Electronic apparatus and chassis member
The housing member's recessed holes and reinforced corner walls in the standing walls of electronic devices prevent glass breakage from impacts, addressing the issue of deformation and maintaining a narrow bezel design.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024029880
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-10
- Estimated Expiration
- 2044-02-29
AI Technical Summary
Existing electronic devices with display panels covered by a glass plate face issues of glass breakage due to impact, especially when dropped, as the standing walls of the housing member deform and collide with the glass corners, and the bezel width cannot be minimized without risking direct interference and further damage.
The housing member features a standing wall with corner portions that have recessed holes, inclined surfaces, and increased thickness to prevent deformation and collision with the glass plate, ensuring a narrow bezel design.
This configuration effectively prevents glass breakage from impacts by allowing the standing walls to deform without colliding with the glass, maintaining a narrow bezel and enhancing structural integrity.
Smart Images

Figure 2025132372000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device and a housing member. [Background technology]
[0002] Electronic devices such as notebook PCs are equipped with a display panel made up of a liquid crystal display, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a display panel is supported by the inner surface of a housing member having standing walls on the edges. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-5541 [Patent Document 2] JP 2017-91150 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the display surface of the display panel is covered with a glass plate. The glass plate has corners. The standing walls of the housing member that supports the display panel also have corner walls that are arranged to wrap around the corners of the glass plate. Therefore, if such an electronic device is subjected to an impact, such as being dropped, the standing walls may be deformed by the impact and collide with the corners of the glass plate, potentially causing breakage or damage to the glass.
[0005] In this regard, the configuration of Patent Document 1 has a thin plate piece attached to a resin bezel member interposed between the end face of the glass plate and the vertical wall, which reduces to some extent the risk of glass breakage in the event of an impact such as being dropped.
[0006] In order to improve the appearance quality, it is desirable to make the width of the bezel surrounding the periphery of the display panel as narrow as possible. In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the bezel width is increased by the thickness of the bezel member interposed between the glass plate and the standing wall. However, if the bezel member is removed from this configuration, there is a concern that the glass will directly interfere with the standing wall, causing breakage or damage.
[0007] In particular, some of the above-mentioned electronic devices can be used as tablet PCs by rotating the two housings up to 360 degrees (see, for example, Patent Document 2). This type of electronic device is often used at a higher position than a typical clamshell PC, for example, above the waist of a standing user. For this reason, this configuration increases the impact when dropped, making glass breakage and other issues even more problematic.
[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and has an object to provide an electronic device and a housing member that can prevent breakage or damage to the glass plate. [Means for solving the problem]
[0009] An electronic device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a housing member having a vertical wall at an edge portion, a display panel having a display surface and a back surface opposite the display surface supported by the inner surface of the housing member, and a glass plate covering the display surface of the display panel and having an end face of an outer edge portion extending from the outer peripheral side surface of the display panel facing the vertical wall, wherein the outer edge portion of the glass plate has a corner portion, the vertical wall is arranged to wrap around the corner portion and has a corner wall portion having an inner wall surface facing the corner portion, and a concave hole recessed in a direction away from the corner portion.
[0010] A housing member according to a second aspect of the present invention is a housing member for supporting a display assembly having a display panel with a display surface and a glass plate that covers the display surface and has an outer edge that extends beyond the outer peripheral side surface of the display panel, and is provided with a plate portion for supporting the back surface of the display panel opposite the display surface, and a standing wall that stands up from the edge of the plate portion, and the standing wall has a corner wall portion with a concave hole provided in its inner wall surface. [Effects of the Invention]
[0011] According to the above aspect of the present invention, breakage or damage to the glass plate can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device according to an embodiment, viewed from above. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the housing member. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the display assembly. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the housing member. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is an enlarged plan view of a corner wall portion of the first housing and its surrounding area. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is a plan view of the housing member shown in FIG. 5A with the display assembly removed. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the shape of the housing member shown in FIG. 5B. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of an electronic device and a housing member according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0014] 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to one embodiment, viewed from above. Electronic device 10 of this embodiment has a configuration in which first housing 11 and second housing 12 are connected by hinge 14 so as to be rotatable relative to each other.
