electronic machines

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus that can prevent unintended separation of a battery from a case with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A remote controller 1 that is an electronic apparatus comprises a case main body 10 and a battery holder 20. The remote controller 1 has: a first engagement mechanism 40 that engages the case main body 10 and the battery holder 20 with each other in a storage state in which the battery holder 20 is stored in the case main body 10; a second engagement mechanism 60 that engages the case main body 10 and the battery holder 20 with each other at a position different from the first engagement mechanism 40 in the storage state; and an operation unit 24 that allows a first release operation of releasing the engagement performed by the first engagement mechanism 40, and a second release operation of releasing the engagement performed by the second engagement mechanism 60. The first release operation is allowed by operating the operation unit 24 in a first direction α1, and the second release operation is allowed by operating the operation unit 24 in a second direction α2 intersecting the first direction α1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device.

Background Art

[0002] There are known electronic devices in which a button battery is loaded and power is supplied from the button battery. Examples of such electronic devices include a remote controller described in Patent Document 1 and a portable information terminal described in Patent Document 2. The remote controller described in Patent Document 1 is composed of a remote control main body provided with battery mounting means and a battery holder (battery fixing means) detachably attached to the battery mounting means. When the battery holder is housed in the remote control main body, the remote control main body and the battery holder are engaged. Further, the portable information terminal described in Patent Document 2 has a main body that houses a button battery, a battery cover that covers the button battery housed in the main body, and a lock member that can fix the battery cover to the main body. The lock member can take a locked state in which the battery cover is fixed to the main body, a primary release state in which the locked state is loosened, and a secondary release state in which the locked state is completely released and the battery cover can be taken out, depending on the position on the main body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the remote controller described in Patent Document 1, the engagement between the remote control body and the battery holder is at a single point. Therefore, if the remote controller is accidentally dropped, for example, the impact at that time can easily disengage the engagement between the remote control body and the battery holder. In this case, there is a risk that the button battery will detach from the battery holder. Furthermore, in the portable information terminal described in Patent Document 2, a locking member is required to secure the battery cover in order to prevent the button battery from detaching from the main unit, which increases the number of parts and makes the configuration of the portable information terminal more complex.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an electronic device that can prevent the unintended detachment of a battery (or small electronic component) from its case with a simple configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an electronic device comprising a hollow case body and a battery holder detachably housed in the case body and holding a battery, wherein the electronic device includes a first engagement mechanism for engaging the case body and the battery holder in a housed state in which the battery holder is housed in the case body, a second engagement mechanism for engaging the case body and the battery holder at a position different from that of the first engagement mechanism in the housed state, and an operating part capable of performing a first release operation for releasing the engagement at the first engagement mechanism and a second release operation for releasing the engagement at the second engagement mechanism, wherein the first release operation is made possible by operating the operating part in a first direction, and the second release operation is made possible by operating the operating part in a second direction intersecting the first direction. Furthermore, the first release operation and the second release operation are performed at different times. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent unintended detachment of batteries (or small electronic components) from the case with a simple configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1]This is an external perspective view of an electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention when applied to a remote controller ((a) is a view of the remote controller from the back, and (b) is a view of the remote controller from the front). [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the remote controller ((a) is a view of the remote controller from the back, and (b) is a view of the remote controller from the front). [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view AA of Figure 1(a). [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of BB in Figure 1(a). [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the battery holder being removed from the remote controller. [Figure 6] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of CC. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view showing the battery holder in the process of being removed when the electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is applied to a remote controller. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the configurations described in the following embodiments are merely illustrative, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in each embodiment.

[0010] <First Embodiment> The first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Figure 1 is an external perspective view of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention when applied to a remote controller. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the remote controller shown in Figure 1. Figures 1(a) and 2(a) are views of the remote controller from the back, respectively. Figures 1(b) and 2(a) are views of the remote controller from the front, respectively. Hereafter, we will assume (set) mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z directions. The horizontal direction includes the X and Y directions, and the vertical direction is the Z direction. The direction in which the arrows for the X, Y, and Z directions point is called the "positive side," and the opposite side is called the "negative side." The side from which the remote control signal is transmitted from the remote controller is called the "front," and the opposite side is called the "rear."

