Electronic equipment and housing parts

The housing member with concave holes, inclined parts, and thickened corner walls in the standing wall structure addresses glass plate damage in electronic devices by absorbing impact forces, maintaining a narrow bezel width and protecting the glass in convertible devices.

JP7623533B1Active Publication Date: 2025-01-28LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024029880
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-02-29
Publication Date
2025-01-28
Estimated Expiration
2044-02-29

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing electronic devices with display panels, such as notebook PCs, face issues of glass plate damage due to impacts from falls, especially when used in convertible modes like tablet PCs, where the bezel width is widened by the thickness of the bezel member, and the glass plate corners are prone to collision with the standing wall, leading to potential damage.

Method used

The electronic device incorporates a housing member with a standing wall featuring concave holes, inclined parts, and thickened portions in the corner walls to absorb impact, ensuring a narrow bezel width and preventing direct collision with the glass plate during falls.

Benefits of technology

The solution effectively prevents glass plate damage by absorbing impact forces, maintaining a narrow bezel width, and ensuring the glass plate is protected even in convertible devices used at various angles and heights.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

Provided is an electronic device and a housing member capable of suppressing breakage or damage to a glass plate. [Solution] The electronic device comprises a housing member having a vertical wall on its edge, a display panel having a display surface and whose back surface opposite the display surface is 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 its outer edge protruding from the outer peripheral side surface of the display panel facing the vertical wall, wherein the outer edge of the glass plate has a corner portion, the vertical wall is arranged to go around the corner portion and has a corner wall portion having an inner wall surface facing the corner portion, and the inner wall surface of the corner wall portion is provided with a concave hole recessed in a direction away from the corner portion.
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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 include a display panel configured with 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 a standing wall at the edge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-5541 A [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 a corner portion. The standing wall of the housing member supporting the display panel also has a corner wall portion arranged so as to wrap around the corner portion of the glass plate. Therefore, when such an electronic device is subjected to an impact such as being dropped, the standing wall deformed by the impact may collide with the corner portion of the glass plate, and the glass may be broken or damaged.

[0005] In this regard, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, a thin plate piece provided on a resin bezel member is interposed between the end face of the glass plate and the vertical wall, which prevents the glass from breaking or being damaged to a certain extent when the glass is dropped or otherwise subjected to an impact.

[0006] Incidentally, it is desirable to configure the width of the bezel surrounding the periphery of the display panel as narrow as possible in order to improve the quality of the appearance. In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the bezel width is expanded by the plate thickness of the bezel member interposed between the glass plate and the standing wall. On the other hand, if the bezel member is removed from this configuration, there is a concern that the glass may 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 problems even more problematic.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems with the conventional technology described above, and has an object to provide an electronic device and a housing member that can prevent breakage or damage to a 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 on an edge, 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 protruding from an 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 go around the corner portion and has a corner wall portion having an inner wall surface facing the corner portion, and the inner wall surface of the corner wall is provided with 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 having a display surface and a glass plate covering the display surface and having an outer edge extending from the outer peripheral side surface of the display panel, and is provided with a plate portion for supporting a rear surface opposite the display surface of the display panel, and a standing wall standing 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. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the above-described aspect of the present invention, breakage or damage to the glass plate can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device according to an embodiment viewed from above. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the housing member. [Diagram 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 and its surrounding area of ​​the first housing. [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 PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an electronic device and a housing member according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment, viewed from above. Electronic device 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which first housing 11 and second housing 12 are connected by hinge 14 to be rotatable relative to each other.

[0015] The electronic device 10 of the present 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 housings 11 and 12 to a desired angular position within an angular range of 0 degrees to 360 degrees. 0 degrees is a position where the plane directions 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 plane directions 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 side) of the second housing 12. The electronic device 10 may be various electronic computers such as a general notebook PC or a one-plate tablet PC that can set the housings 11 and 12 to a desired angular position within an angular range of about 0 degrees to 180 degrees, in addition to a convertible PC.