[0015] The electronic device 10 of this embodiment is a so-called convertible PC that can be used as a notebook PC (notebook mode) or a tablet PC (tablet mode) depending on the angular position between the housings 11 and 12. The electronic device 10 can set the angular position between the housings 11 and 12 to a desired position within an angular range of 0 to 360 degrees. 0 degrees is a position where the planes of the housings 11 and 12 are parallel to each other and the front surface 11a of the first housing 11 faces the surface (keyboard 16) of the second housing 12. 360 degrees is a position where the planes of the housings 11 and 12 are parallel to each other and the back surface 11b of the first housing 11 faces the bottom surface (the surface opposite to the keyboard 16) of the second housing 12. In addition to a convertible PC, the electronic device 10 may be various electronic computers, such as a general notebook PC or a single-plate tablet PC, in which the angular position between the housings 11 and 12 can be set to a desired position within an angular range of approximately 0 to 180 degrees.
[0016] The second housing 12 is a flat box having a rectangular outer shape in a plan view, and is adjacent to the first housing 11. Inside the second housing 12, various electronic components such as a motherboard equipped with a CPU etc., a battery device, memory, an antenna device, etc. are housed. A keyboard 16 and a touchpad 17 face the top surface of the second housing 12.
[0017] The first housing 11 has a rectangular outer shape in a plan view, and is a flat box that is thinner than the second housing 12. The first housing 11 has a display panel 18 mounted thereon.
[0018] Hereinafter, the first housing 11 and the components mounted thereon will be described by referring to the direction as seen by a user viewing the display surface 18a of the display panel 18 as the reference, with the left-right direction referred to as the X1 and X2 directions, the up-down direction referred to as the Y1 and Y2 directions, and the depth direction referred to as the Z1 and Z2 directions. The X1 and X2 directions may be collectively referred to as the X direction, and the Y1, Y2 directions and the Z1, Z2 directions may similarly be referred to as the Y direction and the Z direction.
[0019] The display surface 18a of the display panel 18 faces the Z1-side surface (front surface 11a) of the first housing 11. The display surface 18a is a surface for displaying videos and images. The display panel 18 is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display panel 18 has a structure in which, for example, glass, a liquid crystal layer, a light guide plate, etc. are laminated together and the outer edges of each layer are fixed together with double-sided tape, adhesive, etc.
[0020] The display surface 18a of the display panel 18 is covered with a glass plate 19. The glass plate 19 is a cover glass that covers almost the entire front surface 11a of the first housing 11, including the display panel 18. The glass plate 19 can be made of touch glass that supports touch operations. The glass plate 19 may not support touch operations.
[0021] The first housing 11 has a housing member 20. Fig. 2 is a schematic front view of the housing member 20 that constitutes the first housing 11. Fig. 2 illustrates an inner surface 20a (the surface behind the rear surface 11b) of the housing member 20 and certain components installed on this inner surface 20a.
[0022] The housing member 20 has a rectangular plate portion 21 and a standing wall 22 standing up from the outer peripheral edge of the plate portion 21. The housing member 20 has a shallow bathtub shape. The plate portion 21 forms the Z2 side surface (rear surface 11b) of the first housing 11. The standing wall 22 is provided so as to surround most of the four periphery of the plate portion 21 and stands up in the Z1 direction. The housing member 20 is made of, for example, metal, such as an aluminum alloy or a magnesium alloy. The housing member 20 may also be made of resin. The housing member 20 may have a configuration in which a frame material forming the standing wall 22 is joined to the periphery of the plate portion 21 made of, for example, carbon fiber reinforced resin.
[0023] The housing member 20 supports, on an inner surface 20a, a rear surface 18b opposite to the display surface 18a of the display panel 18. Specifically, the rear surface 18b of the display panel 18 is fixed to the inner surface 20a of the plate portion 21 using double-sided adhesive tape 24.
