Enclosure

Abstract

To provide an enclosure having a wide range of selection of members capable of fixing a cover without increasing the size of an apparatus.SOLUTION: An enclosure 10 includes a case 20, and a cover 30 covering a first area 20a of the case 20. In the case 20, a first hole 24 formed in the first area 20a and having an inner thread formed therein, a second hole 26 communicating a second area 20b not covered with the cover 30, with the first hole 24, and a guide plate 25 provided inside the second hole 26 are formed. In the cover 30, a third hole 31 overlapped with the first hole 24 in a state of covering the first area 20a is formed. In the guide plate 25, a guide face 25a facing an inlet side of the first hole 24 inclines toward the second hole 26.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing having a case and a cover. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a housing that includes a case and a cover that covers a partial area of ​​the case in an openable and closable manner (for example, Patent Document 1). Such a housing may be used as the outer shell of an electronic device. The area covered by the cover may be provided with functional parts that do not need to be operated during normal operation, such as a power switch or an insertion port for an external storage device. If such functional parts are accidentally operated, it may cause a malfunction of the electronic device, so it is necessary to prevent the cover from being opened during normal operation.

[0003] For example, in order to prevent the cover from being opened, the cover may be fixed to the case with a screw or fastened to the case with a string-like fastening member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-65363 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For a housing in which the cover can be fixed to the case with a screw, if the worker closing the cover only has a fastening member on a string and does not have a screw, the cover cannot be fixed. For a housing in which the cover can be fixed to the case with a fastening member on a string, if the worker closing the cover only has a screw and does not have a fastening member on a string, the cover cannot be fixed. In other words, for a housing in which the cover can only be fixed with either a screw or a fastening member, the cover cannot be fixed unless the worker has a member suitable for that fixing method.

[0006] Here, if the cover is fixed with screws, holes must be formed in the cover and case to allow the screws to pass through, and if the cover is fastened with a string-like fastening member, holes must be formed in the cover and case to allow the string-like fastening member to pass through.

[0007] Therefore, in order to prevent a situation in which an operator is unable to secure the cover because he or she does not have the appropriate parts for doing so, it is conceivable to form both a hole for passing a screw and a hole for passing a string-like fastening member in the cover and the case.

[0008] However, by forming both a hole for passing a screw and a hole for passing a string-like fastening member in the cover and the case, the area in which the holes are formed occupies a large area of ​​the region covered by the cover, which makes it impossible to arrange the necessary functional parts or results in the device becoming larger in size in order to arrange the necessary functional parts.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a housing that can increase the options for members to which a cover can be fixed while preventing an increase in size of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The housing of the present invention is a housing comprising a case and a cover covering a first region of the case, the case being formed with a first hole formed in the first region and having an internal thread, a second hole connecting the first hole to a second region not covered by the cover, and a guide plate provided inside the second hole, the cover being formed with a third hole that overlaps with the first hole while covering the first region, and the guide surface of the guide plate facing the entrance side of the first hole is inclined toward the second hole. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a housing that can increase the options for members to which a cover can be fixed while preventing an increase in size of the device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an electronic device including a housing according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a partially enlarged front view of a portion A shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a partially enlarged front view of part A shown in FIG. 1 with the cover removed. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line BB shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line BB shown in FIG. 2, illustrating fixing using screws. FIG. [Figure 6] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line BB shown in FIG. 2, illustrating fixing using screws. FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line BB shown in FIG. 2, illustrating fixing using a wire lock. FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line BB shown in FIG. 2, illustrating fixing using a wire lock. FIG. [Figure 9] 13 is a partially enlarged front view of the third hole into which the cable tie is inserted. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0014] [Embodiment 1] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an electronic device including a housing according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a partially enlarged front view of a portion A shown in Fig. 1. The electronic device 1 is, for example, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). The electronic device 1 includes a housing 10. The housing 10 includes a case 20 and a cover 30. The case 20 is box-shaped and forms the outer shell of the electronic device 1. Electronic components and the like (not shown) are housed inside the case 20.

[0015] 3 is a partially enlarged front view of part A shown in FIG. 1 with the cover removed. The cover 30 covers a first area 20a which is a part of the outer surface of the case 20. In the first embodiment, the first area 20a is provided on the front surface of the housing 10.

[0016] In the first area 20a, switches such as a power switch 21 for turning the power of the electronic device 1 on and off and a reset switch 22 for resetting the operation of the electronic device 1, and functional parts such as an insertion port 23 into which an external storage device can be inserted are provided. Most of the functional parts provided in the first area 20a are operated when the electronic device starts to operate or when maintenance is performed. If these functional parts are accidentally operated during normal operation, there is a risk of malfunction occurring in the operation of the electronic device. For this reason, the first area 20a is covered with a cover 30, and the cover 30 is fixed to the case 20 so that it cannot be easily removed.

[0017] Next, a description will be given of a structure and a method for fixing the cover 30 to the case 20. As shown in Fig. 3, a first hole 24 is formed in the first region 20a of the case 20.

