Electronic device

Abstract

To provide an electronic device including a lockscrew used without contact with conductive members capable of preventing electrostatic discharge from the lockscrew.SOLUTION: The electronic device includes: a non-conductive exterior member 12; a non-conductive internal member 14 placed inside the exterior member 12; a conductive fixing member 24 exposed to the outside on the outer surface of the exterior member 12, which fixes the exterior member 12 to the internal member 14 in the first direction; a conductive elastic member 30 that elastically contacts with the fixing member 24 in a first direction; and an anti-static member 18 that is electrically connected with the elastic member 30 to eliminate static electricity from the fixing member 24 via the elastic member 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, various measures have been taken in electronic devices to prevent electrostatic discharge via fixing screws (fixing members) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-243855 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, a fixing screw made of a conductive material may be used to fasten together multiple components made of a non-conductive material, such as a resin material. That is, the fixing screw may not be in contact with a conductive component made of a conductive material, such as a metal material. In this case, if a statically charged object, such as a human finger, touches the fixing screw, the fixing screw may discharge static electricity to the nearby conductive component. For example, if an electronic component, such as a circuit board, is located near the fixing screw, the electronic component may be damaged by static electricity discharge from the fixing screw.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to suppress electrostatic discharge from a fixing member in an electronic device that includes a fixing member that is used without coming into contact with a conductive member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a non-conductive exterior member; a non-conductive internal member disposed on the inner side of the exterior member; a conductive fixing member exposed to the outside on an outer surface of the exterior member and fixing the exterior member to the internal member in a first direction; a conductive elastic member that elastically contacts the fixed member in the first direction; An electronic device is provided, which includes a static elimination member electrically connected to the elastic member and eliminating static electricity from the fixed member via the elastic member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, in an electronic device having a fixing member that is used without coming into contact with a conductive member, it is possible to suppress electrostatic discharge from the fixing member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 2] An exploded perspective view of a portion of an electronic device [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the electronic device taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the periphery of the through-hole of the exterior member before the fixing screw is attached. [Figure 5] A front view showing the area around the through-hole of the exterior member before the fixing screw is attached [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the attachment of the elastic member to the exterior member; [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of well-known matters or redundant explanation of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following explanation and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0010] The inventor(s) provide the accompanying drawings and the following description to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and do not intend for them to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] Hereinafter, an imaging device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that Fig. 1 illustrates only a portion, with the remaining portions omitted. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the electronic device. Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of the electronic device taken along line AA shown in Fig. 1. Note that the XYZ Cartesian coordinate system shown in the figure is intended to facilitate understanding of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not limit the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, electronic device 10 according to this embodiment includes an exterior member 12 that comprises a portion of the outer surface of electronic device 10, an internal member 14 that is disposed inside electronic device 10, a circuit board 16 that is an electronic component that is disposed inside electronic device 10, and a frame 18 that supports circuit board 16.

[0014] The exterior member 12 and the internal member 14 are non-conductive. In this embodiment, the exterior member 12 and the internal member 14 are made of a non-conductive material, such as a resin material. The internal member 14 is a casing of the connector 20 and is attached to the circuit board 16.

[0015] The circuit board 16 is an electronic component on which a connector 20 is mounted, and is disposed inside the electronic device 10 and supported by a frame 18 .

[0016] The frame 18 is a member made of a conductive material, such as a metal material, and is disposed inside the electronic device 10 to support the circuit board 16. The frame 18 is also electrically connected to the ground potential portion of the circuit board 16 via the lead wire 22. This provides the frame 18 with the ground potential.

[0017] In this embodiment, the exterior member 12 is fixed to the internal member 14 in a first direction (Y-axis direction) via fixing screws 24 and 26.

[0018] The fixing screw 24 is made of a conductive material, for example, a metal material, and includes a head 24 a and an externally threaded portion 24 b extending from the head 24 .

[0019] In this embodiment, the exterior member 12 has a through hole 12a and the internal member 14 has a female threaded hole 14a to fix the exterior member 12 to the internal member 14 via the fixing screw 24. The male threaded portion 24b of the fixing screw 24 passes through the through hole 12a of the exterior member 12 and engages with the female threaded hole 14a of the internal member 14. In this embodiment, the exterior member 12 has a countersunk hole 12b formed therein to accommodate the head 24a of the fixing screw 24.