[0024] The hinges 14 are connected in a pair to the left and right edges (edges 11c) of the first housing 11 on the Y2 side. Reference symbol 14a in FIG. 2 denotes hinge fixing portions to which the hinges 14 are fixed. If the housing member 20 is made of metal, the hinge fixing portions 14a can be formed by directly machining a screw thread into the plate portion 21. If the housing member 20 is made of resin, the hinge fixing portions 14a can be formed by a metal bracket to which the hinges 14 can be screwed. The housing member 20 has cutout portions 20b on the side of the hinge fixing portions 14a, in which the hinges 14 are disposed.
[0025] The display panel 18 of this embodiment can be used as a display assembly 26 in which the glass plate 19 is fixed to the display surface 18a. As described above, the back surface 18b of the display panel 18 is fixed to the housing member 20 with the double-sided adhesive tape 24. At this time, the outer periphery of the glass plate 19 extends along the inner periphery of the standing wall 22. In this way, the display assembly 26 is assembled to the housing member 20.
[0026] Next, the assembly structure of the display assembly 26 to the housing member 20 will be described.
[0027] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the display assembly 26. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the housing member 20, specifically the corner wall CW1 and its surrounding area. FIG. 5A is an enlarged plan view of the corner wall CW1 and its surrounding area of the first housing 11. FIG. 5B is a plan view of the housing member 20 shown in FIG. 5A with the display assembly 26 removed. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the shape of the housing member 20 shown in FIG. 5B. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5A.
[0028] First, the general configuration of the standing wall 22 will be described.
[0029] 2 and 4 to 7, the standing wall 22 has an inner wall surface 22a facing the inside of the first housing 11 and an outer wall surface 22b facing the outside of the first housing 11 on the opposite side to the inner wall surface 22a. The inner wall surface 22a faces the direction of the outer peripheral side surface 18c of the display panel 18. The surface of the outer wall surface 22b is painted as necessary, and forms the outer surface of the housing member 20.
[0030] The standing wall 22 extends so as to surround all four sides of the first housing 11. The standing wall 22 has a pair of horizontal walls 30, 31 extending along the X direction and a pair of vertical walls 32, 33 extending along the Y direction. The walls 30 to 33 are linear standing walls (linear wall portions) extending along the X direction or the Y direction.
[0031] One of the side walls 30 forms the Y1-side edge (edge 11d) of the first housing 11. The side wall 30 extends over substantially the entire length of the edge 11d. The first housing 11 of this embodiment has a bulging portion 34 that bulges outward (toward the Y1 side) at the longitudinal center of the edge 11d (see FIG. 2). The bulging portion 34 expands the space between the vertical wall 22 (side wall 30) and the outer peripheral side surface 18c of the display panel 18, ensuring installation space for a high-performance camera module 36. The camera module 36 includes a camera lens 36a. The camera lens 36a is a camera that can be used for video recording, etc., and has a light-collecting lens in the center and an image sensor on the back side of the lens. The camera module 36 may further include an IRLED (infrared camera), an illuminance sensor, etc.
[0032] The vertical walls 32 and 33 extend along the Y direction and are perpendicular to the horizontal walls 30 and 31, respectively. As a result, corner wall portions CW1 to CW4 are formed at the four corners of the standing wall 22. The horizontal wall 30 and the vertical walls 32 and 33, which are linear wall portions, are continuous with both ends of the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2, respectively, and extend in directions perpendicular to each other.
[0033] 2 and 4, the lateral wall 30 can have a support surface 22c below the inner wall surface 22a (the base side of the standing wall 22). The support surface 22c is the upper surface of a platform that is one step higher than the inner surface 20a and protrudes from the lower end of the inner wall surface 22a toward the Y1 side. The support surface 22c can support a resin member 52, which will be described later. The support surface 22c is provided on at least the lateral wall 30 on the Y1 side, but may also be provided on the other walls 31 to 33 in the same manner.
[0034] The side wall 30 of this embodiment has recesses 24a on the sides of the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2. The recesses 24a are formed by cutting out a portion of the support surface 22c in the Y1 direction. The end of the double-sided adhesive tape 24 can be placed in the recesses 24a. The side wall 30 also has recesses 37 formed by cutting out an arc-shaped portion of the support surface 22c in the Y1 direction between the recesses 24a and the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2. The recesses 37 are relief portions to prevent the corners of the display panel 18 from colliding with the upright wall 22 due to the impact when the electronic device 10 is dropped onto a floor or the like.
