recording medium receiving unit of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
8
(
b
) is a rear view illustrating the recording medium receiving unit as shown in FIG.
8
(
a
) and FIG.
8
(
c
) is an enlarged view illustrating a locking mechanism for the recording medium receiving unit as shown in FIG.
8
(
a
);
FIG. 9
is a partial perspective view of the conventional electronic equipment; and
FIG.
10
(
a
) is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening operation of the front panel of another conventional electronic equipment and FIG.
10
(
b
) is a cross-sectional view illustrating an opening operation of the front panel of further another conventional electronic equipment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Now, embodiments of electronic equipment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In all the embodiments of the present invention described below, the present invention is applied to the electronic equipment serving as an audio device to be mounted on a vehicle.
[I] First Embodiment
Now, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1
(
a
) to
3
(
b
).
FIGS.
1
(
a
) and
1
(
b
) illustrate the electronic equipment of the first embodiment of the present invention with the front panel kept in the closed and opened positions, respectively, FIGS.
2
(
a
) and
2
(
b
) illustrate the internal structure of the electronic equipment thereof and FIGS.
3
(
a
) and
3
(
b
) illustrate an opening operation of the front panel of the electronic equipment thereof.
As shown in FIGS.
1
(
a
) and
1
(
b
), the electronic equipment
1
A of the first embodiment of the present invention includes a main body MB, a front panel
3
and a recording medium receiving unit
11
.
The main body MB has a casing C and a reproducing unit (not shown) received in the casing C. The casing C has on its front side a flange CC, which defines an opening. The flange CC is provided on its rear surface with a frame F into which the front end portion of the reproducing unit is inserted, as shown in FIG.
2
(
a
), which is a plan view illustrating the electronic equipment
1
A having the front panel
3
A kept in the closed position, and in which the casing C is removed. The casing C is provided with an inner wall
1
a
in the vicinity of the opening. The inner wall
1
a
has a slot
2
through which a recording medium such as an optical disc can be loaded or unloaded into or from the reproducing unit, respectively.
The front panel
3
A is movable between an opened position as shown in FIG.
1
(
b
) and a closed position as shown in FIG.
1
(
a
) so as to open and close the opening of the casing C. An opening and closing operation of the front panel
3
A will be described later.
The front panel
3
A is provided with a display unit
12
for displaying an operation mode of the electronic equipment
1
A, operating members
4
and
5
for setting an appropriate mode of the electronic equipment
1
A and operating buttons
6
a
to
6
j
. The front panel
3
A has its lower opposite sides a pair of pivot shafts
7
,
7
. In addition, the front panel
3
A has a bottom front-side surface
3
a
and a bottom rear-side surface
3
c
. The bottom front-side surface
3
a
and the bottom rear-side surface
3
c
are concealed in case where the front panel
3
A is kept in the closed position as shown in FIG.
1
(
a
), on the one hand, and are exposed in case where the front panel
3
A is kept in the opened position as shown in FIG.
1
(
b
). The bottom rear-side surface
3
c
has in its central portion a recess
3
b
, through which an insertion hole
35
of the recording medium receiving unit
11
described later can be exposed. The front panel
3
A is also provided with an eject button
10
, which is slidably exposed from the above-mentioned rear-side surface
3
c.
The front panel
3
A is movable between the opened position as shown in FIG.
1
(
b
) and the closed position as shown in FIG.
1
(
a
) as described above. When the front panel
3
A is kept in the closed position, the front surface thereof stands perpendicularly to the driving direction of a vehicle so as to operate the operating members
4
and
5
and the other buttons
6
a
to
6
j.
More specifically, the electronic equipment
1
A includes an opening and closing mechanism for moving the front panel
3
A between the opened position and the closed position. The opening and closing mechanism is composed of a supporting member
9
, a slidable arm
9
a
having a rack portion
21
a
, a gear train including gears
21
b
,
21
c
, a driving motor (not shown) and a swing arm
25
.
The supporting member
9
, which is formed of a rectangular plate, is placed on the bottom surface of the casing C so as to be slidable back and forth relative to the opening of the casing C. The supporting member
9
has opposite front end portions to which the above-mentioned pivot shafts
7
,
7
are pivotably connected, respectively
The slidable arm
9
a
has an elongated guide slot
9
b
in its longitudinal direction and the rack portion
21
a
at its rear ends. The slidable arm
9
a
is secured on the one side of the supporting member
9
. The casing C has a supporting pin
28
projecting inwardly so that the supporting pin
28
is inserted into the elongated guide slot
9
b
of the slidable arm
9
a
. The same supporting mechanism or any other mechanism for slidably supporting the supporting member
9
may be provided on the other side of the supporting member
9
. As a result, the slidable arm
9
a
slides together with the supporting member
9
relative to the casing C.