[0020] Similar to the fixing screws 24, the fixing screws 26 also fix the exterior member 12 to the interior member 14.

[0021] Hereinafter, further features of the electronic device 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0022] As described above and shown in FIG. 3 , the conductive fixing screw 24 contacts the non-conductive exterior member 12 and internal member 14, but does not contact conductive members such as the frame 18. Therefore, if a statically charged object, such as a human finger, touches the head 24a of the fixing screw 24 exposed on the outer surface of the exterior member 12, the fixing screw 24 may discharge static electricity to the nearby circuit board 16. In other words, a spark may occur between the fixing screw 24 and the circuit board 16. As a result, for example, a semiconductor device mounted on the circuit board 16 may be damaged or malfunction.

[0023] In order to prevent electrostatic discharge from the fixing screw 24 to the circuit board 16, the fixing screw 24 is electrically connected to the frame 18 via a conductive elastic member 30, as shown in FIGS.

[0024] The elastic member 30 is a member made of a conductive material, for example, a metal sheet, and is in elastic contact with the fixing screw 24 in the direction in which the exterior member 12 is fixed to the internal member 14 (first direction (Y-axis direction)). The first direction is the penetrating direction of the through-hole 12a of the exterior member 12 and also the extending direction of the female threaded hole 14a of the internal member 14, i.e., the extending direction of the male thread portion 24b of the fixing screw 24. Furthermore, "elastic contact" refers to contact with an object due to the restoring force of an elastically deformed elastic member.

[0025] 3, the elastic member 30 elastically contacts the back side of the head 24a of the fixing screw 24 in the first direction (Y-axis direction) from the inside of the electronic device 10. To do this, the elastic member 30 enters the through-hole 12a of the exterior member 12.

[0026] Specifically, in this embodiment, the elastic member 30 includes a contact end 30a that contacts the head 24a of the fixing screw 24, a cantilever portion 30b that supports the contact end 30a, and a base portion 30c that cantilever-supports the cantilever portion 30b.

[0027] Figures 4 and 5 are a perspective view and a front view showing the periphery of the through-hole of the exterior member before the fixing screw is attached, and Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the attachment of the elastic member to the exterior member.

[0028] 3 and 4, the contact end 30a of the elastic member 30 is a portion that extends in a first direction (the Y-axis direction) and passes through the through-hole 12a of the exterior member 12. As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3, when the fixing screw 24 is not attached, one end 30d of the contact end 30a (one end in the extending direction) exceeds the bottom surface 12c of the countersunk hole 12b of the exterior member 12.

[0029] 5, the through-hole 12a of the exterior member 12, through which the contact end 30a and the male thread portion 24b of the fixing screw 24 pass, is keyhole-shaped so that the contact end 30a and the male thread portion 24b do not come into contact with each other. That is, the through-hole 12a is a through-hole formed by integrating a through-hole with a circular cross-section through which the male thread portion 24b passes and a through-hole with a rectangular cross-section through which the contact end 30a passes. Alternatively, the through-hole through which the male thread portion 24b passes and the through-hole through which the contact end 30a passes may be formed in the exterior member 12 in a state where they are separate from each other.

[0030] In elastic member 30, cantilever portion 30b is a strip-shaped portion that is flexible and deformable in a first direction (Y-axis direction), i.e., thin in the first direction, as shown in Fig. 4. Also, cantilever portion 30b extends from the other end of contact end portion 30a (the other end in its extending direction) in a second direction (Z-axis direction) that intersects with the first direction, as shown in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the extending length of cantilever portion 30b (size in the Z-axis direction) is greater than the extending length of contact end portion 30a (size in the Y-axis direction).

[0031] In the elastic member 30, the base portion 30c is a portion that cantilevers the end of the cantilever portion 30b opposite the end where the contact end portion 30a is provided. The base portion 30c is also the portion that comes into contact with the frame 18, i.e., the portion of the elastic member 30 that is electrically connected to the frame 18.