[0035] The corner wall portions CW1, CW2 of the standing wall 22 may have all or part of the recessed hole 40, the inclined portion 42, and the thick portion 44. Details of the recessed hole 40 and the like will be described later.
[0036] Next, the configuration of the display assembly 26 will be described.
[0037] As shown in FIGS. 3, 5A, and 7, the display assembly 26 is a laminate in which a glass plate 19 is fixed to the display surface 18a of the display panel 18.
[0038] The glass plate 19 can be fixed to the display surface 18a with a transparent adhesive member 50. The surface area of the glass plate 19 is slightly larger than the surface area of the display panel 18. Therefore, the glass plate 19 has an eave-shaped outer edge portion 19a that protrudes outward from the outer peripheral side surface 18c of the display panel 18.
[0039] The end surface 19b of the outer edge portion 19a of the glass plate 19 faces the inner wall surface 22a of the standing wall 22 with a predetermined gap C therebetween. The gap C is, for example, 0.2 mm. Specifically, of the four standing walls 22, the inner wall surfaces 22a of the horizontal wall 30 on the Y1 side and the left and right vertical walls 32, 33 face the end surface 19b with the gap C therebetween. Note that the hinge 14 and components related to wiring are disposed between the horizontal wall 31 on the Y2 side and the end surface 19b, so the gap between the inner wall surface 22a and the end surface 19b is wide, for example, 10 mm or more.
[0040] Corner portions C1 to C4 are formed at the four corners of the glass plate 19, and curve along the corner wall portions CW1 to CW4 of the housing member 20. The corner portions C1 and C2 provided at one and the other longitudinal ends of the outer edge portion 19a on the Y1 side face the inner wall surfaces 22a of the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 with a gap C therebetween. The corner portions C3 and C4 provided at both ends of the outer edge portion 19a on the Y2 side are disposed with a gap (e.g., 10 mm or more) between them and the corner wall portions CW3 and CW4, similar to the wide gap between them and the lateral wall 31 described above.
[0041] The display assembly 26 may further include a pair of left and right resin members 52, 52. The resin member 52 may be fixed to the back surface 19c of the outer edge portion 19a on the Y1 side of the glass plate 19 using an adhesive member 54 (see FIG. 7). Examples of the adhesive member 54 include double-sided adhesive tape, a pressure-sensitive adhesive, and an adhesive. Hereinafter, the outer edge portion 19a extending in the X direction on the Y1 side of the glass plate 19 may also be referred to as the "outer edge portion 19a1." The outer edge portion 19a1 has a bulge 19a2 formed in the longitudinal center toward the Y1 side that corresponds to the shape of the bulge 34. The housing member 20 may be configured without the bulge 34. In this case, the bulge 19a2 of the glass plate 19 may also be omitted, and the outer edge portion 19a1 may be formed in a linear shape extending along the X direction.
[0042] 3 and 7, the resin members 52 are strip-shaped resin parts extending in the X direction. The resin member 52 on the X1 side extends from a position close to the corner C1 to just before the bulging portion 19a2. The resin member 52 on the X2 side extends from a position close to the corner C2 to just before the bulging portion 19a2. The resin members 52 are disposed on the support surface 22c of the side wall 30 with a small gap therebetween. Each resin member 52 may have a protrusion or hook formed thereon that is positioned relative to or engages with a recess or plate piece formed on the support surface 22c of the side wall 30, for example.
[0043] In this type of glass plate 19, corner portions C1 and C2 at both ends of the outer edge portion 19a1 face corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 of the standing wall 22 via a narrow gap C. In other words, the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 are arranged close to each other so as to wrap around the corner portions C1 and C2, respectively. In this case, no resin part such as a bezel member is interposed in the gap C. This allows the electronic device 10 to have a narrow bezel surrounding the display assembly 26.
