This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-028704, filed Feb. 14, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to televisions and electronic apparatuses.
An electronic apparatus comprising an accommodating portion for a hard disk drive (HDD) is known.
A general architecture that implements the various features of the embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate the embodiments 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 apparatus comprising a housing, a cover, and a protrusion. The housing comprises an accommodating portion configured to be exposed to an outside and accommodate a module. The accommodating portion comprises a wall extending in a thickness direction of the housing. The cover is configured to cover the accommodating portion and comprises a first surface exposed to the outside and a second surface opposite the first surface. The protrusion is on the second surface and is configured to touch the housing at a location adjacent to the wall.
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
As illustrated in
The lower wall 7 faces the surface of a desk when the electronic apparatus 1 is placed on the desk. The lower wall 7 includes a plurality of legs 9 that contact the desk surface and support the electronic apparatus 1. The upper wall 6 extends substantially in parallel to the lower wall 7 with a space between the lower wall 7 and the upper wall 6. A keyboard 10 is attached to the upper wall 6. The keyboard 10 is an example of an “input portion” (input receiving portion). In addition, the “input portion” may be a touch panel-type input device and may be other input devices.
The circumferential wall 8 stands on the lower wall 7 and connects the edge of the lower wall 7 and the edge of the upper wall 6. In addition, the circumferential wall 8 and the lower wall 7 may be continuous in a curved surface shape, for example, with no distinct boundary between them. At least part of the circumferential wall 8 extends in the thickness direction of the first housing 5. In the present embodiment, the direction extending from the upper wall 6 toward the lower wall 7 is the “thickness direction of the housing 5.”
The first housing 5 includes a rear end portion 11 (first end portion) and a front end portion 12 (second end portion). The display unit 3 is attached to the rear end portion 11 by the hinges 4a and 4b. The front end portion 12 is disposed opposite to the rear end portion 11.
The circumferential wall 8 includes a front wall 8a, a rear wall 8b, a left side wall 8c, and a right side wall 8d. The front wall 8a is located in the front end portion 12 of the first housing 5 so as to extend in a horizontal width direction (left and right direction) of the first housing 5. The rear wall 8b is located in the rear end portion 11 so as to extend in the horizontal width direction of the first housing 5 substantially in parallel to the front wall 8a. The left and right side walls 8c and 8d extend in a vertical width direction (front and rear direction) of the first housing 5. The left side wall 8c and the right side wall 8d connect the end portions of the front wall 8a and the end portions of the rear wall 8b, respectively.
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The second housing 15 is pivotably (openably) attached to the rear end portion 11 of the first housing 5 by the hinges 4a and 4b. In this way, the display unit 3 can pivot between a first position where it overlaps the main unit 2 and a second position where it is open relative to the main unit 2.
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The back wall 18 extends substantially in parallel to the front wall 17 with a space between the front wall 17 and the back wall 18. The back wall 18 faces the display device 16 on a side opposite to the front wall 17. The circumferential wall 19 stands on the back wall 18 and connects the edge of the front wall 17 with the edge of the back wall 18.
Next, a hard disk drive accommodating portion 21 will be described. In the following description, the hard disk drive accommodating portion 21 will be referred to as an “HDD accommodating portion 21,” and the first housing 5 will be simply referred to as a “housing 5.”
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The HDD 23 is flat and rectangular in shape and includes first and second principal surfaces 23a and 23b having a relatively large size, and a circumferential surface 23c. The first and second principal surfaces 23a and 23b are surfaces that extend substantially in parallel to the surface of a magnetic disc inside the HDD 23. The circumferential surface 23c stands on the first and second principal surfaces 23a and 23b and connects the edge of the first principal surface 23a and the edge of the second principal surface 23b. The circumferential surface 23c includes a front surface 23ca, a rear surface 23cb, a first side surface 23cc (left side surface), and a second side surface 23cd (right side surface).
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In this specification, the front, rear, left, and right are defined based on the sliding direction of the HDD unit 22. That is, the side on which the connector 25 is located as seen from the HDD unit 22 is defined as “front” and the side opposite to the connector 25 is defined as “rear.”
