Housing for electronic apparatus

Abstract

To provide a housing for an electronic apparatus which allows a circuit board to be inserted in a sliding direction while preventing removal of a heat conduction sheet from the housing.SOLUTION: A housing for an electronic apparatus which houses a circuit board comprises: a housing body part having an opening and an internal space which communicates with the outside via the opening; and a first rib and a second rib which protrude into a housing space from an inner surface of the housing body part or a bottom surface facing the opening, and which are formed offset from each other in a first direction viewing from the opening. The first rib and the second rib do not overlap each other in the first direction. The first rib has a first rib surface which supports, when the circuit board is housed into the housing for the electronic apparatus, a heat conduction material making contact with one principal surface of the circuit board. The second rib has a second rib surface which supports, when the circuit board is housed into the housing for the electronic apparatus, a heat conduction material making contact with the other principal surface of the circuit board.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing for electronic equipment, and more particularly to a housing for electronic equipment that houses a circuit board. [Background technology]

[0002] In electronic device housings that house circuit boards, a thermally conductive sheet is sandwiched between the housing and the circuit board. For example, electronic device housings are used that have a structure in which a thermally conductive sheet is attached to the housing, and bosses are raised from the housing to compress the thermally conductive sheet and hold the circuit board in place.

[0003] Also, in a heat dissipation device for an optical transceiver, a structure has been proposed in which an inclined surface is provided on the optical transceiver body, and a thermally conductive sheet is attached to the inclined surface to form the contact surface between the heat sink and the transceiver housing, making it possible to insert the transceiver housing without rubbing the contact surface of the thermally conductive sheet (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-152427 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above conventional heat dissipation device, the optical transceiver body is processed to have an inclined surface, which reduces the component mounting volume on the circuit board at the back, resulting in a problem of component height restrictions. In addition, heat is dissipated from the housing instead of directly from the circuit board, which increases the thermal resistance.

[0006] Furthermore, in electronic device housings that have a structure in which bosses are raised from the housing and the thermally conductive sheet is compressed while the circuit board is secured, the housing needs to be assembled horizontally relative to the thermally conductive sheet, which poses the problem that the thermally conductive sheet may come off when attempting to insert the board in a sliding direction relative to the housing.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a housing for electronic devices that can be inserted in a direction that slides a circuit board while preventing the thermal conductive sheet from peeling off from the housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The electronic device housing of the present invention is an electronic device housing that houses a circuit board, and comprises a housing main body having an opening and an internal space that is connected to the outside via the opening, and a first rib and a second rib that protrude into the housing space from an inner side surface of the housing main body or a bottom surface facing the opening and are formed offset from each other in a direction viewed from the opening, wherein the first rib and the second rib do not overlap each other in the direction one, the first rib has a first rib surface carrying a thermally conductive material that contacts one main surface of the circuit board when the circuit board is housed in the electronic device housing, and the second rib has a second rib surface carrying a thermally conductive material that contacts the other main surface of the circuit board when the circuit board is housed in the electronic device housing. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to insert the circuit board into the electronic device housing in a sliding direction while maintaining the thermally conductive sheet attached to the housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an electronic device housing according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a top view showing a structure of an electronic device housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a side view showing a structure of an electronic device housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view showing a lid of the electronic device housing. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the circuit board attached to the lid portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view showing the circuit board attached to the lid portion. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 is a top view showing a state of the circuit board before it is accommodated in the electronic device housing. [Figure 7B] FIG. 4 is a top view showing a state in which the circuit board is being accommodated in the electronic device housing. [Figure 7C] FIG. 2 is a top view showing a state in which the circuit board is accommodated in the electronic device housing. [Figure 8A] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state before the circuit board is accommodated in the electronic device housing. [Figure 8B] 11 is a side view showing a state in which the circuit board is being accommodated in the electronic device housing. FIG. [Figure 8C] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the circuit board is accommodated in the electronic device housing. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the circuit board is accommodated in the housing for electronic equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, substantially the same or equivalent parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0012] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an electronic device housing 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device housing 100 is a housing capable of accommodating a circuit board. Here, the inside of the electronic device housing 100 is shown by a solid line, and a housing main body 10A corresponding to the outer part is shown by a dashed line.

[0013] The electronic device housing 100 includes a housing main body 10A, rectangular ribs 11 and 12, triangular ribs 13, 14, 15 and 16, and heat conductive sheets 21 and 22.

[0014] The housing body 10A has a box-like shape and has an opening and an internal space that communicates with the outside through the opening. The opening is provided on the upper surface of the housing body 10A, and a circuit board is inserted through the opening. When the circuit board is housed, a lid (not shown in FIG. 1) is placed on the opening.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a top view of the structure of the electronic device housing 100, seen from the surface of the housing main body 10A where the opening is provided.