[0018] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line BB shown in Fig. 2. An internal thread is formed on the inner surface of the first hole 24. The internal thread may be formed directly in the case 20, or may be formed by embedding a nut.

[0019] A plate-like guide plate 25 is formed inside the first hole 24 so as to cover the hole. The surface of the guide plate 25 facing the entrance side of the first hole 24 serves as a guide surface 25a. The guide plate 25 is formed with a hard member so as to be thin enough to break when pressed into. The function of the guide surface 25a will be described in detail later. The case 20 and the guide plate 25 are formed of, for example, resin.

[0020] Two first grooves 24a are formed on the outer edge of the first hole 24. The first grooves 24a are formed at positions facing each other across the center of the first hole 24 in a front view. The front view in this embodiment can be said to be a view of the case 20 along the central axis of the first hole 24. The first groove 24a extends from the front surface of the case 20 toward the inside of the first hole 24, bends toward the bottom surface midway, and reaches the second hole 26.

[0021] The case 20 is formed with a second hole 26 that connects the first hole 24 to a second region 20b, which is a region of the outer surface of the case 20 that is not covered by the cover 30. In other words, the second region 20b is a region different from the first region 20a. In this embodiment, the second region 20b is the bottom surface of the case 20.

[0022] A guide surface 25a of a guide plate 25 provided inside the first hole 24 is formed so as to be inclined toward the second hole .

[0023] The cover 30 has a third hole 31 that overlaps with the first hole 24 when the cover 30 covers the first region 20a. Two second grooves 31a are formed on the outer edge of the third hole 31. The second grooves 31a are formed at positions facing each other across the center of the third hole 31 in a front view. The second grooves 31a are formed so as to penetrate the front and back surfaces of the cover 30. The second grooves 31a are also formed at positions that overlap with the first grooves 24a when the cover 30 covers the first region 20a.

[0024] Next, a method of fixing the cover 30 to the case 20 will be described. In the electronic device 1 including the housing 10 according to the first embodiment, fixing can be performed using screws or using a string-like fastening member.

[0025] 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of the housing taken along line BB shown in FIG. 2, and are diagrams for explaining fixing using screws.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 5, in the case of fixing using a screw 41, with the first region 20a covered by the cover 30, the screw 41 is inserted into the third hole 31 of the cover 30. The tip of the screw 41 contacts the guide surface 25a of the guide plate 25 inside the first hole 24. Then, as shown in Fig. 6, by further pushing the screw 41, the guide plate 25 is broken through and the screw 41 can be inserted deeper. The cover 30 is fixed to the case 20 by screwing in the screw 41 and engaging the external thread formed on the screw 41 with the internal thread formed in the first hole 24.

[0027] An example of the string-like fastening member is a wire lock. Figures 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of the housing taken along line BB shown in Figure 2, and are diagrams for explaining fastening using a wire lock.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 7, in the case of fixing using the wire lock 42, one end of the wire lock 42 is inserted into the third hole 31 of the cover 30 with the first region 20a covered by the cover 30. One end of the wire lock 42 contacts the guide surface 25a of the guide plate 25 inside the first hole 24. Since the wire lock 42 is flexible, by pushing the wire lock 42 in as it is, one end of the wire lock 42 advances along the guide surface 25a and enters the second hole 26 as shown in FIG. 8. Then, one end of the wire lock 42 protrudes from the opening on the bottom side of the second hole of the case 20. The one end of the wire lock 42 protruding from the second hole 26 and the other end protruding from the first hole 24 are fixed to the cover 30 to the case 20.

[0029] A cable tie is also exemplified as a string-like fastening member. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged front view of the third hole into which the cable tie is inserted. The cable tie 43 is a member formed of a thin resin plate in a string shape. As shown in FIG. 9, even if the width of the cable tie 43 is larger than the diameters of the third hole 31, the first hole 24, and the second hole 26, the second groove 31a and the first groove 24a are formed, so that the cable tie 43 can be inserted into the third hole 31, the first hole 24, and the second hole 26. In addition, the cable tie 43 inserted into the third hole 31 is guided by the first groove 24a and the second groove 31a and pops out of the second hole 26. In this state, one end of the cable tie 43 is inserted into a holding portion formed at the other end, thereby fixing the cover 30 to the case 2.

[0030] In addition, when the width of the cable tie 43 is smaller than the diameters of the third hole 31, the first hole 24, and the second hole 26, the cable tie 43 does not fit into the second groove 31a and the first groove 24a, and is not guided by the second groove 31a and the first groove 24a to jump out of the second hole 26. However, since one end of the cable tie 43 contacts the guide surface 25a of the guide plate 25 like the wire lock 42, the one end is guided by the guide surface 25a and jumps out of the second hole 26. Therefore, even if the width of the cable tie 43 is smaller than the diameters of the third hole 31, the first hole 24, and the second hole 26, the cover 30 can be fixed to the case 2. In addition, when it is assumed that a cable tie having a width smaller than the diameters of the third hole 31, the first hole 24, and the second hole 26 will be used, the first groove 24a and the second groove 24b may not be formed.