[0044] On the other hand, the corner portions C3 and C4 on the Y2 side are positioned at a certain distance from the corner wall portions CW3 and CW4. This is because there is a limit to how narrow the bezel can be made due to the metal bracket 14a and other components being disposed on the edge portion 11c. Depending on the structure of the hinge 14 and the metal bracket 14a, the corner wall portions CW3 and CW4 may be positioned close to the corner portions C3 and C4, wrapping around them.
[0045] As described above, in the electronic device 10 of this embodiment, at least the corner portions C1 and C2 and the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 are positioned close to each other, facing each other with a gap C of, for example, 0.2 mm. Therefore, when the electronic device 10 is dropped with the corner walls CW1 and CW2 facing downwards, a situation known as a corner drop, there is a concern that the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 of the standing wall 22 may deform toward the inside of the first housing 11. This may cause the deformed corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 to collide with the end surface 19b, potentially resulting in breakage or damage to the glass plate 19. In particular, the housing member 20 may be made of a metal such as an aluminum alloy. In this case, the abutment of the metal standing wall 22 against the glass plate 19 increases the risk of breakage or damage to the glass plate 19.
[0046] Therefore, in the electronic device 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5B, and 7, recessed holes 40, inclined portions 42, and thick portions 44 can be provided in the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2.
[0047] The recessed hole 40, the inclined portion 42, and the thick portion 44 are structures for preventing the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 from colliding with the glass plate 19. It is most preferable to provide all of the recessed hole 40, the inclined portion 42, and the thick portion 44 at the same time. It is also possible to provide only one or two of these, for example, only the recessed hole 40. In cases where the corner portions C3, C4 and the corner wall portions CW3, CW4 are close to each other, the recessed hole 40 and the like can also be provided in the corner wall portions CW3, CW4.
[0048] The following describes the configuration of the corner wall portion CW1 on the X1 side as a representative example, as shown in Figures 4 to 7. The corner wall portion CW2 on the X2 side can have the same or similar structure as the corner wall portion CW1 shown in Figures 4 to 7, except that it has a symmetrical structure. Therefore, a detailed description of the corner wall portion CW2 will be omitted.
[0049] First, the recessed hole 40 is a hollowed-out recess provided in the inner wall surface 22a of the corner wall portion CW1. The recessed hole 40 is recessed in a direction away from the corner portion C1 of the glass plate 19, that is, in a direction from the inner wall surface 22a toward the outer wall surface 22b. The recessed hole 40 curves in an arch shape along the outer edge of the corner portion C1. The recessed hole 40 has a relief shape to prevent the inner wall surface 22a from colliding with the corner portion C1 when the corner wall portion CW1 deforms and moves toward the glass plate 19.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 7, when the rising direction (Z1 direction) of the standing wall 22 is used as a reference, the upper end 40a of the recessed hole 40 can be at a height position that is the same as or lower than the surface 19d of the glass plate 19. The surface 19d of the glass plate 19 is the surface opposite the back surface 19c and constitutes the majority of the front surface 11a of the first housing 11. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 7, the upper end 40a is at a position (Z2 side) that is lower than the surface 19d by a height H. The height H can be set to, for example, approximately the same as the Z-direction height of the chamfered portion 19d1 provided on the end surface 19b of the glass plate 19. In this embodiment, the height H is, for example, 0.1 mm.
[0051] When the standing direction of the standing wall 22 is used as a reference, the lower end 40b of the recessed hole 40 can be located at a position (on the Z2 side) lower than the rear surface 19c of the glass plate 19. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 7, the Z-direction height of the rear surface 19c is located near the center of the Z-direction height of the recessed hole 40.
[0052] Next, the inclined portion 42 is an inclined surface provided on the inner wall surface 22a of the corner wall portion CW1. The inclined portion 42 gradually slopes toward the display panel 18 (plate portion 21) side toward the base side (Z2 side) of the corner wall portion CW1. The inclined portion 42 curves along the inner wall surface 22a that curves along the corner wall portion CW1. The inclined portion 42 is a gradient provided at the base portion of the corner wall portion CW1. The inclined portion 42 has a bank shape that wraps around the inner periphery of the corner wall portion CW1. The inclined portion 42 has a reinforcing shape that prevents the corner wall portion CW1 from deforming toward the glass plate 19 when the electronic device 10 is corner dropped.
