Electronic equipment

Abstract

An electronic apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a casing provided with an upper case and a lower case; and an electronic component housed inside the casing. An end face of an outer wall of the upper case includes a first upper step surface, and a second upper step surface located at a position higher and further to the inside than the first upper step surface. An end face of an outer wall of the lower case includes a first lower step surface, a second lower step surface located at a position higher and further to the inside than the first lower step surface, and a third lower step surface located at a position higher and further to the inside than the second lower step surface. The first upper step surface is located at a position lower than the second lower step surface, and faces the first lower step surface. The second upper step surface is located at a position lower than the third lower step surface, and faces the second lower step surface.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device having a housing. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device with a housing composed of two cases. In this electronic device, a recess for accommodating a packing is formed on an end face of an outer wall of one of the cases, and the end face of the outer wall of the one case and the packing are in contact with the end face of the outer wall of the other case. This prevents liquid from entering the housing through the gap between the end faces of the outer walls of the two cases. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-187569 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, the waterproof structure of the electronic device in Patent Document 1 requires a packing. Also, since a recess for accommodating the packing is formed in an end face of the outer wall of one of the cases, the outer wall becomes thick. As a result, the housing becomes large.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to prevent liquid from entering the housing through between the end faces of the outer walls of two cases in an electronic device in which the end faces of the outer walls of the two cases face each other, without using a sealing member such as a gasket.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a housing having an upper case and a lower case; and an electronic component housed in the housing, an end surface of an outer wall of the upper case includes a first upper step surface and a second upper step surface located higher and inward than the first upper step surface; an end surface of an outer wall of the lower case includes a first lower step surface, a second lower step surface located at a higher position and an inner side position relative to the first lower step surface, and a third lower step surface located at a higher position and an inner side position relative to the second lower step surface; The first upper surface is located at a lower position than the second lower surface and faces the first lower surface, An electronic device is provided, in which the second upper surface is at a lower position relative to the third lower surface and faces the second lower surface.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, in an electronic device in which the end faces of the outer walls of two cases face each other to form a housing, it is possible to prevent liquid from entering the housing through between the end faces of the outer walls without using a sealing member such as a gasket. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] Partial cross-sectional view of the housing of an electronic device [Diagram 3] An enlarged cross-sectional view of area A shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a gap between an end face of an outer wall of an upper case and an end face of an outer wall of a lower case in a housing of a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0010] The inventor provides the accompanying drawings and the following description so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the present disclosure, and does not intend for them to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

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

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that the XYZ coordinate system shown in the figure is for facilitating understanding of the embodiment and does not limit the embodiment. In the XYZ coordinate system, the X-axis direction is the width direction of the electronic device, the Y-axis direction is the depth direction, and the Z-axis direction is the thickness direction.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, electronic device 10 according to the present embodiment is a so-called notebook personal computer, and has a housing 12 and a display 14 attached to housing 12 so as to be rotatable.

[0014] A keyboard 16 and a touch pad 18 are provided on an upper surface 12a of a housing 12 of the electronic device 10.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the housing of the electronic device, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region A shown in FIG.

[0016] 2, the housing 12 of the electronic device 10 includes an upper case 20 and a lower case 22, which are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). A space 12b formed between the upper case 20 and the lower case 22 accommodates electronic components (not shown) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and a circuit board.

[0017] Specifically, the upper case 20 and the lower case 22 are made of, for example, a magnesium alloy material or a resin material, for example, using a mold. The upper case 20 is generally composed of a top surface 20a constituting the upper surface 12a of the housing 12, and an outer wall 20b extending downward from the outer periphery of the top surface 20a. The lower case 22 is generally composed of a bottom surface 22a constituting the lower surface 12c of the housing 12, and an outer wall 22b extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom surface 22a. The upper case 20 and the lower case 22 are arranged opposite each other so that the end surface of the outer wall 20b faces the end surface of the outer wall 22b, thereby forming the housing 12 of the electronic device 10.

[0018] In the present embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 are not in contact with each other, but face each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with a gap therebetween. Instead, as shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of bosses 20c (an example of an upper boss) provided on the upper case 20 and protruding downward are in contact with a plurality of bosses 22c (an example of a lower boss) provided on the lower case 22 and protruding upward. The bosses 20c, 22c that come into contact with each other are fixed to each other by a screw 24. Note that one each of the bosses 20c, 22c is shown in Fig. 2.