[0016] The ribs 11 and 12 are plate-like ribs that support the circuit board when it is housed. The ribs 11 and 12 are provided so as to protrude vertically from the bottom surface (i.e., the surface opposite the opening) of the housing main body 10A. The ribs 11 and 12 also protrude vertically from mutually opposing inner surfaces among the four inner surfaces of the housing main body 10A.

[0017] The ribs 11 and 12 are formed offset from each other when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the opening of the housing body 10A. In other words, the ribs 11 and 12 are arranged offset from each other so as not to overlap each other and not to be positioned on the same straight line when viewed from the opening of the housing body 10A.

[0018] The rib 11 has a first rib surface which is a surface to which the thermally conductive sheet 21 is attached. Similarly, the rib 12 has a second rib surface which is a surface to which the thermally conductive sheet 22 is attached. In this embodiment, the ribs 11 and 12 are arranged so that a plane including the first rib surface (first plane) and a plane including the second rib surface (second plane) are approximately parallel to each other. The ribs 11 and 12 are also arranged so that the gap between them is at least greater than the thickness of the circuit board.

[0019] The ribs 13, 14, 15, and 16 are provided as guides for guiding the circuit board to the correct position (the gap between the ribs 11 and 12) when the circuit board is accommodated in the housing body 10A. The ribs 13 and 14 have inclined surfaces that are inclined so that the height decreases from the inner surface of the housing body 10A toward the first rib surface of the rib 11. The ribs 15 and 16 have inclined surfaces that are inclined so that the height decreases from the inner surface of the housing body 10A toward the second rib surface of the rib 12.

[0020] In this embodiment, the ribs 13 and 14 are arranged vertically so as to protrude from the bottom and inner surfaces of the housing body 10A, and are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval. Similarly, the ribs 15 and 16 are arranged vertically so as to protrude from the bottom and inner surfaces of the housing body 10A, and are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval.

[0021] The thermally conductive sheets 21 and 22 are made of a material having thermal conductivity, and are provided to dissipate heat from a circuit board housed in the electronic device housing 100. The thermally conductive sheet 21 is supported (attached) on a first rib surface of the rib 11. The thermally conductive sheet 22 is supported (attached) on a second rib surface of the rib 12. When the circuit board is housed, the circuit board is inserted into the gap between the thermally conductive sheets 21 and 22, and is sandwiched between the ribs 11 and 12 via the thermally conductive sheets 21 and 22.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram of the electronic device housing 100 as viewed from the side (that is, from a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the circuit board is inserted).

[0023] The ribs 13 and 14 are provided so as to have staggered steps. In this embodiment, the ribs 13 and 14 are made of plate-like members having a right-angled triangular shape with different heights. Similarly, the ribs 15 and 16 are provided so as to have staggered steps, and are made of plate-like members having a right-angled triangular shape with different heights. The ribs 13 and 14 form a first guide portion. The ribs 15 and 16 form a second guide portion.

[0024] The ribs 11 and 12 are spaced apart by a gap (distance d) for inserting a circuit board and by two heat conductive sheets (21 and 22). In this embodiment, the ribs 11 and 12 have the same height.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a top view showing the cover 10B disposed at the opening of the housing body 10A.

[0026] The cover 10B has a rectangular shape (e.g., a square) that fits into the opening of the housing body 10A. The cover 10B is provided with an attachment portion 10C for connecting a circuit board to the cover 10B. The attachment portion 10C is formed with a groove into which, for example, an end of the circuit board can be fitted.

[0027] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the circuit board 30 is fitted into the mounting portion 10C and attached to the lid portion 10B. Fig. 6 is a side view showing the circuit board 30 attached to the lid portion 10B. In this state, the lid portion is placed on the upper surface of the housing main body portion 10A, and the circuit board 30 is inserted into the opening of the housing main body portion 10A, so that the circuit board 30 is housed in the electronic device housing 100.

[0028] Next, a process for accommodating the circuit board 30 in the electronic device housing 100 will be described. Figures 7A to 7C are top views showing the circuit board 30 in the middle of being accommodated in the electronic device housing 100. Figures 8A to 8C are side views showing the same when viewed from the side.

[0029] 7A and 8A are a top view and a side view showing the state before the circuit board 30 is inserted. The cover 10B to which the circuit board 30 is attached is arranged at a predetermined angle (e.g., about 45 degrees) with respect to the upper surface (opening) of the housing main body 10A so that the circuit board 30 is at an oblique angle (e.g., about 45 degrees) with respect to the ribs 11 and 12 when viewed from above. From this state, the circuit board 30 is inserted while being rotated in the direction of the arrow shown by the dashed line in FIG. 7A so as not to come into contact with the thermally conductive sheets 21 and 22.