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the remote controller (hereinafter abbreviated as "remote control") 1 comprises a case 100, a circuit board 50, and a button battery (battery) 30 that supplies power to the circuit board 50. This remote control 1 is used, for example, to remotely control a cursor on an LCD screen mounted on a camera or the like.

[0012] The case 100 comprises a hollow case body 10 having a flat, box shape, and a battery holder (holder) 20 that is detachably housed in the case body 10. The case body 10 is composed of an upper case body 10a located on the front side and a lower case body 10b located on the back side, and these components are assembled together. As shown in Figures 1(b) and 2(b), four operation buttons 11 for moving the cursor are arranged on the top plate portion 101a of the upper case body 10a. By selecting and operating one of the four operation buttons 11, the cursor can be moved in the desired direction. As shown in Figures 1(a) and 2(a), a label 12 indicating, for example, how to attach and detach the battery holder 20 is arranged on the bottom plate portion 101b of the lower case body 10b. In addition, an opening 13 into which the battery holder 20 is inserted is provided at the rear of the case body 10.

[0013] The battery holder 20 is a component that removably holds a button battery 30. The battery holder 20 is a flat-shaped component and has a battery mounting portion 21 that removably holds a disc-shaped button battery 30 having a diameter φW in the horizontal direction and a thickness H in the Z direction. The battery holder 20 is inserted into the case body 10 through the opening 13 with the button battery 30 installed in the battery mounting portion 21. This electrically connects the button battery 30 and the circuit board 50, making the remote control 1 usable. The battery holder 20 also has a hook portion 22 provided at the rear of the battery mounting portion 21. To remove the battery holder 20 from the case body 10, one can hook a fingernail or the like onto the hook portion 22 and pull it straight backward to remove it.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the battery holder 20 is cantilevered behind the battery mounting portion 21 and has a long, plate-shaped arm portion 23 along the Y direction. The arm portion 23 is positioned on the negative X side relative to the hook portion 22. The battery holder 20 is integrally formed from the battery mounting portion 21, the hook portion 22, and the arm portion 23. The arm portion 23 has an elastic portion 25 and an operating portion 24. The operating portion 24 is provided on the free end side of the arm portion 23, i.e., on the positive Y side. The operating portion 24 is the part of the arm portion 23 that is wider and thicker, and can be used to hook a fingernail or the like. When removing the battery holder 20 from the case body 10, a first release operation is possible by hooking a fingernail or the like onto the operating portion 24 to release the engagement at the first engagement mechanism 40 (described later), and a second release operation is possible to release the engagement at the second engagement mechanism 60. An elastic portion 25 is located on the negative side in the Y direction from the operating portion 24. The elastic portion 25 has elastic parts that can bend and elastically deform in the X direction and the Z direction, respectively.

[0015] Next, we will describe the state in which the battery holder 20, along with the button battery 30, is housed in the case body 10 (hereinafter referred to as the "housed state"). Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view AA of Figure 1(a). Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view BB of Figure 1(a). Note that the circuit board 50 is omitted in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the battery holder being removed in the process of using the remote controller shown in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view CC of Figure 5. The case 100 has a first engagement mechanism 40 (see Figure 4) and a second engagement mechanism 60 (see Figure 6). The first engagement mechanism 40 is the part that engages the case body 10 and the battery holder 20 in the housed state. Engagement by the first engagement mechanism 40 is performed at the first position, which is the insertion limit position in which the battery holder 20 is inserted as deeply as possible into the case body 10. At this first position, the button battery 30 and the circuit board 50 are electrically connected. This enables remote operation by the remote control 1. The second engagement mechanism 60 is the part that engages the case body 10 and the battery holder 20 in a different position from the first engagement mechanism 40 when the device is stored. The engagement by the second engagement mechanism 60 is performed in a second position, where the battery holder 20 is slightly pulled out from the first position while maintaining the stored state. In this second position, the electrical connection between the button battery 30 and the circuit board 50 is released.