The gears
21
b
,
21
c
are rotatably supported on one of base frames
20
,
20
of the casing C. The gear
21
c
engages not only with the rack portion
21
a
of the slidable arm
9
a
, but also with the other gear
21
b
. The driving motor (not shown) is mounted on the above-mentioned base frame
20
so that a driving gear (not shown) secured on a driving shaft of the driving motor engages with the above-mentioned gear
21
b.
The swing arm
25
that is placed on the opposite side to the slidable arm
9
a
in the casing C, has one end, which is pivotably connected to the casing C by means of a pin
26
(which is a first pivot shaft) as shown in FIGS.
3
(
a
) and
3
(
b
), and the other end, which is pivotably connected to the upper portion of the front panel
3
A by means of the other pin
29
(which is a second pivot shaft). The same swing arm
25
may be provided on the other side.
The opening and closing mechanism having the above-described structure moves the front panel
3
A from the closed position to the opened position so that the front surface of the front panel
3
A faces generally upward, while pushing forward a lower portion of the front panel
3
A toward a user of the electronic equipment
1
A and lowering an upper portion thereof. As a result, the inner wall
1
a
of the casing C, which is concealed by means of the front panel that is kept in the closed position, is exposed from the opening of the casing C by moving the front panel
3
A from the closed position to the opened position. Accordingly, when the front panel
3
A is opened, it is possible to insert an optical disc into the slot
2
provided on the inner wall
1
a
of the casing C. The optical disc is loaded from the slot
2
so that the reproducing unit reproduces information such as musical information recorded in the optical disc.
As shown in FIG.
2
(
b
), the recording medium receiving unit
11
includes a receiving member
30
, a holding mechanism
31
, a plurality of terminals
32
, an eject lever
10
a
and a return spring
30
a
. The receiving member
30
has an insertion hole
35
into or from which a card-type recording medium MC is to be inserted or removed. The holding mechanism
31
holds the card-type recording medium MC inserted into the insertion hole
35
of the receiving member
30
, or relieves the holding of the card-type recording medium MC. The terminals
32
electrically connect the card-type recording medium MC to the reproducing unit to output information, which has been recorded in the card-type recording medium MC, into the reproducing unit, on the one hand, and to input information from the reproducing unit into the card-type recording medium MC. The eject lever
10
a
is slidably mounted on the receiving member
30
in the horizontal direction so that the front end of the eject lever
10
a
can come into contact with the eject button
10
provided on the front panel
3
A, in case where the front panel
3
A is kept in the opened position. The eject lever
10
a
slides between an operation position and an ejection position. The return spring
30
a
imparts a resilient force for returning the eject lever
10
a
to the operation position to the eject lever
10
a
. The recording medium receiving unit
11
having the structure described above is mounted on the central portion of the supporting member
9
.
When the card-type recording medium MC is inserted into the receiving member
30
in a direction shown by an arrow in FIG.
2
(
b
), terminals of the card-type recording medium MC come into electric contact with the plurality of terminals
32
of the recording medium receiving unit
11
. As a result, there can be carried out execution of outputting information, which has been recorded in the card-type recording medium MC, into the reproducing unit, on the one hand, and of inputting information from the reproducing unit into the card-type recording medium MC.
When the card-type recording medium MC is inserted into the recording medium receiving unit
11
to be kept operable, the eject lever
10
is kept in the operating position by means of the return spring
30
a
so that the front end of the eject lever
10
moves toward the rear end of the eject button
10
provided on the front panel
3
A. Accordingly, if the front panel
3
A is kept in the opened position, it is possible to push the eject button
10
as exposed so as to eject the card-type recording medium MC.
Now, description will be given below of operation of the front panel
3
A with reference to FIGS.
3
(
a
) and
3
(
b
). FIG.
3
(
a
) is a cross sectional view cut along the line III—III in FIG.
2
(
a
), illustrating a state in which the front panel
3
A is kept in the closed position as shown in FIG.
1
(
a
). FIG.