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The HDD accommodating portion 21 includes a receiving wall 32 (bottom wall, ceiling wall) and first to fourth walls 33, 34, 35, and 36 which are standing walls that stand on the periphery of the receiving wall 32. The receiving wall 32 is an example of a “first receiving wall.” The receiving wall 32 extends substantially in parallel to the HDD 23, for example, and faces the first principal surface 23a of the HDD 23. The receiving wall 32 has an area slightly larger than the first principal surface 23a of the HDD 23.
The first to fourth walls 33, 34, 35, and 36 stand on different edges of the receiving wall 32 and extend from the receiving wall 32 toward the lower wall 7 in the thickness direction of the housing 5. The first to fourth walls 33, 34, 35, and 36 extend further than the thickness of the HDD 23 and define a space capable of accommodating the HDD 23 therein. The first to fourth walls 33, 34, 35, and 36 collaborate with each other to surround the HDD 23 from four directions and define the opening 31 (HDD accommodating opening).
As illustrated in
The HDD accommodating portion 21 includes a first end portion 38 at which the first wall 33 is formed, and a second end portion 39 which is located on a side opposite to the first end portion 38 and at which the second wall 34 is formed. The connector 25 described above is provided at the second end portion 39. The first wall 33 is disposed opposite to the connector 25 in the HDD accommodating portion 21, and is located farther from the connector 25 than the HDD 23. The first wall 33 is a wall which is furthest from the connector 25 among the four walls 33, 34, 35, and 36.
The third wall 35 stands on the left edge of the receiving wall 32 and faces the first side surface 23cc of the HDD 23. The fourth wall 36 stands on the right edge of the receiving wall 32 and faces the second side surface 23cd of the HDD 23. The third and fourth walls 23cc and 23cd extend in the longitudinal direction of the housing 5 substantially in parallel to each other.
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The ribs 44 are disposed on the second surface 43 at a location corresponding to at least a part of the leg 9. That is, the ribs 44 are disposed on the side (rear side) opposite to at least a part of the leg 9. In addition, the “corresponding location” means that two elements overlap (namely, face) each other in the thickness direction of the HDD cover 41. When the electronic apparatus 1 is placed on the surface of a desk, at least a part of the leg 9 is located right below the rib 44.
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The receiving portion 51 includes a receiving wall 52 (bottom wall, ceiling wall) and first to fourth walls 53, 54, 55, and 56 which are standing walls that stand on the periphery of the receiving wall 52. The receiving wall 52 is an example of a “second receiving wall.” The receiving wall 52 faces the ribs 44 in the protruding direction of the ribs 44. The receiving wall 52 has a plane that extends in the direction crossing (for example, substantially perpendicular to) the protruding direction of the ribs 44. The receiving wall 52 extends substantially in parallel to the receiving wall 32 of the HDD accommodating portion 21.
The first to fourth walls 53, 54, 55, and 56 stand on different edges of the receiving wall 52 and extend from the receiving wall 52 toward the lower wall 7 in the thickness direction of the housing 5. The first to fourth walls 53, 54, 55, and 56 define an opening 57 that leads the receiving portion 51 to the outside. The first to fourth walls 53, 54, 55, and 56 connect the receiving wall 52 and the attachment portion 47. The first to fourth walls 53, 54, 55, and 56 are configured such that adjacent walls are connected to each other.
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Specifically, the third wall 55 of the receiving portion 51 is formed by part of the first standing wall 33 of the HDD accommodating portion 21. That is, a wall standing between the HDD accommodating portion 21 and the receiving portion 51 forms the first standing wall 33 of the HDD accommodating portion 21 and the third wall 55 of the receiving portion 51.
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Next, the operation of the electronic apparatus 1 will be described.
When stress (for example, impact) is applied to the leg 9 of the HDD cover 41, the stress is transmitted from the leg 9 to the ribs 44. Moreover, the ribs 44 touch the receiving portion 51, whereby the stress is transmitted from the ribs 44 to the receiving portion 51. The stress transmitted to the receiving portion 51 is further transmitted from the receiving portion 51 to the first standing wall 33 and thus absorbed by the first standing wall 33. In this way, the stress is unlikely to be transmitted to the HDD 23.
With such a configuration, it is possible to improve stress resistance.