[0019] That is, the boss portion 22c of the lower case 22 supports the boss portion 20c of the upper case 20, so that the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 face each other with a gap between them. The reason is that when the boss portions 20c, 22c are fixed to each other by the screw 24 with the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 in contact with each other, at least one of the upper case 20 and the lower case 22 may be deformed. To be more specific, in the case of a design in which the end faces of the outer walls contact each other, if manufacturing variations occur in the upper case 20 and the lower case 22, for example, if there is a variation in the height of the outer walls, a situation may occur in which the end faces of the outer walls 20b, 22b contact each other, but the boss portions 20c, 22c cannot contact each other. If such boss portions 20c, 22c are forcibly brought into contact with each other by the screw 24, distortion deformation may occur in at least one of the upper case 20 and the lower case 22. This deformation may cause damage such as cracks to occur in at least one of the upper case 20 and the lower case 22.

[0020] As described above and shown in Fig. 3, the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 face each other with a gap therebetween. Therefore, there is a risk that foreign matter, particularly liquid such as water, may enter between the end faces. In order to prevent the intrusion of such liquid, the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 have a multi-stage structure as a waterproof structure.

[0021] 3, the end surface of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 includes a first upper step surface 20d and a second upper step surface 20e. The first upper step surface 20d and the second upper step surface 20e extend substantially in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction and Y-axis direction). These two step surfaces may be parallel to each other or may be non-parallel to each other.

[0022] The second upper step surface 20e is located at a higher position than the first upper step surface 20d (i.e., a position closer to the top surface 20a of the upper case 20) and at an inner position than the first upper step surface 20d (i.e., on the inner side of the housing 12).

[0023] The first upper step surface 20d and the second upper step surface 20e at the end surface of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 are connected by a connection surface 20f that extends substantially in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. Furthermore, the first upper step surface 20d is connected to the outer surface 20g of the outer wall 20b, and the second upper step surface 20e is connected to the inner surface 20h of the outer wall 20b.

[0024] 3, the end surface of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 includes a first lower step surface 22d, a second lower step surface 22e, and a third lower step surface 22f. The first lower step surface 22d, the second lower step surface 22e, and the third lower step surface 22f extend substantially in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction and Y-axis direction). These three step surfaces may be parallel to each other, or any one of the step surfaces may be non-parallel to the remaining step surfaces.

[0025] The second lower step surface 22e is located at a higher position than the first lower step surface 22d (i.e., a position closer to the top surface 20a of the upper case 20) and is located at an inner position (i.e., the inner side of the housing 12) relative to the first lower step surface 22d. The third lower step surface 22f is located at a higher position than the second lower step surface 22e (i.e., a position closer to the top surface 20a of the upper case 20) and is located at an inner position (i.e., the inner side of the housing 12) relative to the second lower step surface 22e.

[0026] The first lower step surface 22d and the second lower step surface 22e at the end surface of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 are connected by a connection surface 22g that extends substantially in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. The second lower step surface 22e and the third lower step surface 22f are connected by a connection surface 22h that extends substantially in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. The first lower step surface 22d is connected to the outer surface 22j of the outer wall 22b, and the third lower step surface 22f is connected to the inner surface 22k of the outer wall 22b.

[0027] 3, the first upper step surface 20d at the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 is located at a lower and outer position (i.e., outside the housing 12) than the second lower step surface 22e at the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22, and faces the first lower step surface 22d. In the case of this embodiment, the first upper step surface 20d and the first lower step surface 22d face each other with a first distance L1 between them in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0028] Further, the second upper step surface 20e at the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 is located at a lower and outer position than the third lower step surface 22f at the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22, and faces the second lower step surface 22e. In the case of this embodiment, the second upper step surface 20e and the second lower step surface 22e face each other substantially at a second distance L2 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0029] The first distance L1 and the second distance L2 may change if there is manufacturing variation in the upper case 20 and the lower case 22, particularly if there is tolerance variation in the heights of the outer walls 20b, 22b. However, even if such variation occurs, the first distance L1 and the second distance L2 are set to a distance at which no contact occurs between the first upper step surface 20d and the first lower step surface 22d and between the second upper step surface 20e and the second lower step surface 22e.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the connection surface 20f at the end surface of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 faces the connection surface 22g at the end surface of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22, substantially at a third distance L3 in the width direction (X-axis direction).

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the connection surface 22h at the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 faces the inner surface 20h of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 substantially at a fourth distance L4 in the width direction (X-axis direction).