3
(
b
) is a cross sectional view illustrating a state in which the front panel
3
A is kept in the opened position as shown in FIG.
1
(
b
).
When the front panel
3
A is kept in the closed position as shown in FIG.
3
(
a
), the supporting member
9
and the slidable arm
9
a
are retracted in the left-hand direction in FIG.
3
(
a
) together with the recording medium receiving unit
11
in which the card-type recording medium MC is received. In such a state, the end of the card-type recording medium MC, which is projected from the receiving member
30
as shown in FIG.
3
(
a
), is concealed by means of the lower portion of the front panel
3
A. Accordingly, when the front panel
3
A is kept in the closed position, the recording medium receiving unit
11
is inaccessible so that neither insertion of the card-type recording medium MC into the receiving member
30
nor removal of it therefrom can be carried out.
Operation of the driving motor (not shown) causes the gears
21
b
and
21
c
to rotate so that the slidable arm
9
a
, which has the elongated slot
9
b
into which the supporting pin
28
of the casing C is inserted, slides forward (i.e., in the right-hand direction in FIG.
3
(
b
). The recording medium receiving unit
11
also slides forward together with supporting member
9
and the slidable arm
9
a.
The opposite front end portions of the supporting member
9
are pivotably connected to the pivot shafts
7
,
7
provided on the lower opposite sides of the front panel
3
A, respectively. In addition, the upper portion of the front panel
3
A is connected to the casing C by means of the swing arm
25
. Accordingly, slide of the supporting member
9
causes the lower portion of the front panel
3
A to be pushed forward toward a user of the electronic equipment
1
A and the upper portion thereof to be lowered so that the front surface of the front panel
3
A faces generally upward, with the result that the front panel
3
A moves from the closed position as shown in FIG.
3
(
a
) to the opened position as shown in FIG.
3
(
b
).
When the front panel
3
A is kept in the opened position in this manner, the inner wall
1
a
is exposed from the opening of the casing C and the recording medium receiving unit
11
, which is mounted on the supporting member
9
, moves forward so that the insertion hole
35
thereof is exposed and accessible through the recess
3
b
of the front panel
3
A. In the light of the mounting structure of the recording medium receiving unit
11
, the supporting member
9
serves as a device for sliding the recording medium receiving unit
11
between a retracted and inaccessible position and an extended and accessible position in the same direction as the moving direction of the lower portion of the front panel
3
A in synchronization with movement thereof utilizing the opening and closing mechanism.
As a result, the card-type recording medium MC received in the recording medium receiving unit
11
moves forward to a prescribed position in which the recording medium MC can easily be removed from the insertion hole
35
. In such a state, a pushing operation of the eject button
10
relieves the hold of the card-type recording medium MC, which is caused by the holding mechanism
31
, and moves forward the card-type recording medium MC. The card-type recording medium MC can therefore be pulled out from the recording medium receiving unit
11
.
In the above-described first embodiment of the electronic equipment of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit
11
is concealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel
3
A is in the closed position and the recording medium receiving unit
11
is displaced along with movement of the front panel
3
A so as to be exposed and accessible when the front panel
3
A moves from the closed position to the opened position. It is therefore possible to carry out an easy operation of loading and unloading the card-type recording medium MC and to reduce the possibility of theft of the card-type recording medium MC.
In addition, it is not necessary to form any insertion hole for the card-type recording medium MC on the front surface of the front panel
3
A, thus relieving restriction in design of the front panel
3
A.
The recording medium receiving unit
11
is mounted on the supporting member
9
, which is movable along with the movement of the front panel
3
A, thus ensuring a stable and smooth slide of the recording medium receiving unit
11
.
[II] Second Embodiment
Now, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
4
(
a
) and
4
(
b
).
FIG.
4
(
a
) illustrates the electronic equipment of the second embodiment of the present invention with the front panel
3
B kept in the closed position (corresponding to the state as shown in FIG.
1
(
a
)). FIG.
4
(
b
) illustrates the electronic equipment of the second embodiment of the present invention with the front panel
3
B kept in the opened position (corresponding to the state as shown in FIG.
1
(
b
)).
The front panel
3
B of the second embodiment is provided on its front surface with the same structural components as those of the front panel
3
A of the first embodiment. Description of these components is therefore omitted. The front panel
3
B is opened and closed by means of the same opening and closing mechanism as in the first embodiment of the present invention. Detailed description of the opening and closing mechanism is also omitted.