When the leg is provided on the HDD cover, stress is likely to be concentrated on the vicinity of the leg of the HDD cover. Meanwhile, the HDD is vulnerable to stress. Therefore, the inventors of the present embodiment conceived a structure in which a receiving portion receiving stress from the HDD cover is provided on the housing. The inventors also conceived a structure in which the receiving portion is separated as far as possible from the HDD accommodating portion which is supposed not to receive the stress transmitted. However, the inventors found that if the receiving portion is separated from the HDD accommodating portion, stress is distributed in various paths within the housing, and part of the stress is transmitted to the HDD.
On the other hand, the electronic apparatus of the present embodiment includes the housing 5 having the accommodating portion 21 which is open to the outside and in which a module 23 is accommodated, the wall 33 which is formed in the housing 5 so as to constitute a part of the accommodating portion 21 and extend in the thickness direction of the housing 5, the cover 41 having the first surface 42 exposed to the outside and the second surface 43 located on the opposite side of the first surface 42 and covering the accommodating portion 21, and the protrusion 44 provided on the second surface 43 of the cover 41 so as to touch the housing 5 at the location adjacent to the wall 33.
That is, in this structure, the protrusion 44 of the cover 41 touches the housing 5 at the location adjacent to the wall 33 of the accommodating portion 21. Here, since the wall 33 of the accommodating portion 21 extends in the thickness direction of the housing 5, which is the input direction of stress, it is possible to absorb the stress without large elastic deformation even when stress is applied thereto. Thus, the stress applied to the cover 41 escapes from the protrusion 44 of the cover 41 to converge on the wall 33 of the accommodating portion 21 and is absorbed by the wall 33. Therefore, stress is not nearly distributed within the housing 5, and the stress reaching the HDD 23 decreases. In other words, in the above-described structure, a stress transmission path along which stress escapes from the protrusion 44 of the cover 41 to the wall 33 of the accommodating portion 21 is actively, intentionally provided. Thus, stress is hardly transmitted to the HDD 23.
In the present embodiment, the leg 9 is on the first surface 42 of the cover 41, and the ribs 44 are on the second surface 43. The ribs 44 are on the second surface 43 at the location corresponding to at least a part of the leg 9. Thus, stress applied to the leg 9 of the cover 41 is easily transmitted to the ribs 44. Therefore, it is possible to transmit stress more effectively.
In the present embodiment, the receiving portion 51 is recessed toward the inner side of the housing 5. With this configuration, it is possible to decrease the thickness of the housing 5 having a structure in which the ribs 44 protrude from the cover 41.
In the present embodiment, the receiving portion 51 includes the receiving wall 52 facing the ribs 44 and the first wall 53 which stands on the edge of the receiving wall 52 in the thickness direction of the housing 5 and is connected to the first standing wall 33. In the following description, for convenience in description, the first wall 53 will be referred to as a “second standing wall 53.” The second standing wall 53 standing in the thickness direction of the housing 5 which is the input direction of stress can securely receive stress without large elastic deformation. Since stress is transmitted from the second standing wall 53 to the first standing wall 33, it is possible to transmit stress to the first standing wall 33 more effectively.
In the present embodiment, the receiving portion 51 is located near the first standing wall 33, and the first standing wall 33 comprises the wall 55 constituting a part of the receiving portion 51 constitutes. That is, since a part of the receiving portion 51 is formed by the first standing wall 33, the stress transmitted to the receiving portion 51 can be transmitted to the first standing wall 33 more effectively. Moreover, if the receiving portion 51 is located near the first standing wall 33, it is possible to decrease the size of the electronic apparatus 1 as compared to when a gap is between the receiving portion 51 and the first standing wall 33.
In the present embodiment, the receiving portion 51 includes the third wall 55 extending in a different direction from the second standing wall 53. In the following description, for convenience in description, the third wall 55 will be referred to as a “third standing wall 55.” The third standing wall 55 is formed by a part of the first standing wall 33. That is, since a part of the receiving portion 51 is formed by the first standing wall 33, the stress applied to the receiving portion 51 can be transmitted to the first standing wall 33 more effectively.
In the present embodiment, the second standing wall 53 is connected to the first standing wall 33 substantially in a perpendicular direction. If the first and second standing walls 33 and 53 are substantially perpendicular to each other, a supporting portion having a T-shaped section is formed by the first and second standing walls 33 and 53. Accordingly, it is possible to receive and transmit stress more effectively.