[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, a battery device, a memory, an antenna device, etc. are housed. A keyboard 16 and a touch pad 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 each of the components mounted thereon will be described with reference to the direction as seen by a user viewing the display surface 18a of the display panel 18, 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 be similarly 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 composed of, for example, 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 and the outer peripheral 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 substantially 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 constituting 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 be made of resin. The housing member 20 may be configured by joining a frame material forming the standing wall 22 to the periphery of the plate portion 21 formed of, for example, carbon fiber reinforced resin.

[0023] The housing member 20 supports, with 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 a 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 a hinge fixing portion to which the hinges 14 are fixed. When the housing member 20 is made of metal, the hinge fixing portion 14a can be formed with a screw thread by directly machining the plate portion 21. When the housing member 20 is made of resin, the hinge fixing portion 14a can be formed of a metal bracket to which the hinge 14 can be screwed. The housing member 20 has a cutout portion 20b on the side of the hinge fixing portion 14a, in which the hinge 14 is 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 structure for mounting 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 portion CW1 and its surroundings. FIG. 5A is an enlarged plan view of the corner wall portion CW1 and its surroundings 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 a shape explanatory diagram 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 schematic 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 side opposite 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 outer wall surface 22b has a surface 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 (straight wall portions) extending along the X direction or the Y direction.

[0031] One of the side walls 30 constitutes 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 (Y1 side) at the center of the longitudinal direction of the edge 11d (see FIG. 2). The bulging portion 34 expands the space between the standing 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 lens for collecting light in the center, and an image sensor is provided on the back side of the lens. The camera module 36 can also include an IRLED (infrared camera), an illuminance sensor, etc.

[0032] The vertical walls 32, 33 extend along the Y direction and are perpendicular to the horizontal walls 30, 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, 33, which are straight wall portions, are continuous with both ends of the corner wall portions CW1, 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 to 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 a recess 24a on the side of the corner wall portions CW1, CW2. The recess 24a is formed by cutting out a part of the support surface 22c in the Y1 direction. An end of the double-sided adhesive tape 24 can be placed in the recess 24a. The side wall 30 further has a recess 37 formed by cutting out the support surface 22c in an arc shape in the Y1 direction between the recess 24a and the corner wall portions CW1, CW2. The recess 37 is a relief portion for preventing the corner of the display panel 18 from colliding with the standing wall 22 due to the impact when the electronic device 10 is dropped onto a floor surface or the like.

[0035] Such 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. The recessed hole 40 and the like will be described in detail 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 a display surface 18a of a 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, among the four sides of the standing wall 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, since the hinge 14 and parts related to wiring are disposed between the horizontal wall 31 on the Y2 side and the end surface 19b, the gap between the inner wall surface 22a and the end surface 19b is large, for example, 10 mm or more.

[0040] The glass plate 19 has four corners formed with corner portions C1 to C4 that are curved along the corner walls CW1 to CW4 of the housing member 20. The corner portions C1, C2 provided at one end and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the outer edge portion 19a on the Y1 side face the inner wall surfaces 22a of the corner walls CW1, CW2 with a gap C therebetween. The corner portions C3, 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 walls CW3, 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). The adhesive member 54 may be, for example, a double-sided adhesive tape, an adhesive, or an adhesive. Hereinafter, the outer edge portion 19a extending in the X direction on the Y1 side of the glass plate 19 may be referred to as the "outer edge portion 19a1". The outer edge portion 19a1 has a bulging portion 19a2 formed on the Y1 side in the center in the longitudinal direction, which corresponds to the shape of the bulging portion 34. The housing member 20 may be configured not to have the bulging portion 34. In this case, the bulging portion 19a2 of the glass plate 19 may also be omitted, and the outer edge portion 19a1 may be formed in a straight line 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 portion C1 to just before the bulging portion 19a2. The resin member 52 on the X2 side extends from a position close to the corner portion 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 can form, for example, a protrusion or a hook that is positioned or engaged with a recess or plate piece formed on the support surface 22c of the side wall 30.