[0031] As described above, in the housing 10 according to this embodiment, the cover 30 can be fixed with either the screw 41 or a string-like fastening member by using one first hole 24 formed in the first region 20a of the case 20. Therefore, while increasing the options for members to which the cover 30 can be fixed, the area occupied by the holes for fixing the cover 30 in the first region 20a can be reduced compared to when the holes for fixing with the screw 41 and the holes for fixing with the string-like fastening member are separately provided in the first region 20a. This makes it possible to prevent the number of functional parts provided in the first region 20a from being limited due to the separate provision of holes for fixing the cover 30, and the expansion of the first region 20a and the increase in size of the housing 10 due to the separate provision of holes for fixing the necessary functional parts and the cover.

[0032] Also, a guide plate 25 is formed inside the first hole 24, and the guide plate 25 is provided with a guide surface 25a inclined toward the second hole 26, so that one end of the fastening member can be advanced toward the exit of the second hole 26 and can be reliably ejected to the outside through the second hole 26. This makes it possible to easily perform fixation using a string-like fastening member.

[0033] Furthermore, since the guide plate 25 can be broken through by the tip of the screw 41, the presence of the guide plate 25 does not interfere with the fixing using the screw 41.

[0034] In addition, since the second groove 31a and the first groove 24a are formed in the third hole 31 and the first hole 24, the cover 30 can be fixed using a cable tie 43 having a width larger than the diameter of the third hole 31 and the first hole 24.

[0035] In addition, since the first groove 24a extends to the end of the second hole 26 on the bottom side, the cable tie 43 fitted into the first groove 24a is guided by the first groove 24a and reliably pops out to the outside from the second hole 26.

[0036] In addition, since the second groove 31a is formed in the third hole 31 formed in the cover 30, it becomes easier for an operator attempting to fasten the cover 30 to visually understand that it can also be fastened with a cable tie 43.

[0037] In addition, if the diameter of the first hole 24 and the diameter of the second hole 26 are larger than the distance D between the bottoms of the second grooves 31a formed in the third hole 31, there is no need to form the first groove 24a in the first hole 24.

[0038] In addition, in the first embodiment, the second region 20b is the bottom surface of the case 20, but it is not limited to the bottom surface as long as it is a surface adjacent to the surface on which the first region 20a is formed. For example, when the first region 20a is provided on the front surface as in the case 10 according to the present embodiment, the surface on which the second region 20b in which the second hole 26 is formed is provided may be the side surface or the top surface.

[0039] 〔others〕 Some examples of combinations of the disclosed technical features are set out below.

[0040] (1) A housing comprising a case and a cover covering a first region of the case, wherein the case has a first hole formed in the first region and having an internal thread formed therein, a second hole connecting a second region not covered by the cover with the first hole, and a guide plate provided inside the second hole, wherein the cover has a third hole formed therein that overlaps with the first hole while covering the first region, and the surface of the guide plate facing the entrance side of the first hole is inclined toward the second hole.

[0041] (2) A housing as described in (1), in which a first groove is formed on the edge of the first hole at a position opposing each other across the center of the first hole when viewed along the central axis of the first hole.

[0042] (3) A housing as described in (1), wherein second grooves are formed on the edge of the third hole at positions opposing each other across the center of the third hole when viewed along the central axis of the third hole.

[0043] (4) A housing as described in (2), in which a second groove is formed on the edge of the third hole at a position opposing each other across the center of the third hole when viewed along the central axis of the third hole, and the first groove and the second groove overlap when viewed along the central axis of the third hole.

[0044] (5) A housing according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the first area is provided on a front surface of the case and the second area is provided on a bottom surface of the case. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Electronic equipment 10. Chassis 20 cases 20a First Area 20b Second Area 21 Power switch 22 Reset switch 23 Insertion port 24 First Hole 24a First Groove 25 Information Board 25a Guideway 26 Second Hole 30 Cover 31 The Third Hole 31a Second Groove 41 Screw 42 Wire Lock 43 Cable Ties

Claims

1. Case and A housing including a cover covering a first region of the case, The case is formed with a first hole formed in the first region and having an internal thread, a second hole that connects a second region not covered by the cover with the first hole, and a guide plate provided inside the second hole, a third hole is formed in the cover so as to overlap with the first hole in a state where the cover covers the first area; A housing in which the guide plate has a guide surface facing the entrance side of the first hole and inclined toward the second hole.

2. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein first grooves are formed on the edge of the first hole at positions opposing each other across the center of the first hole when viewed along the central axis of the first hole.

3. The housing according to claim 1 , wherein second grooves are formed on the edge of the third hole at positions opposing each other across the center of the third hole when viewed along the central axis of the third hole.

4. second grooves are formed on an edge of the third hole at positions facing each other across the center of the third hole when viewed along a central axis of the third hole; The housing according to claim 2 , wherein the first groove and the second groove overlap when viewed along a central axis of the third hole.

5. The first area is provided on a front surface of the case, The housing according to claim 1 , wherein the second area is provided on a bottom surface of the case.

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