Patent Application
20110180435
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for combining components, and more particularly to a method for combining components made of different materials. The present invention also relates to a shell of an electronic device obtained by carrying out the method.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a shell of an electronic device, such as an MP3 (MPEG, audio layer 3) player, a camera, or a mobile phone, is obtained by welding plural components together. However, the components for the shell are typically made of different materials. For example, when there are two components welded together, the welding temperature needs to be at least as high as the higher of the two melting points of the components. Yet such a temperature is liable to damage or even destroy the component with the lower of the two melting points.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method which safely and effectively combines components made of different materials; and there is a need for a shell obtained by carrying out such method.
Referring to
The chassis 10 is made of aluminum. Referring to
Referring to
The connectors 18 are made of aluminum. Each connector 18 is elongated, and includes a plurality of spaced posts 182 protruding upwards therefrom, the posts 182 corresponding to the through holes 160 of the respective mounting plate 162. The posts 182 are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the connector 18. The elongated connectors 18 are slightly shorter than the corresponding length of the base 12 of the chassis 10. A size of the mounting plate 162 is approximately equal to that of the connector 18.
Referring to
The tracks 16 are then mounted to the connectors 18 as follows. The through holes 160 of the mounting plates 162 are aligned with the posts 182 of the connectors 18. The mounting plates 162 are pressed onto the connectors 18 to make the posts 182 extend through the through holes 160. In this embodiment, the posts 182 are slightly larger than the through holes 160 in diameter, and the posts 182 are engaged in the through holes 160 by interference fit. Thus, the tracks 16 are secured on the connectors 18. Alternatively, if the posts 182 are not larger than the through holes 160 in diameter, the posts 182 can protrude up from the through holes 160 after being inserted through the through holes 160. The posts 182 can then be hammered (i.e. riveted) to fix the connectors 18 to the base 12 of the chassis 10.
As described above, to achieve the combination of the tracks 16 and the chassis 10, the aluminous connectors 18 are welded on the aluminous base 12 of the chassis 10, and then the tracks 16 are connected to the connectors 18. This avoids the tracks 16 and the base 12 having to be welded directly together. The melting point of the stainless steel tracks 16 is higher than that of the aluminous base 12. Thus, the chassis 10 avoids bearing a high welding temperature corresponding to the high melting point of the stainless steel tracks 16, and thereby avoids deformation that would be caused by such high welding temperature. In this embodiment, the connectors 18 and the base 12 of the chassis 10 are both aluminum, and accordingly have the same melting point. It should be understood that in alternative embodiments, the connectors 18 and the chassis 10 can be made of different materials which have melting points approximately the same as each other.
After the tracks 16 are combined to the base 12 of the chassis 10, bottom surfaces of the mounting plates 162 contact top surfaces of the connectors 18. The baffling plates 164 are oriented toward each other. The stretching plates 163 are symmetrically opposite each other, and oriented generally away from each other. The top cover 20 can thus be connected to the tracks 16 (see below).
Referring to
In assembly of the top cover 20 onto the chassis 10, the extending plates 22 of the top cover 20 are pulled apart from one another slightly to span over upper portions of the sidewalls 14 of the chassis 10. The extending plates 22 are released so that lateral sides of the extending plates 22 abut edges of upper portions of the sidewalls 14. The top cover 20 is slid down towards the base 12, and eventually the spreading portions 264 of the securing member 26 contact the stretching plates 163 of the tracks 16. The spreading portions 264 ride down along the stretching plates 163 until the spreading portions 264 are snappingly engaged in the grooves 165 of the tracks 16, respectively. Thereby, the lateral sides of the extending plates 22 are securely held in position abutting the edges of the sidewalls 14. Thus, the top cover 20 and the chassis 10 are attached together, and the shell is obtained.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201010300673.0 | Jan 2010 | CN | national |