[0043] In such a glass plate 19, corner portions C1, C2 at both ends of the outer edge portion 19a1 face corner wall portions CW1, CW2 of the standing wall 22 through a narrow gap C. In other words, the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 are disposed close to each other so as to go around the corner portions C1, 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, C4 on the Y2 side are disposed at a certain distance from the corner walls CW3, CW4. This is because there is a limit to how narrow the bezel can be made, since the metal bracket 14a and the like are disposed on the edge portion 11c. Depending on the structure of the hinge 14 and the metal bracket 14a, the corner walls CW3, CW4 may be disposed close to the corner portions C3, C4 so as to wrap around them.

[0045] In this manner, in the electronic device 10 of the present embodiment, at least the corner portions C1, C2 and the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 face each other at positions close to each other, for example, with a gap C of 0.2 mm therebetween. For this reason, when the electronic device 10 receives an impact, particularly when the electronic device 10 is dropped with the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 facing downwards, which is called a corner drop, there is a concern that the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 of the standing wall 22 may be deformed toward the inside of the first housing 11. In that case, there is a concern that the deformed corner wall portions CW1, CW2 may collide with the end surface 19b, causing 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, there is an even greater concern that the glass plate 19 may be broken or damaged due to the metal standing wall 22 abutting against the glass plate 19.

[0046] Therefore, in the electronic device 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5B, and 7, a concave hole 40, an inclined portion 42, and a thick portion 44 can be provided in the corner walls CW1, CW2.

[0047] The concave hole 40, the inclined portion 42, and the thick portion 44 are structures for preventing the corner walls CW1, CW2 from colliding with the glass plate 19. It is most preferable to provide all of the concave 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 concave hole 40. In cases where the corner portions C3, C4 and the corner walls CW3, CW4 are close to each other, the concave hole 40 etc. can also be provided in the corner walls CW3, CW4.

[0048] The configuration of the corner wall portion CW1 on the X1 side will be representatively described below 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 concave hole 40 is a hollow-out recess provided in the inner wall surface 22a of the corner wall portion CW1. The concave 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 concave hole 40 curves in an arch shape along the outer edge of the corner portion C1. The concave hole 40 has an escape 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 concave hole 40 can be at a height position equal to or lower than the surface 19d of the glass plate 19. The surface 19d of the glass plate 19 is the surface opposite to the back surface 19c, and is the surface that constitutes most 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) lower than the surface 19d by a height H. The height H can be set to be approximately the same as the Z-direction height of the chamfered portion 19d1 provided on the end surface 19b of the glass plate 19, for example. The height H in this embodiment 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 concave hole 40 can be located at a position (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 concave 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 inclines toward the display panel 18 side (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 circumference of the corner wall portion CW1. The inclined portion 42 has a reinforcing shape to suppress deformation of the corner wall portion CW1 toward the glass plate 19 side 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 concave hole 40 is provided. As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the concave 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 above (on the Z1 side) the lower end 40b of the concave hole 40.

[0055] Next, the thick portion 44 is obtained by making the plate thickness t1 of the corner wall portion CW1 larger than the plate 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 for suppressing deformation of the corner wall portion CW1 toward the glass plate 19 when the electronic device 10 is corner dropped by increasing the plate thickness of the corner wall portion CW1 itself.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 5B, the inner wall surface 22a and the 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 at its maximum 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 middle point M of the corner wall portion CW1. This makes it possible to prevent unintended stress concentration from occurring at various points in the thick-walled portion 44 during corner drop, and more effectively prevent deformation of the corner wall portion CW1.

[0058] The imaginary circle 22a1 shown by a dashed 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 the 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 the 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, a boundary B1 between the inner wall surface 22a and the straight wall portion (walls 30, 32) and a 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, the electronic device 10 of the present embodiment can include a housing member 20 having a standing wall 22 at an edge portion, a display panel 18 having a back surface 18b supported by an inner surface 20a of the housing member 20, and a glass plate 19 covering the display surface 18a of the display panel 18 and having an end surface 19b of an outer edge portion 19a protruding from an outer peripheral side surface 18c facing the standing wall 22. The standing wall 22 is disposed so as to go around the corner portions C1 and C2 of the glass plate 19, and has corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 having inner wall surfaces 22a facing the corner portions C1 and C2. The inner wall surfaces 22a of the corner wall portions CW1 and CW2 are provided with recessed holes 40 recessed in a direction away from the corner portions C1 and C2.

