Enclosures and electronic equipment

Abstract

To provide a housing and electronic device that can stably fix plate components while improving the external appearance quality. [Solution] The housing is a housing for electronic equipment and comprises a housing member having a curved outer surface and a recessed portion provided on a part of the outer surface, and a plate member attached to the bottom surface of the recessed portion so as to fill the recessed portion and whose surface faces the outer surface, wherein the plate member has a rectangular outer shape with a long side and a short side shorter than the long side, and the bottom surface of the recessed portion is formed in a curved shape that follows the curved shape in the direction of the long side of the plate member, and is formed in a straight line in the direction of the short side of the plate member.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] An electronic device such as a notebook PC includes a housing equipped with a display panel such as a liquid crystal display. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a housing member that supports the back surface of the display panel has a dome-shaped curved surface.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In an electronic device as described above, a thin plate member may be installed on the outer surface of the housing member. The plate member is, for example, a logo plate displaying a product name or a manufacturer name.

[0005] By the way, when the housing member has a curved surface shape as described above, if the attachment surface of the plate member is a simple plane, the step between the surrounding outer surface and the surface of the plate member is likely to be conspicuous. On the other hand, when the attachment surface is an offset surface of the outer surface, for example, it is necessary to bend the long side and the short side of a rectangular plate member three-dimensionally. In this case, the short side of the plate member, which has particularly high bending rigidity, may lift up and there is a concern of peeling off from the attachment surface.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a housing and an electronic device capable of stably fixing a plate member while improving the appearance quality.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] A housing according to a first aspect of the present invention is a housing for electronic equipment, comprising: a housing member having a curved outer surface and a recessed portion provided on a part of the outer surface; and a plate member attached to the bottom surface of the recessed portion so as to fill the recessed portion, with its surface facing the outer surface, wherein the plate member has a rectangular outer shape having a long side and a short side shorter than the long side, and the bottom surface of the recessed portion is formed in a curved shape that follows the curved shape in the direction of the long side of the plate member, and in a straight line in the direction of the short side of the plate member.

[0008] An electronic device according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises a housing member having a curved outer surface and a recessed portion provided on a part of the curved outer surface, and a plate member attached to the bottom surface of the recessed portion so as to fill the recessed portion and whose surface faces the outer surface, wherein the plate member has a rectangular outer shape having a long side and a short side shorter than the long side, and the bottom surface of the recessed portion is formed in a curved shape that follows the curved shape in the direction of the long side of the plate member, and is formed in a straight line in the direction of the short side of the plate member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the above embodiment of the present invention, the plate member can be stably fixed while improving the appearance quality. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device according to one embodiment, viewed from above. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the first enclosure as seen from the outer surface side of the enclosure member. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic side view of the housing component. [Figure 4A] Figure 4A is a perspective view of the plate member and its surrounding area. [Figure 4B] Figure 4B is a perspective view showing the plate member removed from the concave portion shown in Figure 4A. [Figure 5A]Figure 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view along the VA-VA line in Figure 2. [Figure 5B] Figure 5B is a schematic cross-sectional view along the VB-VB line in Figure 2. [Figure 5C] Figure 5C is a schematic cross-sectional view along the VC-VC line in Figure 2. [Figure 5D] Figure 5D is a schematic cross-sectional view along the VD-VD line in Figure 2. [Figure 6A] Figure 6A is a schematic perspective view showing the state immediately before the plate member is attached to the bottom surface of the concave section. [Figure 6B] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating the state in which a plate member is attached to the bottom surface shown in Figure 6A. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the housing and electronic equipment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to one embodiment, viewed from above. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic device 10 of this embodiment is a clamshell-type notebook PC, and is configured such that a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 are connected by a hinge 14 so as to be rotatable relative to each other. In this embodiment, a notebook PC electronic device 10 is used as an example, but the electronic device may be other than a notebook PC, for example, a standalone display device, a tablet PC, a smartphone, or a portable game console.

[0013] The second enclosure 12 is a flat box-shaped body and is adjacent to the first enclosure 11. Inside the second enclosure 12 are various electronic components such as a motherboard equipped with a CPU, a battery device, memory, and an antenna device. The top surface 12a of the second enclosure 12 faces a keyboard 16 and a touchpad 17. The second enclosure 12 may also be equipped with a touch panel display on its top surface 12a, on which a software-based keyboard may be displayed.

[0014] The first housing 11 is a flat box-shaped body. The first housing 11 mounts a display panel 18. Hereinafter, regarding the first housing 11 and each component mounted thereon, based on the direction viewed from a user who visually recognizes the display surface 18a of the display panel 18, the left-right direction is respectively the X1 and X2 directions, the up-down direction is respectively the Y1 and Y2 directions, and the depth direction (thickness direction) is respectively the Z1 and Z2 directions for description. The X1 and X2 directions may be collectively referred to as the X direction, and the Y1 and Y2 directions and the Z1 and Z2 directions may similarly be referred to as the Y direction and the Z direction.