[0053] The length of the inclined portion 42 can extend to the horizontal wall 30 and the vertical wall 32 adjacent to the corner wall portion CW1. In the configuration example shown in Figures 4 and 5A, one end 42a of the inclined portion 42 reaches the inner wall surface 22a of the horizontal wall 30, and the other end 42b reaches the inner wall surface 22a of the vertical wall 31.
[0054] The corner wall portion CW1 has high rigidity due to the inclined portion 42. In particular, the corner wall portion CW1 can ensure sufficient strength due to the inclined portion 42 even when the recessed hole 40 is provided. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the recessed hole 40 is formed so that a portion of the inclined portion 42 is hollowed out. In other words, the upper end of the inclined portion 42 can be set higher (towards Z1) than the lower end 40b of the recessed hole 40.
[0055] Next, the thick portion 44 is formed by making the thickness t1 of the corner wall portion CW1 larger than the thickness t2 of the adjacent horizontal wall 30 and vertical wall 32 (see FIG. 5B). In other words, the corner wall portion CW1 can have a thickness larger than the linear wall portions (walls 30, 32, 33) extending along the outer peripheral side surface 18c. The thick portion 44 is a reinforcing shape that increases the thickness of the corner wall portion CW1 itself to prevent the corner wall portion CW1 from deforming toward the glass plate 19 when the electronic device 10 is corner dropped.
[0056] As shown in Figure 5B, the inner wall surface 22a and outer wall surface 22b of the corner wall portion CW1 each have an arc shape (quarter circle shape). The thickness of the corner wall portion CW1 gradually increases from the boundaries B1, B2 with the straight wall portions (walls 30, 32) toward the middle M of the corner. As a result, the thickness of the corner wall portion CW1 changes so that it is thickest near the middle M. The boundary B1 indicates the boundary on the inner wall surface 22a side. The boundary B2 indicates the boundary on the outer wall surface 22b side.
[0057] It is preferable that such thick-walled portion 44 has an evenly symmetrical structure with the portion extending toward the horizontal wall 30 and the portion extending toward the vertical wall 32, centered on the midpoint M of corner wall portion CW1. This prevents unintended stress concentration at various points on thick-walled portion 44 during corner drop, and more effectively suppresses deformation of corner wall portion CW1.
[0058] The imaginary circle 22a1 shown by the dashed dotted line in FIG. 6 is an extension of the trajectory of a circle passing through the inner wall surface 22a of the corner wall portion CW1. The imaginary circle 22b1 is an extension of the trajectory of a circle passing through the outer wall surface 22b of the corner wall portion CW1. The imaginary circle 40c is an extension of the trajectory of a circle passing through the inner part of the recessed hole 40. The center point O1 in FIG. 6 indicates the center of the imaginary circle 22a1. The center point O2 indicates the centers of the imaginary circles 22b1 and 40c. The radii r1, r2, and r3 in FIG. 6 indicate the radii of the imaginary circles 22a1, 22b1, and 40c, respectively.
[0059] As shown in FIG. 6, the center O1 of an imaginary circle 22a1 that describes the inner wall surface 22a is offset toward the inside of the housing member 20 from the center O2 of an imaginary circle 22b1 that describes the outer wall surface 22b. More specifically, the centers O1 and O2 are on a 45-degree line that passes through the middle M of the corner wall portion CW1, and the center O2 is closer to the inner wall surface 22a than the center O1. In this embodiment, the radius r1 of the imaginary circle 22a1 can be slightly smaller than or equal to the radius r2 of the imaginary circle 22b1. The radius r3 of the imaginary circle 40c can be equal to the radius of the corner portion C1 of the glass plate 19.
[0060] As a result, in the corner wall portion CW1, the boundary B1 between the inner wall surface 22a and the straight wall portion (walls 30, 32) and the boundary B2 between the outer wall surface 22b and the straight wall portion (walls 30, 32) are misaligned in the X direction or the Y direction (see FIG. 6). As a result, the corner wall portion CW1 can form a thick-walled portion 44 whose thickness increases uniformly from the boundaries B1, B2 with the walls 30, 32 toward the middle M.