[0016] As shown in Figure 4, the first engagement mechanism 40 has a first engagement portion 26a formed on the arm portion 23 and a first engaged portion 16a formed on the case body 10. The first engagement portion 26a is formed in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 23 (in this embodiment, at the boundary between the elastic portion 25 and the operating portion 24). The first engagement portion 26a protrudes toward the negative side in the X direction and has a wedge shape in which the height of the protrusion gradually increases toward the positive side in the Y direction. The first engaged portion 16a is formed on the edge of the opening 13 of the case body 10 and can engage with the first engagement portion 26a from the positive side in the Y direction. This makes it possible to maintain the stored state of the battery holder 20 in the first position. Furthermore, the engagement in the first engagement mechanism 40, that is, the engagement between the first engagement portion 26a and the first engaged portion 16a, can be released. This release operation (hereinafter referred to as the "first release operation") is made possible by moving the operating unit 24 in the first direction α1 (positive X direction), which is the flattening direction of the case body 10.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 3, the arm portion 23 has a first contact portion 27a and a second contact portion 27b formed respectively above and below in the figure. The first contact portion 27a is disposed on the negative Y side with respect to the operation portion 24, and the second contact portion 27b is disposed on the negative Z side with respect to the operation portion 24. Further, the case body 10 has a first contact-receiving portion 17a and a second contact-receiving portion 17b formed at the edge of the opening 13 of the case body 10. And in the state where the stored state is maintained by the engagement in the first engagement mechanism 40, the first contact portion 27a contacts the first contact-receiving portion 17a from the negative Z side, and the second contact portion 27b contacts the second contact-receiving portion 17b from the positive Z side. Thereby, when the operation portion 24 is operated in the first direction α1, the first contact portion 27a slides on the first contact-receiving portion 17, and the second contact portion 27b slides on the second contact-receiving portion 17b. By this sliding, the operation portion 24 is guided, and thus, the operation of the operation portion 24 in the first direction α1 can be stably performed.

[0018] As shown in Figure 6, the second engagement mechanism 60 has a second engagement portion 26b formed on the arm portion 23 and a second engaged portion 16b formed on the case body 10. The second engagement portion 26b is formed at a different position from the first engagement portion 26a, midway along the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 23 (at the boundary between the elastic portion 25 and the operating portion 24 in this embodiment). The second engagement portion 26b protrudes in a different direction from the first engagement portion 26a (towards the negative Z direction in this embodiment). Also, similar to the first engaged portion 16a, the second engagement portion 26b has a wedge shape, with its protruding height gradually increasing towards the positive Y direction. The second engaged portion 16b is formed at a different position from the first engaged portion 16a on the edge of the opening 13 of the case body 10, and the second engagement portion 26b engages from the positive Y direction side. This allows the battery holder 20 to be stored in the second position (see Figure 5). Furthermore, the engagement at the second engagement mechanism 60, that is, the engagement between the second engagement portion 26b and the second engaged portion 16b, can be released. This release operation (hereinafter referred to as the "second release operation") is made possible by moving the operating portion 24 in the second direction α2 (positive Z direction) which intersects the first direction α1. In this embodiment, the second direction α2 is in the thickness direction of the case body 10, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the first direction α1, but is not limited to this. For example, depending on the shape of the arm portion 23, the second direction α2 may be inclined with respect to the first direction α1. Also, when performing the second release operation, the first contact portion 27a is separated from the first contact portion 17 by the amount that the battery holder 20 has moved from the first position to the second position. As a result, the operating portion 24 can be moved sufficiently in the second direction α2, and thus the engagement at the second engagement mechanism 60 is released. Then, the battery holder 20 can be pulled out and detached from the case body 10. This allows, for example, the replacement of the button battery 30 held in the battery holder 20.

[0019] As described above, in the engaged state by the first engagement mechanism 40, the first abutting portion 27a abuts on the first abutted portion 17a from the negative side in the Z direction, and the second abutting portion 27b abuts on the second abutted portion 17b from the positive side in the Z direction. Thereby, the operation of the operation portion 24 in the second direction α2 can be restricted, and the user can surely be made to operate the operation portion 24 in the first direction α1. Thus, the first abutting portion 27a and the first abutted portion 17a, and the second abutting portion 27b and the second abutted portion 17b also function as a direction restricting portion that restricts the operation of the operation portion 24 in the second direction α2 when performing the first release operation.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2(b), the positions of the first engaging portion 26a and the second engaging portion 26b in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 23 are the same. Also, the second engaged portion 16b is located rearward (on the operation portion 24 side) of the first engaged portion 16a. Due to such a positional relationship, in the case 100, depending on the position of the battery holder 20 with respect to the case main body 10, the following two states can be taken. The first state is a state in which the engagement by the first engagement mechanism 40 is performed and the engagement by the second engagement mechanism 60 is released (see FIG. 4). The second state is a state in which the engagement by the first engagement mechanism 40 is released and the engagement by the second engagement mechanism 60 is performed (see FIG. 6). Thereby, the first release operation and the second release operation can be performed at different timings from each other. In the present embodiment, the first release operation is performed first, and then the second release operation is performed.