[0015] The display surface 18a of the display panel 18 faces the Z1-side surface of the first housing 11. The display panel 18 can be constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The first housing 11 has a housing member 20 that forms the Z2-side surface and a bezel member 22 that forms the outer periphery of the Z1-side surface. The upper, lower, left, and right side surfaces of the first housing 11 are formed by standing walls 23 that rise from the four peripheral edges of the housing member 20. The bezel member 22 is a frame-shaped thin plate that surrounds the outer peripheral edge of the display surface 18a of the display panel 18. The hinge 14 is connected to the Y2-side edge of the first housing 11 and is covered with a rod-shaped hinge cover that extends in the X direction.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the first housing 11 viewed from the outer surface 20a side of the housing member 20. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the housing member 20.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing member 20 has a dome-shaped curved surface shape 20b that smoothly bulges from the outer edge portion with the standing wall 23 toward the central portion. That is, the outer surface 20a has a dome shape that bulges from the outer peripheral edge portion toward the central portion, and expands the space in the Z direction inside. For example, a control board of the display panel 18 can be accommodated in the space secured inside the curved surface shape 20b.

[0018] A plate member 26 is installed on the outer surface 20a of the first housing 11.

[0019] The plate member 26 is, for example, a logo plate with a logo 27 on its surface 26a. The logo 27 displays the product name, manufacturer name, etc., of the electronic device 10 by string of characters, a figure, or a mark, or a combination thereof. The plate member 26 can also be used for purposes other than displaying the logo 27. For example, the plate member 26 can be used for decorative design purposes or for mounting small electronic components such as LEDs.

[0020] The plate member 26 is embedded in a recessed portion 28 formed on a part of the outer surface 20a, with its surface 26a facing the outer surface 20a. The surface 26a of the plate member 26 can be positioned slightly lower on the Z1 side than the outer surface 20a, or it can be installed substantially flush with the outer surface 20a. The recessed portion 28 and the plate member 26 are provided, for example, near the X2,Y2 corner in the plan view shown in Figure 2, and are close to the edge (vertical wall 23) on the X2 side. This position is part of the curved shape 20b formed on the outer surface 20a. In other words, the plate member 26 is installed in the recessed portion 28 formed on a part of the curved shape 20b.

[0021] Next, the mounting structure of the plate member 26 to the concave portion 28 will be described.

[0022] Figure 4A is a perspective view of the plate member 26 and its surrounding area. Figure 4B is a perspective view of the plate member 26 removed from the concave portion 28 shown in Figure 4A. Figures 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D are schematic cross-sectional views along the VA-VA line, VB-VB line, VC-VC line, and VD-VD line in Figure 2, respectively. Figure 6A is a schematic perspective view showing the state immediately before the plate member 26 is attached to the bottom surface 28a of the concave portion 28. Figure 6B is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the state after the plate member 26 has been attached to the bottom surface 28a shown in Figure 6A.

[0023] As shown in Figures 4A to 6B, the plate member 26 has a rectangular shape with a long side 26b and a short side 26c that is shorter than the long side 26b. The plate member 26 can be made of a thin resin plate formed of, for example, polycarbonate.

[0024] The thickness of the plate member 26 can be, for example, about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. The length of the long side 26b can be, for example, more than twice the length of the short side 26c. For example, the length of the long side 26b can be about 30 mm to 80 mm, and the length of the short side 26c can be about 10 mm to 30 mm. Because the plate member 26 has this shape, it can be bent to some extent flexibly, at least in the direction of the long side 26b, but the bending rigidity in the direction of the short side 26c is strong, making it hard and difficult to bend.

[0025] The concave portion 28 has a shape formed by shallowly excavating a part of the curved shape 20b formed on the outer surface 20a. The shape of the concave portion 28 in plan view can be a rectangle slightly larger than the outer shape of the plate member 26. The depth of the concave portion 28 in the Z direction is slightly greater than the thickness of the plate member 26. This allows the plate member 26 to be installed so as to fill the concave portion 28.

[0026] The plate member 26 has double-sided adhesive tape 30 on its back surface 26d, which is opposite to the front surface 26a. The plate member 26 can be attached and fixed to the bottom surface 28a of the concave portion 28 using the double-sided adhesive tape 30. The plate member 26 can also be attached to the bottom surface 28a with an adhesive or the like instead of the double-sided adhesive tape 30.

[0027] The bottom surface 28a has a rectangular shape with a long side 28b and a short side 28c that is shorter than the long side 28b. The four peripheral edges of the bottom surface 28a may be surrounded by narrow, recessed grooves 28d on the Z2 side. The grooves 28d are relief portions to prevent the outer edge of the back surface 26d of the plate member 26 from developing poor adhesion and lifting away from the bottom surface 28a. For this reason, the bottom surface 28a in this embodiment has a rectangular shape that is slightly smaller than the outer shape of the plate member 26 by the amount of the grooves 28d provided. The grooves 28d may be omitted. In this case, the outer shape of the bottom surface 28a may be the same as or slightly larger than the outer shape of the plate member 26.

[0028] In Figure 4B, the positioning hole 28e formed in the bottom surface 28a in the thickness direction is for fitting a positioning pin provided on the back surface 26d of the plate member 26. The positioning hole 28e may be omitted.