[0061] As described above, electronic device 10 of this embodiment can include housing member 20 having standing walls 22 on its edges, display panel 18 having back surface 18b supported by inner surface 20a of housing member 20, and glass plate 19 covering display surface 18a of display panel 18 and having end faces 19b of outer edge portions 19a extending from outer peripheral side surfaces 18c facing standing walls 22. Standing walls 22 are arranged to wrap around corners C1 and C2 of glass plate 19, and have corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 having inner wall surfaces 22a facing corner portions C1 and C2. Recessed holes 40 recessed in a direction away from corner portions C1 and C2 are provided in inner wall surfaces 22a of corner wall portions CW1 and CW2.
[0062] The housing member 20 of this embodiment can be used to support a display assembly 26 having a display panel 18 and a glass plate 19 with an outer edge 19a extending from an outer peripheral side surface 18c. The housing member 20 includes a plate portion 21 for supporting the rear surface 18b of the display panel 18, and a standing wall 22 standing from the edge of the plate portion 21. The standing wall 22 has corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 with recessed holes 40 formed in its inner wall surface 22a.
[0063] In such an electronic device 10 and housing member 20, there is a possibility that the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 may be deformed toward the inside of the first housing 11 due to an external force such as a corner drop. Even in this case, the electronic device 10 can escape from the edge surface 19b of the glass plate 19 through the recessed holes 40 provided in the inner wall surfaces 22a of the corner wall portions CW1, CW2. As a result, the electronic device 10 can prevent the standing wall 22 from colliding with the edge surface 19b of the glass plate 19. This prevents the glass plate 19 from being broken or damaged due to an impact such as a fall.
[0064] Now, consider the case where an external force F is applied to the corner wall portion CW1 (CW2) as shown in FIG. 7. In this case, it is assumed that the standing wall 22 deforms in the direction (movement direction) D indicated by the arrow in the figure. This is because the upper part of the standing wall 22 in the standing direction (the tip on the Z1 side) has the weakest rigidity. In this case, the standing wall 22 moves toward the glass plate 19 so that the recessed hole 40 swallows the end face 19b. As a result, the inner wall surface 22a is prevented from colliding with the end face 19b.
[0065] Therefore, if the upper end 40a of the recessed hole 40 is located at a height equal to or lower than the front surface 19d of the glass plate 19 in the Z direction, interference with the end surface 19b can be effectively avoided. Also, if the lower end 40b of the recessed hole 40 is located at a position lower than the back surface 19c of the glass plate 19 in the Z direction, interference with the end surface 19b can be effectively avoided.
[0066] In particular, electronic device 10 may be used as a tablet PC by rotating housings 11 and 12 up to 360 degrees. In this case, electronic device 10 may be used at a higher position than a typical clamshell PC, for example, above the waist of a standing user. However, even if electronic device 10 is dropped from such a height, recessed hole 40 can prevent damage to glass plate 19.
[0067] The electronic device 10 and the housing member 20 may also have an inclined portion 42 on the inner wall surface 22a of the corner wall portions CW1, CW2. The electronic device 10 and the housing member 20 may also have a thick portion 44 in which the thickness t1 of the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 is greater than the thickness t2 of the adjacent straight wall portions, that is, the horizontal wall 30 and the vertical walls 32, 33. This improves the strength of the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 themselves in the vertical wall 22. As a result, the electronic device 10 can prevent deformation of the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 due to an impact such as a fall, and can prevent damage to the glass plate 19.
[0068] Here, the results of a drop experiment on the electronic device 10 will be described. This drop experiment used an electronic device 10 (Example) having a recessed hole 40, an inclined portion 42, and a thick portion 44 in the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2, and an electronic device (Comparative Example) not having a recessed hole 40, an inclined portion 42, and a thick portion 44. In the drop experiment, the electronic device 10 of the Example and the electronic device of the Comparative Example were allowed to freely drop onto the floor from heights of 650 mm, 700 mm, and 750 mm, respectively.