In the first embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit
11
for the card-type recording medium MC is mounted on the supporting member
9
, which is slidable along with the movement of the front panel
3
A. In the second embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit
11
having the slot is stationarily secured in the inside of the front panel
3
B so that the slot is placed on the bottom rear-side surface of the front panel
3
B. The recording medium receiving unit
11
includes the same components such as a receiving member
30
, a holding mechanism
31
, a plurality of terminals
32
, an eject lever
10
a
and a return spring
30
a
. The eject button
10
is also provided on the bottom rear-side surface of the front panel
3
B in the same manner as the first embodiment. The front end of the eject lever
10
a
substantially comes into contact with the eject button
10
.
In the second embodiment, the bottom rear-side surface of the front panel
3
B is concealed in case where the front panel
3
B is kept in the closed position, on the one hand, and is exposed in case where it is kept in the opened position, on the other hand. As a result, the slot of the recording medium receiving unit
11
is concealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel is in the closed position. The recording medium receiving unit
11
is moved or displaced along with the movement of the front panel
3
B so that the slot of the recording medium receiving unit
11
is exposed and accessible when the front panel
3
B moves from the closed position to the opened position. In such an opened position, the card-type recording medium MC can be loaded into the recording medium receiving unit
11
or unloaded therefrom.
In the above-described second embodiment of the electronic equipment of the present invention, the recording medium receiving unit
11
is stationarily secured in the inside of the front panel
3
B so that the slot is exposed outside from the bottom surface of the front panel
3
B when the front panel
3
B is kept in the opened position. The recording medium receiving unit
11
moves together with the front panel
3
B, thus permitting to making the structure of the electric equipment simpler. In addition, there can be enhanced the appearance of the slot and its surrounding area of the recording medium receiving unit
11
, when the front panel
3
B is kept in the opened position so that the slot thereof is exposed and accessible.
[III] Third Embodiment
Now, the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
5
(
a
) to
5
(
c
).
FIG.
5
(
a
) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of the third embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position, FIG.
5
(
b
) is a front view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
5
(
a
) and FIG.
5
(
c
) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
5
(
a
).
The front panel
3
C of the third embodiment is provided on its front surface with the same structural components as those of the front panel
3
A of the first embodiment. Description of these components is therefore omitted.
The opening and closing mechanism in the first and second embodiments described above moves the front panel
3
A or
3
B from the closed position to the opened position so that the front surface of the front panel
3
A or
3
B faces generally upward, while pushing forward the lower portion of the front panel
3
A or
3
B toward a user of the electronic equipment
1
A or
1
B and lowering the upper portion thereof. In the third embodiment, the front panel
3
C is movable to swing between the closed position and the opened position in which a rear surface of the front panel
3
C faces generally upward, around a pivot shaft
3
a
provided on a lower side of the front panel
3
C as shown in FIG.
5
(
c
).
When the front panel
3
C is kept in the opened position, the slot
2
provided on the inner wall
1
a
of the casing C is exposed. It is therefore possible to insert an optical disc into the slot
2
.
The recording medium receiving unit
11
includes the same components as the receiving member
30
, the holding mechanism
31
, the plurality of terminals
32
, the eject lever
10
a
and the return spring
30
a
of the recording medium receiving unit
11
of the first embodiment. The recording medium receiving unit
11
is stationarily mounted on the rear surface of the front panel
3
C. As shown in FIG.
5
(
a
), a direction along which the card-type recording medium MC is to be inserted is identical to the longitudinal direction of the front panel
3
C. However, the present invention is not limited only to such a mounting position of the recording medium receiving unit
11
relative to the front panel
3
C. If the length of the recording medium receiving unit
11
in the insertion direction of the card-type recording medium MC is smaller than the lateral length of the rear surface of the front panel
3
C, the recording medium receiving unit
11
may be mounted on the rear surface of the front panel
3
C so that the direction along which the card-type recording medium MC is to be inserted is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the front panel
3
C.
The recording medium receiving unit
11
is moved or displaced along with the movement of the front panel
3
C so that the slot of the recording medium receiving unit
11
is exposed and accessible when the front panel
3
C moves from the closed position to the opened position. In such an opened position, the card-type recording medium MC can be loaded into the recording medium receiving unit
11
or unloaded therefrom.