[0032] According to such a waterproof structure of the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22, the housing 12 has a simple waterproof function against liquid that may pass through the gap between these end faces and enter the housing 12. For example, the housing 12 has a waterproof function equivalent to IP (International Protection) X3. This will be described with reference to a comparative example.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a gap between an end face of an outer wall of an upper case and an end face of an outer wall of a lower case in a housing of a comparative example.

[0034] In the case of the comparative housing shown in FIG. 4, the end face of the outer wall 120b of the upper case includes a first upper step surface 120d and a second upper step surface 120e located at a higher position and on the inner side than the first upper step surface 120d. On the other hand, the end face of the outer wall 122b of the lower case includes a first lower step surface 122d and a second lower step surface 122e located at a higher position and on the inner side than the first lower step surface 122d. The first upper step surface 120d is located at a lower position than the height position of the second lower step surface 122e and faces the first lower step surface 122d. The second upper step surface 120e faces the second lower step surface 122e.

[0035] The first upper step surface 120d and the second upper step surface 120e at the end face of the outer wall 120b of the upper case are connected by a connection surface 120f, the first upper step surface 120d is connected to the outer surface 120g of the outer wall 120b, and the second upper step surface 120e is connected to the inner surface 120h of the outer wall 120b. The first lower step surface 122d and the second lower step surface 122e at the end face of the outer wall 122b of the lower case are connected by a connection surface 122g, the first lower step surface 122d is connected to the outer surface 122j of the outer wall 122b, and the second lower step surface 122e is connected to the inner surface 122k of the outer wall 122b. Gaps of substantially the same size exist between the first upper step surface 120d and the first lower step surface 122d, between the second upper step surface 120e and the second lower step surface 122e, and between the connection surface 120f and the connection surface 122g.

[0036] In the case of the comparative example housing shown in Figure 4, when water droplets penetrate between the first upper step surface 120d and the first lower step surface 122d and reach the second lower step surface 122e, they flow directly over the second lower step surface 122e and into the housing.

[0037] In contrast, in the case of the housing 12 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 3, even if water droplets that have entered between the first upper surface 20d and the first lower surface 22d reach the second lower surface 22e, the reaching water droplets are unlikely to climb over the third lower surface 22f (compared to the comparative example). For example, water droplets that have entered between the first upper surface 20d and the first lower surface 22d at an angle of 60 degrees with respect to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) (i.e., water droplets that comply with IPX3) cannot climb over the third lower surface 22f.

[0038] Therefore, compared to the comparative example housing shown in FIG. 4, housing 12 of the present embodiment has high waterproof performance.

[0039] 3, in the present embodiment, one of the first to fourth distances L1 to L4 between the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 is different from the other distances. This is because, if the first to fourth distances L1 to L4 were the same distance, there is a possibility that liquid that has entered between the end faces due to capillary action would reach the inside of the housing 12.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the second distance L2 is greater than the third distance L3. As a result, the liquid that has passed between the connection surface 20f at the end surface of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the connection surface 22g at the end surface of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 is depressurized as soon as it penetrates between the second upper step surface 20e and the second lower step surface 22e. This depressurization can further reduce the possibility that the invading liquid will overcome the third lower step surface 22f of the lower case 22.

[0041] In the present embodiment, in order to maintain the design of the housing 12, the outer contour of the end face of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 (i.e., the outer edge of the first upper step surface 20d) and the outer contour of the end face of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 (i.e., the outer edge of the first lower step surface 22d) overlap when viewed in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). As a result, the outer surface 20g of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the outer surface 22j of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22 substantially form one flat or curved surface with high design quality. That is, the housing 12 of the present embodiment has the above-mentioned waterproof function without providing a waterproof structure on the outer surface 20g of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 and the outer surface 22j of the outer wall 22b of the lower case 22.

[0042] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, in the thickness direction connecting the outside and inside of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 (i.e., the width direction (X-axis direction) of the electronic device 10), the size W1 of the first upper step surface 20d is made larger than the size W2 of the second upper step surface 20e. This is to prevent the outer wall 20b from being damaged when an external force is applied, for example, when the housing 12 is dropped. In contrast, when the size of the first upper step surface 20d in the X-axis direction is smaller than the size of the second upper step surface 20e, that is, when the thickness of the tip of the outer wall 20b is thin, when an external force is applied to the tip, a crack may occur between the connection surface 20f and the second upper step surface 20e, and in some cases, the tip may be chipped. In this embodiment, the thickness direction connecting the outside and inside of the outer wall 20b of the upper case 20 is taken as an example to be the width direction (X-axis direction) of the electronic device 10, but the thickness direction of the outer wall 20b may also be the depth direction (Y-axis direction) of the electronic device 10.