[0029] As shown in Figures 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B, the bottom surface 28a is formed in a curved shape that follows the curved shape 20b in the direction along the long side 26b of the plate member 26. In other words, the long side 28b of the bottom surface 28a is a curve that extends along the curved shape 20b. Specifically, the lines connecting corners C1 and C2, and corners C3 and C4 of the bottom surface 28a shown in Figures 4B and 6A are curves.

[0030] As shown in Figures 5C to 6B, the bottom surface 28a is formed in a straight line with respect to the direction along the short side 26c of the plate member 26. In other words, the short side 28c of the bottom surface 28a is a straight line. Specifically, the lines connecting corners C1 and C3, and corners C2 and C4 of the bottom surface 28a shown in Figures 4B and 6A are straight lines.

[0031] When attaching the plate member 26 to such a concave portion 28, the back surface 26d is attached to the bottom surface 28a with double-sided adhesive tape 30. In this case, the bottom surface 28a is formed in a curved shape in the direction of the long sides 26b, 28b and in a straight shape in the direction of the short sides 26c, 28c. Therefore, the plate member 26 curves along the curved surface in the direction of the long side 28b in the direction of the long side 26b, and is fixed directly to the plane in the direction of the short side 28c in the direction of the short side 26c.

[0032] As described above, the surface 26a of the plate member 26 is positioned such that the direction of its long side 26b follows the curved shape 20b of the outer surface 20a of the housing member 20, that is, the inner edge of the concave portion 28. Therefore, the step difference S1 formed between the long side 26b of the surface 26a and the adjacent outer surface 20a is minimized.

[0033] On the other hand, the surface 26a of the plate member 26 is positioned in a straight line in the direction of the shorter side 26c, and does not follow the curved shape 20b of the outer surface 20a of the housing member 20. However, the shorter side 26c is shorter than the longer side 26b. Therefore, the step S2 formed between the shorter side 26c of the surface 26a and the adjacent outer surface 20a is suppressed and does not stand out on the outer surface 20a.

[0034] Now, let's consider a configuration in which the bottom surface 28a is formed as a flat surface. For example, forming a flat bottom surface 28a would involve taking three of the four corners C1 to C4 to create a horizontal plane. Therefore, if the bottom surface 28a is formed as a flat surface using corners C1 to C3 as a reference, corner C4 will be either recessed towards Z1 or raised towards Z2. As a result, when the plate member 26 is attached to the flat bottom surface 28a, the portion directly above corner C4, which is misaligned in the Z direction, may form a large step difference with respect to the outer surface 20a. Also, since the long side 28b of the flat bottom surface 28a is also formed in a straight line, the step difference S1 between it and the curved outer surface 20a is easily noticeable.

[0035] In this regard, as described above, the bottom surface 28a of the concave portion 28 in this embodiment is formed in a curved shape that follows the curved surface shape 20b in the direction of the long side 26b, and in a straight shape in the direction of the short side 26c. As a result, the first housing 11 can minimize the step difference S1, S2 between the plate member 26 and the surrounding outer surface 20a, and a high appearance quality can be obtained. Moreover, the plate member 26 is not curved in the direction of the short side 26c, which has strong bending rigidity. Therefore, the plate member 26 can be fixed stably without the occurrence of problems such as the short side 26c lifting away from the bottom surface 28a and the double-sided adhesive tape 30 peeling off.

[0036] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be freely modified without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0037] The rectangular shape of the plate member 26 is acceptable not only when the long side 26b and short side 26c are perfectly straight lines in plan view, but also when the long side 26b and short side 26c are slightly curved in plan view. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10 Electronic equipment 11. First cabinet 20 Housing components 20a outer surface 20b Curved shape 26 Plate members 26b, 28b Longer side 26cm, 28cm (short side) 27 Logos 28 Concave part 28a Bottom

Claims

1. A housing for electronic equipment, A housing member having a curved outer surface, with a concave portion provided on a part of the outer surface, A plate member is attached to the bottom surface of the recessed portion so as to fill the recessed portion, with its surface facing the outer surface, Equipped with, The plate member has a rectangular shape with a long side and a short side that is shorter than the long side. The bottom surface of the concave portion is formed in a curved shape that follows the curved shape in the direction of the long side of the plate member, and in a straight shape in the direction of the short side of the plate member. A housing characterized by the following features.

2. The housing according to claim 1, The plate member is such that the length of the longer side is at least twice the length of the shorter side. A housing characterized by the following features.

3. A housing according to claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned plate member is a resin plate. A housing characterized by the following features.

4. It is an electronic device, A housing member having a curved outer surface, with a concave portion provided on a part of the curved outer surface, A plate member is attached to the bottom surface of the recessed portion so as to fill the recessed portion, with its surface facing the outer surface, Equipped with, The plate member has a rectangular shape with a long side and a short side that is shorter than the long side. The bottom surface of the concave portion is formed in a curved shape that follows the curved shape in the direction of the long side of the plate member, and in a straight shape in the direction of the short side of the plate member. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, The aforementioned plate member is a logo plate having a logo on its surface. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

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