[0021] For example, if the remote control 1 is accidentally dropped onto the floor, the remote control 1 will collide with the floor. Depending on the direction of the impact on the remote control 1, an impact load in the same direction (first direction α1) as the first release operation that releases the engagement in the first engagement mechanism 40 may act on the remote control 1. When this impact load acts, the engagement in the first engagement mechanism 40 is released, and the battery holder 20 moves backward from the first position and is about to detach from the case body 10. However, before the battery holder 20 detaches from the case body 10, engagement occurs in the second engagement mechanism 60, allowing it to remain in the second position. This allows it to maintain its stored state, and thus prevents the button battery 30 from detaching from the battery holder 20.

[0022] If the remote control 1 is dropped onto the floor, it will collide with the floor, but this collision usually occurs only once. This single collision may release the engagement in the first engagement mechanism 40, but it will not generate an impact load in the same direction (second direction α2) as the second release operation that releases the engagement in the second engagement mechanism 60. As a result, the engagement in the second engagement mechanism 60 will not be released. Furthermore, as mentioned above, in the first position, the battery holder 20 has its first contact portion 27a in contact with the first contacted portion 17a from the negative Z direction, and its second contact portion 27b in contact with the second contacted portion 17b from the positive Z direction. As a result, the deformation of the arm portion 23 in the Z direction is restricted, and vibration during the impact of the drop of the remote control 1 is suppressed. Depending on the degree of this suppression, the engagement in the first engagement mechanism 40 can be maintained, preventing unintended movement of the battery holder 20 backward from its first position. Furthermore, the case 100 is composed of two components: the case body 10 and the battery holder 20. It does not involve providing any other components to constitute the first engagement mechanism 40 or the second engagement mechanism 60. This reduces the number of parts in the case 100, resulting in a simpler design.

[0023] As described above, the remote control 1 has a simple configuration and can prevent the button battery 30 from unintentionally detaching from the case 100.

[0024] <Second Embodiment> The second embodiment will now be described with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the battery holder in the process of being removed when the electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is applied to a remote controller. Figure 7(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the battery holder 20 pulled out until the second engaging portion 26b and the second engaged portion 16b are engaged. Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the operating portion 24 moved in the second direction α2 from the state shown in Figure 7(a). Note that the circuit board 50 is omitted in Figures 7(a) and (b). This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the case 100 has an operating limit restricting portion (operating restricting portion) 70.

[0025] As shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), the case 100 has an operation limit restricting section 70 that restricts the operating limit of the operating section 24 when the second release operation is performed. This operation limit restricting section 70 is composed of a sloped section 28 formed on the arm section 23 and a sloped section 18 formed on the case body 10. The sloped section 28 is formed between the elastic section 25 and the first contact section 27a and is inclined in the Y direction, i.e., with respect to the longitudinal direction of the arm section 23. The sloped section 18 is formed on the edge of the opening 13 of the case body 10 and is inclined in the same direction as the sloped section 28. Furthermore, the sloped section 18 is located on the positive side in the Y direction with respect to the first contacted section 17a.

[0026] In the state shown in Figure 7(a), the second engaging portion 26b and the second engaged portion 16b are engaged. As a result, the battery holder 20 is stopped in the second position. At this time, the inclined portion 28 of the arm portion 23 and the inclined portion 18 of the case body 10 are separated.

[0027] Then, by moving the operating unit 24 in the second direction α2 from the state shown in Figure 7(a) and performing the second release operation, the state shown in Figure 7(b) is reached. In the state shown in Figure 7(b), the second engaging portion 26b separates from the second engaged portion 16b, and the engagement with the second engaged portion 16b is released. This makes it possible to move the battery holder 20 backward. At this time, the inclined portion 28 of the arm portion 23 and the inclined portion 18 of the case body 10 come into contact. This restricts the operating limit of the operating unit 24, allowing the user to recognize that it is now possible to move the battery holder 20 by the second release operation.