[0043] According to the present embodiment as described above, in an electronic device in which the end faces of the outer walls of two cases face each other to form a housing, it is possible to prevent liquid from entering the housing through between the end faces of the outer walls without using a sealing member such as a gasket.

[0044] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments.

[0045] For example, in the case of the above-described embodiment, the electronic device is a notebook personal computer as shown in Fig. 1, but the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to this. The embodiment of the present disclosure does not require waterproof performance against submersion in water, that is, it is sufficient for the electronic device to have IPX3 waterproof performance.

[0046] That is, an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a broad sense, has a housing having an upper case and a lower case, and electronic components housed within the housing, wherein an end surface of the outer wall of the upper case includes a first upper step surface and a second upper step surface that is located at a higher and inner position than the first upper step surface, an end surface of the outer wall of the lower case includes a first lower step surface, a second lower step surface that is located at a higher and inner position than the first lower step surface, and a third lower step surface that is located at a higher and inner position than the second lower step surface, wherein the first upper step surface is located at a lower position than the second lower step surface and faces the first lower step surface, and the second upper step surface is located at a lower position than the third lower step surface and faces the second lower step surface.

[0047] As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology in the present disclosure, and the accompanying drawings and detailed description have been provided for this purpose.

[0048] Therefore, among the components described in the attached drawings and the detailed description, not only are there components essential for solving the problem, but there may also be components that are not essential for solving the problem in order to illustrate the technology. Therefore, the fact that those non-essential components are described in the attached drawings or the detailed description should not be interpreted as immediately being essential.

[0049] Furthermore, since the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate the technology in the present disclosure, various modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like can be made within the scope of the claims or their equivalents. [Industrial Applicability]

[0050] The present disclosure is applicable to electronic devices whose housing is composed of an upper case and a lower case, and in which electronic components are housed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10 Electronic equipment 12. Chassis 12a Top side 12b Space 12c Bottom 14 Display 16 Keyboard 18 Touchpad 20 Upper case 20a Top 20b Outer wall 20c boss part 20d First upper surface 20e Second upper surface 20f Connection surface 20g outer surface 20h inner surface 22 Lower case 22a Bottom 22b Outer wall 22c Boss part 22d First lower step 22e Second lower step 22f 3rd lower level 22g, 22h connection surface 22j External surface 22k inner side 24 Screws 120b Outer wall 120d First upper surface 120e second upper surface 120f Connection surface 120g outer surface 120h inner surface 122b Outer wall 122d First lower step 122e Second lower step 122g Connection surface 122j External surface 122k inner side L1 First distance L2 Second distance L3 Third distance L4 4th distance W1, W2 size

Claims

1. a housing having an upper case and a lower case; and an electronic component housed in the housing, the upper case includes an upper boss portion that protrudes downward, the lower case includes a lower boss portion that protrudes upward and supports the upper boss portion, an end surface of an outer wall of the upper case includes a first upper step surface and a second upper step surface located at a higher position and an inner position relative to the first upper step surface; an end surface of an outer wall of the lower case includes a first lower step surface, a second lower step surface located at a higher position and an inner side position relative to the first lower step surface, and a third lower step surface located at a higher position and an inner side position relative to the second lower step surface, the first upper step surface is located at a lower position than the second lower step surface and faces the first lower step surface; the second upper step surface is located at a lower position than the third lower step surface and faces the second lower step surface; the first upper surface and the first lower surface face each other at a first distance; the second upper surface and the second lower surface face each other at a second distance; a connection surface connecting the first upper surface and the second upper surface; a connection surface connecting the first lower surface and the second lower surface faces each other at a third distance; a connection surface connecting the second lower surface and the third lower surface and an inner surface of an outer wall of the upper case face each other at a fourth distance; At least one of the first through fourth distances is different from at most three other distances.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second distance is greater than the third distance.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein an outer contour at an end face of the outer wall of the upper case and an outer contour at an end face of the outer wall of the lower case overlap each other when viewed in the up-down direction.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein a size of the first upper step surface is larger than a size of the second upper step surface in a thickness direction of the outer wall of the upper case.

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