In the third embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit
11
is stationarily mounted on the rear surface of the front panel
3
C. The further simpler structure of the electric equipment can therefore be ensured.
[IV] Fourth Embodiment
Now, the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
6
(
a
) to
6
(
c
).
FIG.
6
(
a
) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position, FIG.
6
(
b
) is a front view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
6
(
a
) and FIG.
6
(
c
) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
6
(
a
).
The front panel
3
D of the fourth embodiment is provided on its front surface with the same structural components as those of the front panel
3
A of the first embodiment. Description of these components is therefore omitted.
In the fourth embodiment, the front panel
3
D is movable to swing between the closed position and the opened position in which a rear surface of the front panel
3
D faces generally upward, around a pivot shaft
3
a
provided on a lower side of the front panel
3
D as shown in FIG.
6
(
c
) in the same manner as the third embodiment.
When the front panel
3
D is kept in the opened position, the slot
2
provided on the inner wall
1
a
of the casing C is exposed. It is therefore possible to insert an optical disc into the slot
2
.
The recording medium receiving unit
11
includes the same components as the receiving member
30
, the holding mechanism
31
, the plurality of terminals
32
, the eject lever
10
a
and the return spring
30
a
of the recording medium receiving unit
11
of the first embodiment. The recording medium receiving unit
11
is mounted on the rear surface of the front panel
3
D so as to be swingable by a manual operation around a pivot shaft
40
relative to the front panel on a plane parallel to the rear surface of the front panel
3
D. The recording medium receiving unit
11
is therefore swingable between a retracted position in which a direction along which the card-type recording medium MC is to be inserted is identical to the longitudinal direction of the front panel
3
D, as shown in two-dot chain lines in FIG.
6
(
a
), on the one hand, and an extended position in which the direction along which the card-type recording medium MC is to be inserted is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the front panel
3
D so that the slot
41
face toward a user of the electronic equipment, as shown in solid lines in the same figure, on the other hand. In such an extended position, the card-type recording medium MC can be loaded into the recording medium receiving unit
11
or unloaded therefrom. When the recording medium receiving unit
11
is kept in the above-mentioned extended position, the slot
41
approaches the user, thus facilitating a loading or unloading operation of the card-type recording medium MC.
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, there may be provided a locking mechanism for holding the recording medium receiving unit
11
in the retracted position so as to prevent the recording medium receiving unit
11
from inappropriately swinging when the front panel
3
D is opened or closed.
In the fourth embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit
11
is swingable on the plane parallel to the rear surface of the front panel
3
D. The loading or unloading operation of the card-type recording medium MC can therefore be facilitated. In addition, it is possible to effectively utilize the area of the front panel
3
D, permitting use of the recording medium receiving unit
11
having a relatively large size without enlarging the front panel
3
D.
[V] Fifth Embodiment
Now, the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
7
(
a
) to
8
(
c
).
FIG.
7
(
a
) is a partial plan view of the electronic equipment of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the front panel, which is kept in the opened position, FIG.
7
(
b
) is a front view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
7
(
a
) and FIG.
7
(
c
) is a sectional view of the electronic equipment as shown in FIG.
7
(
a
). FIG.
8
(
a
) is a perspective view illustrating the recording medium receiving unit of the fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG.
8
(
b
) is a rear view illustrating the recording medium receiving unit as shown in FIG.
8
(
a
) and FIG.
8
(
c
) is an enlarged view illustrating a locking mechanism for the recording medium receiving unit as shown in FIG.
8
(
a
).
The front panel
3
E of the fifth embodiment is provided on its front surface with the same structural components as those of the front panel
3
A of the first embodiment. Description of these components is therefore omitted.
In the fifth embodiment, the front panel
3
E is movable to swing between the closed position and the opened position in which a rear surface of the front panel
3
E faces generally upward, around a pivot shaft
3
a
provided on a lower side of the front panel
3
E as shown in FIG.
7
(
c
) in the same manner as the third embodiment.
When the front panel
3
E is kept in the opened position, the slot provided on the inner wall
1
a
of the casing C is exposed. It is therefore possible to insert an optical disc into the slot.
The recording medium receiving unit
11
, which is a card compartment
51
having an insertion hole
43
, is mounted in a recess formed on the rear surface of the front panel
3
D so as to be swingable around a pivot shaft
42
relative to the front panel
3
D on a plane perpendicular to the rear surface of the front panel
3
D. The recording medium receiving unit
11
is therefore swingable between a retracted position in which the recording medium receiving unit
11
is completely received in the recess of the front panel
3
E, as shown in two-dot chain lines in FIG.