[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 portion 19a extending from an outer peripheral side surface 18c. The housing member 20 includes a plate portion 21 for supporting a rear surface 18b of the display panel 18, and a standing wall 22 standing from an edge portion of the plate portion 21. The standing wall 22 has corner wall portions CW1, CW2 in which recessed holes 40 are provided on an inner wall surface 22a.

[0063] In such an electronic device 10 and housing member 20, the corner walls 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 the end face 19b of the glass plate 19 through the recessed holes 40 provided in the inner wall surfaces 22a of the corner walls CW1, CW2. As a result, the electronic device 10 can prevent the standing wall 22 from colliding with the end face 19b of the glass plate 19. This allows the electronic device 10 to prevent the glass plate 19 from being broken or damaged due to an impact such as a drop.

[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 (the tip part on the Z1 side) of the standing wall 22 in the standing direction has the weakest rigidity. Then, the standing wall 22 moves toward the glass plate 19 so that the concave 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 concave hole 40 is located at a height position 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 concave 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, the electronic device 10 may be used as a tablet PC by rotating the housings 11 and 12 up to 360 degrees. In this case, the 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 the electronic device 10 is dropped from such a height, the recessed hole 40 can prevent damage to the 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 plate thickness t1 of the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 is greater than the plate thickness t2 of the adjacent straight wall portions, the horizontal wall 30 and the vertical walls 32, 33. This improves the strength of the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 themselves in the standing wall 22. As a result, the electronic device 10 can prevent the corner wall portions CW1, CW2 from being deformed by an impact such as a fall, and can prevent damage to the glass plate 19.

[0068] Here, the results of a drop experiment of the electronic device 10 will be described. In this drop experiment, an electronic device 10 (Example) having a concave 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 the concave hole 40, the inclined portion 42, and the thick portion 44 were used. In the drop experiment, the electronic device 10 of the Example and the electronic device of the Comparative Example were freely dropped onto the floor surface from heights of 650 mm, 700 mm, and 750 mm, respectively.

[0069] As a result of the experiment, in the electronic device of the comparative example, the glass plate 19 was not broken at 650 mm, but was broken at 700 mm and 750 mm. On the other hand, in the electronic device 10 of the embodiment, the glass plate 19 was not broken at any of 650 mm, 700 mm, and 750 mm. This confirmed that the concave hole 40, the inclined portion 42, and the thick portion 44 are effective in suppressing 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 of course be freely modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10 Electronic equipment 11 First cabinet 12 Second cabinet 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 on an edge portion; 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 the glass plate extending from an outer peripheral side surface of the display panel facing the vertical 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 that faces the outer edge of the glass plate and is recessed in a direction away from the corner portion.

1. An electronic device comprising:

2. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, With respect to the standing direction of the upright wall as a reference, the upper end of the concave hole is at a height position equal to or lower than the surface of the glass plate.

1. An electronic device comprising:

3. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, With respect to the standing direction of the upright wall, the lower end of the concave hole is located at a position lower than the rear surface of the glass plate.

1. An electronic device comprising:

4. 2. 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.

1. An electronic device comprising:

5. 5. The electronic device according to claim 1, the standing wall has a straight wall portion extending along an 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.

1. An electronic device comprising:

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.

1. An electronic device comprising:

7. 2. 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 portion of the first housing and one edge portion 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 extending perpendicular to the pair of vertical walls on an opposite side to the edge of the first housing to which the hinge is connected, and forming the other of the corner walls; having The recessed holes are provided in a pair of corner wall portions formed between the pair of vertical walls and the horizontal wall.

1. An electronic device comprising:

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 of the display panel; a standing wall rising from an edge portion of the plate portion; Equipped with The standing wall has a corner wall portion having a recessed hole formed on its inner wall surface facing the outer edge portion of the glass plate. 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 each continuing from both ends of the corner wall portion and extending 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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