[0032] 6, in this embodiment, the base portion 30c of the elastic member 30 is attached in a positioned state to the exterior member 12. Specifically, a seating surface 12d is formed on the inner surface of the exterior member 12, on which the cantilever portion 30b and base portion 30c of the elastic member 30 are seated. Two positioning pins 12e are provided on the seating surface 12d. Two positioning holes 30e that engage with these positioning pins 12e, respectively, are formed in the base portion 30c of the elastic member 30.

[0033] 3, when the exterior member 12 is fixed to the internal member 14 in a first direction (Y-axis direction) via the fixing screws 24, the base portion 30c of the elastic member 30 is sandwiched in the first direction between the seating surface 12d of the exterior member 12 and the frame 18. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a surface 18a of the frame 18 that supports the circuit board 16 on which the internal member 14 is provided, which faces the exterior member 12 in the first direction, comes into contact with the base portion 30c of the elastic member 30.

[0034] Note that the surface 18a of the frame 18 does not come into contact with the cantilever portion 30b of the elastic member 30. A through-hole 18b that avoids contact with the cantilever portion 30b is formed in the surface 18a of the frame 18. As shown in Fig. 3, when the cantilever portion 30b is bent and deformed, it enters the through-hole 18b. Furthermore, the male thread portion 24b of the fixing screw 24 passes through this through-hole 18b.

[0035] Such elastic member 30 maintains electrical connection between the fixing screw 24 and the frame 18. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, when the head 24a of the fixing screw 24 seats on the bottom surface 12c of the countersunk hole 12b of the exterior member 12, one end 30d of the contact end 30a of the elastic member 30, which had been protruding from the bottom surface 12c, is pushed by the head 24a of the fixing screw 24 and retracts into the through-hole 12a of the exterior member 12. Due to this retraction, the cantilever portion 30b of the elastic member 30 is flexed and deformed, and moves away from the seating surface 12d of the exterior member 12.

[0036] While the fixing screw 24 is fixing the exterior member 12 to the internal member 14, i.e., while the head 24a of the fixing screw 24 continues to seat on the bottom surface 12c of the countersunk hole 12b, the cantilever portion 30b continues to bend (elastically deform) and continues to urge the contact end 30a toward the head 24a of the fixing screw 24. This keeps the elastic member 30 and the fixing screw 24 in elastic contact. As a result, the electrical connection between the fixing screw 24 and the frame 18 via the elastic member 30 is maintained.

[0037] When a statically charged object, such as a human finger, touches the head 24a of the fixing screw 24, which is exposed to the outside on the outer surface of the exterior member 12, electricity flows through the fixing screw 24. The electricity flowing through the fixing screw 24 flows into the elastic member 30 via the contact end 30a, which is in elastic contact with the head 24a. The electricity inside the elastic member 30 then flows to the frame 18, which is in contact with the base portion 30c. In other words, the frame 18 functions as a static-eliminating member that eliminates electricity from the fixing screw 24 via the elastic member 30. As a result, static electricity discharge from the fixing screw 24 to the nearby circuit board 16 is suppressed.

[0038] Note that from the moment the head 24a of the fixing screw 24 comes into contact with the contact end 30a of the elastic member 30, the rotation of the head 24 caused by the tool is transmitted to the elastic member 30. However, as shown in Figure 6, the rotation of the elastic member 30 is restricted because the multiple positioning pins 12e of the exterior member 12 are engaged with the multiple positioning holes 30e of the base portion 30c.

[0039] Furthermore, the contact end 30a of the elastic member 30 receives a force that displaces it in the rotational direction of the head 24a from the moment it comes into contact with the head 24a of the fixing screw 24. To ensure that it can maintain proper contact with the head 24a even when subjected to such a force, one end 30d of the contact end 30a is provided with a rounded corner (is rounded), as shown in FIG.

[0040] According to the present embodiment as described above, in an electronic device 10 equipped with a fixing screw 24 that is used without coming into contact with a conductive member, it is possible to suppress electrostatic discharge from the fixing screw 24, for example, electrostatic discharge from the fixing screw 24 to the circuit board 16.

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to these.

[0042] For example, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the elastic member 30 elastically contacts the head 24a of the fixing screw 24. This maintains an electrical connection between the fixing screw 24 and the frame 18 via the elastic member 30. However, the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0043] Fig. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a part of an electronic device according to another embodiment. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, components that are substantially the same as those in the above-described embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 7, in an electronic device according to another embodiment, an elastic member 130 is in elastic contact with a fixing screw 24 in a first direction (Y-axis direction).