7
(
b
), on the one hand, and a projected and inclined position in which the recording medium receiving unit
11
generally projects from the recess of the front panel
3
E so that the insertion hole
43
is exposed above the rear surface of the front panel
3
E, as shown in solid lines in the same figure, on the other hand. In such a projected position, the card-type recording medium MC can be loaded into the recording medium receiving unit
11
or unloaded therefrom.
Now, description will be given below of a swing mechanism for swinging the recording medium receiving unit
11
from the retracted position and the projected position with reference to FIGS.
8
(
a
) to
8
(
c
).
The swing mechanism is composed of a pair of supporting arms
52
, a pair of base plates
53
, a pair of extension coil springs
55
, a locking mechanism
57
and a lock releasing mechanism.
The pair of supporting arms
52
, which are formed of a metallic plate, are secured on the longitudinally extending opposite sides of the card compartment
51
, respectively, so as to be in parallel to each other. The supporting arm
52
has a root end
52
b
, which projects from the end of the card compartment
51
on the opposite side to the insertion hole
43
.
The pair of base plates
53
is formed of a metallic plate so as to serve as a mounting base. Each of the base plate
53
has a slot
53
a
. The base plates
53
are secured on the bottom of the recess formed on the rear surface of the front panel
3
E by means of screws, respectively, so as to be in parallel to each other. The base plate
53
projects upward in a perpendicular direction to the rear surface of the front panel
3
E.
The root ends
52
b
of the supporting arms
52
and the corresponding ends of the base plates
53
are pivotably connected to each other by means of a pair of pivot shafts
42
, respectively. The pivot shafts
42
extend in parallel to the rear surface of the front panel
3
E so as to be co-axial to each other. Accordingly, the card compartment
51
is swingable in both directions as shown in arrows in FIG.
8
(
b
) on a plane perpendicular to the rear surface of the front panel
3
E.
Each of the extension coil springs
55
, which is placed in the slot
53
a
of the base plate
53
, has one end
55
b
that is connected to a spring engaging portion
53
b
formed on the base plate
53
and the other end
55
a
that is connected to a spring engaging portion
52
d
formed on the root end
52
b
of the supporting arm
52
. Such coil springs
55
impart a resilient force to swing the card compartment
51
to the projected position.
The locking mechanism
57
is composed of a lock lever
58
, a hook member
56
and a coil spring
60
. The lock lever
58
, which has an L-shape as shown in FIG.
8
(
b
), is provided at its one end with an engaging pin
58
a
. The lock lever
58
is pivotably mounted on the inner surface of one of the base plate
53
by means of a supporting pin
59
so that the supporting pin
59
and the above-mentioned engaging pin
58
a
extend in parallel to the above-mentioned pivot shafts
42
. The hook member
56
is formed on the lower and portion of the supporting arm
52
on the opposite side to the root end
52
b
so as to be capable of engaging with the above-mentioned engaging pin
58
a
of the lock lever
58
. The coil spring
60
is mounted on the lock lever
58
so as to impart a resilient force to turn the lock lever
58
counterclockwise in FIG.
8
(
b
) to the lock lever
58
. There is also provided a stopper (not shown) to limit the swing range of the lock lever
58
in the counterclockwise direction mentioned above.
The lock releasing mechanism is composed of a release button
61
and a link mechanism for mechanically connecting the release button
61
to the lock lever
58
. The pushing operation of the release button
61
causes the lock lever
58
to turn clockwise in FIG.
8
(
b
) to release the locking condition.
Now, description of operation of the swing mechanism as described above will be given below. When the card-type recording medium MC is loaded, the release button
61
is pushed to swing the card compartment
51
to the projected position under the function of the extension coil springs
55
. In such a state, the card-type recording medium MC is inserted into the insertion hole
43
of the card compartment
51
by a manual operation.
Then, when the card compartment
51
is pushed down against the extension coil springs
55
by a manual operation so that it reach the prescribed position, the hook member
56
of the supporting arm
52
comes into contact with the engaging pin
58
a
of the lock lever
58
to turn the lock lever
58
clockwise in the FIG.