In the present embodiment, the receiving portion 51 includes the first end portion 52a on which the second standing wall 53 stands and the second end portion 52b located on a side opposite to the first end portion 52a. Moreover, the receiving portion 51 includes the second wall 54 which stands on the second end portion 52b, extends substantially in parallel to the second standing wall 53, and is connected to the first standing wall 33. In the following description, for convenience in description, the second wall 54 will be referred to as a “fourth standing wall 54.” With this configuration, since the second and fourth standing walls 53 and 54 are connected in the direction substantially perpendicular to the first standing wall 33, and two supporting portions each having a T-shaped section are formed by the first, second and fourth standing walls 33, 53, and 54, it is possible to receive and transmit stress far more effectively.
In the present embodiment, the receiving wall 52 of the receiving portion 51 is directly connected to the first standing wall 33. Thus, the stress transmitted to the receiving wall 52 of the receiving portion 51 can be transmitted directly to the first standing wall 33. Therefore, it is possible to transmit stress to the first standing wall 33 more effectively.
In the present embodiment, the receiving wall 52 of the receiving portion 51 includes the first surface 58 facing the ribs 44 of the cover 41 and the second surface 59 located on the opposite of the first surface 58, and the ribs 60 connected to the first standing wall 33 are on the second surface 59. If the ribs 60 on the second surface 59 are directly connected to the first standing wall 33, the stress transmission path between the receiving portion 51 and the first standing wall 33 increases in size. Thus, the stress transmitted to the receiving wall 52 of the receiving portion 51 can be transmitted to the first standing wall 33 more effectively.
In the present embodiment, the connector 25 connected to the HDD 23 is provided in the accommodating portion 21, and the first standing wall 33 is located on the opposite side of the accommodating portion 21 from the connector 25. The connector 25 is one of the components which are vulnerable to stress. In the present embodiment, stress escapes to the standing wall 33 which is located farthest from the connector that is vulnerable to stress. Therefore, stress is hardly transmitted to the connector 25, and reliability improves.
In the present embodiment, the receiving portion 51 is located closer to the circumferential wall 8 than the fixing portion 62 and the terminal 63, and is supported by the circumferential wall 8 extending in the thickness direction of the housing 5. With this configuration, part of the stress transmitted to the receiving portion 51 is also absorbed by the circumferential wall 8 and is hardly transmitted to the HDD 23.
Next, several modifications will be described with reference to
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An edge 73 (end portion) of the rib 44 of the HDD cover 41 is located at the extension line of the second surface 72 of the first standing wall 33. In addition, the structure in which the edge 73 of the rib 44 is located at the extension line of the second surface 72 of the first standing wall 33 is an example of the structure in which “the protrusion touches the first standing wall.” In this modification, the edge 73 of the rib 44 touches the first standing wall 33.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve stress resistance. If at least a part of the rib 44 touches the first standing wall 33, since stress is effectively transmitted from the ribs 44 through the first standing wall 33, the stress resistance of the electronic apparatus 1 improves further.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve stress resistance. Similarly to the first modification, if the rib 44 touches the first standing wall 33, since stress is effectively transmitted from the rib 44 through the first standing wall 33, the stress resistance of the electronic apparatus 1 improves further.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve stress resistance. That is, with the second and fourth standing walls 53 and 54, the stress transmitted to the receiving portion 51 can be effectively transmitted to the first standing wall 33. In this way, it is possible to decrease the stress applied to an HDD 23.
Next, a television 81 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to
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The embodiment is not limited to the embodiments described above but may be realized by modifying constituent elements in the implementing stage within a range without departing from the spirit of the invention. Moreover, various embodiments can be made by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiments described above. For example, some constituent elements may be omitted from all the constituent elements disclosed in the embodiments. Furthermore, constituent elements in different embodiments may be combined appropriately.
For example, the “module” is not limited to the HDD 23 but may appropriately be various components mounted on the electronic apparatus or the television. At least a part of each of the first to fourth standing walls 33, 53, 54, and 55 may extend in the thickness direction of the housing 5. The “first member” and the “second member” may not be detachable from each other but may be attached to each other.
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 embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments 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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2011-028704 | Feb 2011 | JP | national |