[0045] Specifically, the elastic member 130 includes a contact end 130a, one end of which contacts the fixing screw 24, a cantilever portion 130b extending from the other end of the contact end 130a, and a base portion 130c that cantilever-supports the cantilever portion 130b and contacts the frame 18. The contact end 130a elastically contacts the tip of the male thread portion 24b of the fixing screw 24 in a first direction (the Y-axis direction). To this end, the contact end 130a enters the female threaded hole 14a of the through-hole-shaped internal member 14.

[0046] In this other embodiment, static electricity discharge from the fixing screw 24 can be suppressed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

[0047] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the elastic member 30 and the frame 18, which are in contact with and electrically connected to each other, are separate members, as shown in Figure 3. Alternatively, the elastic member 30 and the frame 18 may be different parts of a single conductive member.

[0048] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the member electrically connected to the fixing screw 24 via the elastic member 30 is the frame 18 that supports the circuit board 16. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. If the electronic device includes a conductive member other than the frame 18, the fixing screw 24 may be electrically connected to that conductive member via the elastic member. In other words, the member that comes into contact with the elastic member may be a static elimination member that can neutralize static from the fixing screw 24 via the elastic member.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the fixing member that fixes the exterior member 12 to the internal member 14 is the fixing screw 24. However, the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this. The fixing member that fixes the exterior member 12 to the internal member 14 in the first direction may be, for example, a bolt, a rivet, or the like.

[0050] That is, in a broad sense, an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a non-conductive exterior member, a non-conductive internal member arranged on the interior side of the exterior member, a conductive fixing member exposed to the outside on the outer surface of the exterior member and fixing the exterior member to the internal member in a first direction, a conductive elastic member elastically contacting the fixing member in the first direction, and a neutralization member electrically connected to the elastic member and neutralizing the fixing member via the elastic member.

[0051] As described above, the above-described embodiments have been described as examples of the technology of the present disclosure. For this purpose, drawings and detailed descriptions are provided. Therefore, the components described in the drawings and detailed descriptions may include not only components essential for solving the problem, but also components that are not essential for solving the problem in order to exemplify the above-described technology. Therefore, the fact that these non-essential components are described in the drawings or detailed descriptions should not be interpreted as immediately indicating that these non-essential components are essential.

[0052] Furthermore, since the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology of the present disclosure, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. may be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents. [Industrial Applicability]

[0053] The present disclosure is applicable to electronic devices that are provided with fixing screws that are used without contacting a conductive member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 12 Exterior materials 14 Internal components 18 Antistatic material (frame) 24 Fixing member (fixing screw) 30 Elastic member

Claims

1. a non-conductive exterior member; a non-conductive internal member disposed on the inner side of the exterior member; a conductive fixing member exposed to the outside on an outer surface of the exterior member and fixing the exterior member to the internal member in a first direction; a conductive elastic member that elastically contacts the fixed member in the first direction; an anti-static member electrically connected to the elastic member and configured to neutralize static electricity from the fixed member via the elastic member.

2. The fixing member is a fixing screw having a head exposed to the outside and a male thread portion extending from the head in the first direction, the exterior member has a through-hole that penetrates in the first direction and through which the male thread portion of the fixing screw passes, The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the internal member includes an internally threaded hole that engages with the externally threaded portion of the fixing screw.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the elastic member enters the through-hole of the exterior member and contacts the head of the fixing screw in the first direction.

4. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the elastic member includes a contact end portion having one end that contacts the head of the fixing screw in the first direction, a cantilever portion that extends from the other end of the contact end portion in a second direction that intersects with the first direction, and a base portion that cantilevers the cantilever portion and contacts the de-ionization member.

5. The female screw hole of the internal member is a through hole, The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the elastic member enters the female screw hole or another through hole and elastically contacts the tip of the male screw portion of the fixing screw in the first direction.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the static eliminator is a metal frame that supports the internal member.

7. the frame supports a circuit board; The electronic device according to claim 6 , wherein a ground potential portion of the circuit board is electrically connected to the frame.

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