8
(
b
) against the coil spring
60
. Continued pushing operation causes the lock lever
58
to turn counterclockwise under the function of the coil spring
60
, while engaging the engaging pin
58
a
of the lock lever
58
with the hook member
56
of the supporting arm
52
. Consequently, the card compartment
51
is locked in the retracted position and the loading operation of the card-type recording medium MC is completed in this manner.
When the card-type recording medium MC is unloaded, the release button
61
is pushed to turn the lock lever
58
clockwise in FIG.
8
(
b
) against the coil spring
60
so as to swing the card compartment
51
to the projected position under the function of the extension coil springs
55
. In such a state, the card-type recording medium MC can be removed from the insertion hole
43
of the card compartment
51
by a manual operation.
In the fifth embodiment, the recording medium receiving unit
11
is swingable on the plane perpendicular to the rear surface of the front panel
3
E. The loading or unloading operation of the card-type recording medium MC can therefore be facilitated. In addition, it is possible to effectively utilize the area of the front panel
3
E, permitting use of the recording medium receiving unit
11
having a relatively large size without enlarging the front panel
3
E.
In the above-mentioned first to fifth embodiments, the present invention is applied to the electronic equipment serving as the audio device, which is to be mounted to reproduce musical information. The present invention is not limited only to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be applied to a case where the card-type recording medium MC is used in a navigation system, which is provided on its front side with a movable operation panel such as the front panel as described above.
In addition, the present invention may be applied not only to the electronic equipment to be mounted on the vehicle, but also electronic equipment such as a household audio system, which is provided on its front side with a movable operation panel such as the front panel as described above.
According to the present invention as described in detail, the recording medium receiving unit is concealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel is in the closed position and the recording medium receiving unit is displaced along with movement of the front panel so as to be exposed and accessible in case where the front panel is in the opened position. It is therefore possible to perform easy loading and unloading of a card-type recording medium, reduce the possibility of theft of the card-type recording medium and relieve restriction in design of the front panel.
The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-86006 filed on Mar. 23, 2001 including the specification, claims, drawings and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Claims
- 1. Electronic equipment comprising:a main body; a front panel provided movably between an opened position and a closed position on a front side of the main body by an opening and closing mechanism, the front panel having upper and lower portions; and a recording medium receiving unit into or from which a card-type recording medium is to be loaded or unloaded, wherein: the opening and closing mechanism has a pivot shaft for connecting the front panel to the main body, the pivot shaft being movable together with the lower portion of the front panel relative to the main body, and the upper portion of the front panel being movable along with movement of the pivot shaft so that the pivot shaft always moves during movement of the front panel; the recording medium receiving unit is concealed and inaccessible in case where the front panel is in the closed position; and the recording medium receiving unit is displaced along with movement of the front panel so as to be exposed and accessible when the front panel shifts from the closed position to the opened position so that the pivot shaft and the upper and lower portions of the front panel move.
- 2. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein:the opening and closing mechanism moves the front panel from the closed position to the opened position so that a front surface thereof faces generally upward, while pushing forward a lower portion of the front panel and lowering an upper portion thereof, and returns the front panel from the opened position to the closed position.
- 3. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 2, wherein:the recording medium receiving unit is slidable relative to the main body; and there is provided a device for sliding the recording medium receiving unit between a retracted and inaccessible position and an extended and accessible position, in a same direction as a moving direction of the lower portion of the front panel in synchronization with movement thereof.
- 4. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:a supporting member on which the recording medium receiving unit is mounted, said supporting member being movable in the same direction as the moving direction of the lower portion of the front panel.
- 5. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 2, wherein:the recording medium receiving unit having a slot is stationarily secured to the front panel so that the slot is exposed outside from a bottom surface of the front panel when the front panel is kept in the opened position.
- 6. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 5, wherein:the recording medium receiving unit is placed in an inside of the front panel.
- 7. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivot shaft is pivotably movable about a proximal end where the pivot shaft is connected to the main body.
- 8. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the front panel includes a display unit, operating members, and operating buttons.
- 9. The electronic equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein wherein the electronic equipment is mounted in a vehicle such that the front panel is accessible to a user in the vehicle.
Priority Claims (1)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
| P2001-086006 |
Mar 2001 |
JP |
|
US Referenced Citations (6)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
| 195 35 678 |
Mar 1997 |
DE |
| 0 902 548 |
Mar 1999 |
EP |
| 1 048 527 |
Nov 2000 |
EP |