[0030] 7B and 8B are top and side views showing a state in the middle of insertion of the circuit board 30. When the circuit board 30 is inserted vertically into the opening of the housing main body 10A from the state shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, the circuit board 30 comes into contact with the inclined portions of the ribs 13, 14, 15, and 16 (i.e., the hypotenuse portions of the right-angled triangle). When the circuit board 30 is further inserted vertically from that state, the circuit board 30 is inserted while rotating along the inclinations of the ribs 13, 14, 15, and 16.

[0031] 7C and 8C are a top view and a side view showing a state in which the circuit board 30 is inserted. The circuit board 30 is inserted while being guided by the ribs 13, 14, 15, and 16, and fits into the gap between the ribs 11 and 12. At that time, the thermally conductive sheet 21 attached to the rib 11 and the thermally conductive sheet 22 attached to the rib 12 are compressed by the circuit board 30.

[0032] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the circuit board is accommodated in the housing for electronic equipment.

[0033] The circuit board 30 inserted into the gap between the ribs 11 and 12 is fixed in position in the gap by the ribs 11 and 12 and a groove provided in the mounting portion 10C of the cover portion 10B.

[0034] As described above, in the electronic device housing 100 of this embodiment, the ribs 11 having the rib surface carrying the thermally conductive sheet 21 and the ribs 12 having the rib surface carrying the thermally conductive sheet 22 are arranged at positions that do not overlap when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the opening of the housing main body 10A and are spaced apart at a predetermined interval according to the thickness of the circuit board 30. With this configuration, it is possible to accommodate the circuit board 30 in the electronic device housing 100 by inserting the circuit board 30 in a sliding direction without peeling off the thermally conductive sheets 21 and 22.

[0035] Furthermore, the electronic device housing 100 of this embodiment is provided with ribs 13-16 having inclined surfaces that are inclined vertically when viewed from the opening of the housing main body 10A and toward the rib surfaces. These function as guides when inserting the circuit board 30, making it possible to insert the circuit board 30 without it coming off from a predetermined position.

[0036] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described in the above examples. For example, in the above examples, the ribs 11 and 12 have the same shape and size, but they may have different sizes and shapes.

[0037] Furthermore, the height of ribs 11 and ribs 12 (height in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface of housing main body 10A) is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, about the same height as the substrate, or may be a height sufficient to cover part of the substrate.

[0038] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which ribs 11 and ribs 12 protrude from the inner surface and bottom surface of the housing main body portion 10A, but this is not limited to this, and it is sufficient if they have a shape that protrudes from either the inner surface or the bottom surface.

[0039] In the above embodiment, four ribs 13 to 16 are provided as ribs that function as guides when inserting the circuit board 30. However, the number of ribs is not limited to this. For example, one rib may be provided as a guide for each of the ribs (11 and 12) for fixing the circuit board 30.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the ribs 13 to 16 are shaped like a right-angled triangle, but the shape of the ribs 13 to 16 is not limited to this. For example, the inclined surfaces of the ribs 13 to 16 may be curved rather than linear. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 100 Electronic equipment housing 10A Housing body 10B Lid 10C Mounting part 11 Ribs 12 Ribs 13 Ribs 14 Ribs 15 Ribs 16 Ribs 21 Thermally conductive sheet 22 Thermal Conductive Sheet 30 Circuit Board

Claims

1. An electronic device housing that houses a circuit board, a housing body having an opening and an internal space communicating with the outside via the opening; a first rib and a second rib protruding into the storage space from an inner surface of the housing body or a bottom surface facing the opening and formed to be offset from each other in one direction as viewed from the opening, the first rib and the second rib do not overlap each other in the one direction, the first rib has a first rib surface carrying a thermally conductive material that contacts one main surface of the circuit board when the circuit board is housed in the electronic device housing, and the second rib has a second rib surface carrying a thermally conductive material that contacts the other main surface of the circuit board when the circuit board is housed in the electronic device housing.

2. The electronic device housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the first rib and the second rib are arranged so that a first plane including the first rib surface and a second plane including the plate surface of the other rib are approximately parallel to each other at the specified interval.

3. 3. The electronic device housing according to claim 2, further comprising: a first guide portion having a first inclined surface that is inclined in a plane perpendicular to the first plane so as to approach the bottom surface as it approaches the first plane and that faces the first rib surface; and a second guide portion having a second inclined surface that is inclined in a plane perpendicular to the second plane so as to approach the bottom surface as it approaches the second plane and that faces the second rib surface.

4. 4. The electronic device housing according to claim 3, wherein the first inclined surface reaches the bottom surface before reaching the first flat surface, and the second inclined surface reaches the bottom surface before reaching the second flat surface.

5. 5. The electronic device housing according to claim 4, wherein the first guide portion and the second guide portion are each formed of one or more plates each having a right-angled triangular shape.

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