[0028] Furthermore, by moving the operating part 24 in the second direction α2 from the state shown in Figure 7(b), the inclined surface 28 slides along the inclination direction of the inclined surface 18. This allows the battery holder 20 to be moved further back than the state shown in Figure 7(b), and thus the hooking part 22 can be grasped with the fingertips. This makes it easier to pull out the battery holder 20 compared to hooking the hooking part 22 with a fingernail or the like. In addition, the operating limit restricting part 70, which is composed of the inclined surface 28 and the inclined surface 18, also functions as an auxiliary part that assists in moving the battery holder 20 backward when the engagement in the second engagement mechanism 60 is released. This eliminates the need to provide an auxiliary part separately from the operating limit restricting part 70, thus contributing to the simplification of the case 100's configuration.

[0029] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. The electronic device to which the present invention applies was a remote control 1 in each embodiment, but it is not limited to this, and may be an optical device such as a camera, a game device such as a portable game console, etc. Also, the battery held by the battery holder 20 was a button battery 30 in each embodiment, but it is not limited to this, and may be a columnar dry cell battery such as a single dry cell, etc. Furthermore, although the electronic device that holds a button battery has been described in each embodiment, the present invention can also be applied to an electronic device that holds a small piece of electronic component such as a microSD card or a SIM card. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 1. Remote controller (remote control) 10 Case body 20 Battery holder (holder) 24 Control section 30 button batteries 40 First Engagement Mechanism 60 Second Engagement Mechanism α1 1st direction α2 2nd direction

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising a hollow case body and a battery holder that is detachably housed in the case body and holds a battery, A first engagement mechanism for engaging the case body and the battery holder in a stored state in which the battery holder is housed in the case body, In the aforementioned storage state, a second engagement mechanism engages the case body and the battery holder at a position different from that of the first engagement mechanism, It has an operating section capable of performing a first release operation to release engagement in the first engagement mechanism and a second release operation to release engagement in the second engagement mechanism, The first release operation is made possible by operating the operating unit in a first direction, and the second release operation is made possible by operating the operating unit in a second direction intersecting the first direction. An electronic device characterized in that the first release operation and the second release operation are performed at different timings.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, depending on the position of the battery holder relative to the case body, it can take two states: one in which engagement is performed by the first engagement mechanism and engagement by the second engagement mechanism is released, and another in which engagement by the first engagement mechanism is released and engagement by the second engagement mechanism is performed.

3. The battery holder is cantilevered and has an elastically deformable arm portion. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operating unit is provided on the free end side of the arm portion.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, characterized in that the first engagement mechanism has a first engagement portion formed to protrude from the middle of the longitudinal direction of the arm portion, and a first engaged portion formed in the case body with which the first engagement portion engages.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that the second engagement mechanism has a second engagement portion formed protruding in the same position as the first engagement portion and in a different direction from the first engagement portion in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the arm portion, and a second engaged portion formed at a different position from the first engaged portion of the case body, with which the second engagement portion engages.

6. The position of the first engaging portion and the position of the second engaging portion in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion are the same. The electronic device according to claim 5, characterized in that the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion protrude in different directions from each other.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, characterized in that the second engaged portion is located closer to the operating portion than the first engaged portion.

8. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it has a direction restricting unit that restricts the operation of the operating unit in the second direction when the first release operation is performed.

9. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it has an operation restricting unit that restricts the operating limit of the operation unit when the second release operation is performed.

10. The case body has a flattened shape, The first direction is the flattening direction of the case body, The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the second direction is the thickness direction of the case body.

11. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the battery is a button cell battery.

12. An electronic device comprising a hollow case body and a holder that is detachably housed in the case body and holds small electronic components, A first engagement mechanism for engaging the case body and the holder in a stored state in which the holder is housed in the case body, In the aforementioned storage state, a second engagement mechanism engages the case body and the holder at a position different from that of the first engagement mechanism, It has an operating section capable of performing a first release operation to release engagement in the first engagement mechanism and a second release operation to release engagement in the second engagement mechanism, The first release operation is made possible by operating the operating unit in a first direction, and the second release operation is made possible by operating the operating unit in a second direction intersecting the first direction. An electronic device characterized in that the first release operation and the second release operation are performed at different timings.

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