[0069] As a result of the experiment, the glass plate 19 of the electronic device of the comparative example was not broken at a height of 650 mm, but was broken at heights of 700 mm and 750 mm. On the other hand, the glass plate 19 of the electronic device 10 of the example was not broken at heights of 650 mm, 700 mm, or 750 mm. This confirmed that the recessed hole 40, the inclined portion 42, and the thick portion 44 are effective in preventing breakage of the glass plate 19 when dropped.
[0070] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be freely modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]
[0071] 10 Electronic equipment 11 First cabinet 12 Second enclosure 14 Hinge 18 Display Panel 19 Glass Plate 19a, 19a1 Outer edge 19b End face 20 Housing material 22 Standing Wall 22a Inner wall 26 Display Assembly 40 concave hole 42 Slope 44 Thick wall part C1~C4 Corner section CW1~CW4 Corner wall
Claims
1. An electronic device, a housing member having a standing wall at an edge thereof; a display panel having a display surface and a rear surface opposite to the display surface supported by the inner surface of the housing member; a glass plate covering a display surface of the display panel, the end face of an outer edge portion of which protrudes from an outer peripheral side surface of the display panel facing the standing wall; Equipped with The outer edge of the glass plate has a corner portion, the standing wall is disposed so as to go around the corner portion and has a corner wall portion having an inner wall surface facing the corner portion, The inner wall surface of the corner wall portion is provided with a recessed hole recessed in a direction away from the corner portion. An electronic device characterized by:
2. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, With respect to the upright direction of the upright wall as a reference, the upper end of the recessed hole is at a height position that is the same as or lower than the surface of the glass plate. An electronic device characterized by:
3. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, The lower end of the recessed hole is located lower than the rear surface of the glass plate with respect to the standing direction of the standing wall. An electronic device characterized by:
4. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The inner wall surface of the corner wall portion has an inclined portion that gradually inclines toward the display panel toward the base side of the corner wall portion. An electronic device characterized by:
5. 5. The electronic device according to claim 1, the upright wall has a linear wall portion extending along the outer peripheral side surface of the display panel, The thickness of the corner wall portion is greater than the thickness of the adjacent straight wall portion. An electronic device characterized by:
6. 6. The electronic device according to claim 5, the corner wall portion has an outer wall surface that forms an outer surface of the housing member on the opposite side to the inner wall surface, the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the corner wall portion each have an arc shape, The corner wall gradually increases in thickness toward the middle of the corner. An electronic device characterized by:
7. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, moreover, a first housing having the housing member and a rectangular outer shape; a second housing having a rectangular outer shape and adjacent to the first housing; a hinge that connects one edge of the first housing and one edge of the second housing so as to be relatively rotatable; Equipped with The standing wall is a pair of vertical walls extending along a pair of edges perpendicular to one edge of the first housing to which the hinge is connected and forming one of the corner walls; a horizontal wall that extends perpendicular to the pair of vertical walls on the side opposite to the edge of the first housing to which the hinge is connected, and that forms the other of the corner walls; and The recessed holes are provided in each of a pair of corner wall portions formed between the pair of vertical walls and the horizontal wall. An electronic device characterized by:
8. A housing member for supporting a display assembly including a display panel having a display surface and a glass plate covering the display surface and having an outer edge extending beyond an outer peripheral side surface of the display panel, a plate portion for supporting a rear surface of the display panel opposite to a display surface thereof; a standing wall rising from an edge portion of the plate portion; Equipped with The standing wall has a corner wall portion with a recessed hole formed on its inner wall surface. A housing member characterized by:
9. The housing member according to claim 8, The inner wall surface of the corner wall portion has an inclined portion that gradually inclines toward the plate portion toward the base side of the corner wall portion. A housing member characterized by:
10. The housing member according to claim 8 or 9, The standing wall has a pair of linear wall portions that are continuous with both ends of the corner wall portion and extend in directions perpendicular to each other, The thickness of the corner wall portion is greater than the thickness of the adjacent straight wall portion. A housing member characterized by:
Citation Information
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