Electronic device

Abstract

To provide an electronic device from which a battery can be easily removed while ensuring a thin housing. [Solution] The electronic device comprises a housing member having an opening surface, a plate portion, and an inclined wall portion that rises from the edge of the plate portion and is inclined in the direction away from the plate portion in the rising direction, a cover member that opens and closes at least a portion of the opening surface, a battery that is removably supported on the inner surface of the housing member and has a locking portion on a first side facing the inclined wall portion, a latch member that is supported on the housing member so as to be movable between a locked position that holds the locking portion and an unlocked position retracted from the locking portion, and has an inclined surface that faces the inner wall surface of the inclined wall portion in the locked position, and a spring member that is interposed between the housing member and the battery and biases the battery in a direction to lift it up from the inner surface of the housing member.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device equipped with a battery. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Electronic devices such as notebook PCs and tablet PCs include a flat, box-shaped housing and a battery housed within the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7309838 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for thinner housings for the electronic devices described above. For this reason, in general electronic devices, the battery is embedded in the housing to further reduce the thickness of the housing. For this reason, general electronic devices are often not designed to allow the user to replace the battery themselves.

[0005] In recent years, there has been a demand for electronic devices with excellent maintainability from the perspective of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance). From this perspective, it is desirable for the battery to be easily replaceable.

[0006] However, as described above, general electronic devices do not assume easy battery replacement. For example, when replacing the battery in the electronic device of Patent Document 1, first, the cover member forming the bottom surface of the housing is removed to expose the battery. Next, complicated procedures such as removing the screws and double-sided adhesive tape that secure the battery, and further removing the connection part with the motherboard, etc. are required. Therefore, battery replacement requires complicated procedures using various tools, which is time-consuming and a high psychological hurdle for general users.

[0007] 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 that ensures a thin housing while allowing the battery to be easily removed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a housing member having an opening surface, a plate portion, and an inclined wall portion that rises from an edge of the plate portion and is inclined in a direction away from the plate portion in the rising direction, and a cover member that opens and closes at least a portion of the opening surface, a battery that is removably supported on the inner surface of the housing member and has a locking portion on a first side facing the inclined wall portion, a latch member that is supported on the housing member so as to be movable between a locked position that holds the locking portion and an unlocked position retracted from the locking portion, and has an inclined surface that faces the inner wall surface of the inclined wall portion in the locked position, and a spring member that is interposed between the housing member and the battery and biases the battery in a direction to lift it from the inner surface of the housing member. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the battery can be easily removed while ensuring a thin housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electronic device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the electronic device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the housing shown in FIG. 2 with the cover member removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the housing shown in FIG. 3 with the battery removed. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of the lock mechanism and its surroundings. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the housing shown in FIG. 5 placed on a desk surface or the like with the bottom side facing up and the cover member removed. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a view showing the latch member shown in FIG. 8A moved to the unlocked position. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the housing shown in FIG. 6 placed on a desk surface or the like with the bottom side facing up and the cover member removed. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a diagram showing the battery being lifted up by the biasing force of the spring member shown in FIG. 9A. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of a housing including a cover member according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] 1 is a plan view of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment. The electronic device 10 is a clamshell-type notebook PC. The electronic device 10 has a housing 12 and a cover 14 connected by a hinge 16 so as to be relatively rotatable. The electronic device to which the present invention can be applied may be, for example, a tablet PC, a smartphone, or a portable game machine other than a notebook PC.

[0013] The cover 14 is in the shape of a flat box. A display 18 faces the front of the cover 14. The display 18 is, for example, an organic EL display or a liquid crystal display. The cover 14 is connected to the rear edge of the housing 12 by a hinge 16.

[0014] Hereinafter, the housing 12 and each of the components mounted thereon will be described by referring to the left-right width direction of the housing 12 as the X1, X2 direction, the front-back depth direction as the Y1, Y2 direction, and the top-bottom thickness direction as the Z1, Z2 direction, as viewed from the user operating the keyboard 20 while looking at the display 18. The X1, X2 directions are sometimes collectively referred to as the X direction, and the Y1, Y2 directions and the Z1, Z2 directions are sometimes similarly referred to as the Y direction and the Z direction. For convenience of explanation, the keyboard 20 side (Z1 direction) in the thickness direction of the housing 12 may be called the bottom, and the opposite side (Z2 direction) may be called the top (see Figs. 8A to 9B). These names of directions are given for convenience of explanation, and the use of the electronic device 10 is not limited thereto.

[0015] The housing 12 is in the shape of a flat box. A motherboard on which a CPU and memory etc. are mounted, a cooling module for cooling the CPU etc. are housed inside the housing 12. The housing 12 also houses a battery 24 which is the power source for the electronic device 10, a locking mechanism 26 which holds the battery 24, speakers 28, 29 etc.

[0016] A keyboard 20 and a touchpad 22 face the surface 12a of the housing 12. The keyboard 20 extends over substantially the entire width of the surface 12a in the X direction. The keyboard 20 is installed in a wide range extending from the vicinity of the Y2 side edge of the surface 12a to the Y1 side beyond the center in the Y direction. The touchpad 22 has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The touchpad 22 is provided near the Y1 side edge of the surface 12a and is disposed in the approximate center in the X direction of the surface 12a. The touchpad 22 can operate a cursor (mouse pointer) displayed on the display 18 in place of a mouse. The touchpad 22 may be capable of performing a tracing operation by tracing the operation surface 22a with a fingertip or the like and a clicking operation by pressing the operation surface 22a with a fingertip or the like. The touchpad 22 may be configured to generate vibrations with an actuator when a clicking operation is received.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the electronic device 10. Fig. 3 is a view showing the housing 12 shown in Fig. 2 with the cover member 34 removed. Fig. 4 is a view showing the housing 12 shown in Fig. 3 with the battery 24 removed. Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VV in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 2.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the housing 12 can be composed of a housing member 30, a base cover member 32, and a cover member .

[0019] The housing member 30 has a surface plate 30a and a standing wall 30b. The surface plate 30a forms the Z1 side surface (surface 12a) of the housing 12. The standing wall 30b stands in the Z2 direction from the outer periphery of the surface plate 30a.

[0020] A recess 36 in which the touchpad 22 is placed is formed in the surface plate 30a (see Figs. 1 and 5). The recess 36 is a portion of the surface plate 30a recessed toward the Z2 side. The touchpad 22 is placed on a bottom plate 36a of the recess 36, and the operation surface 22a is disposed substantially flush with the surface 12a. A through hole 36b is formed in a portion of the bottom plate 36a. The touchpad 22 is connected to a motherboard or the like by wiring that passes through the through hole 36b.

[0021] The surface plate 30a is also formed with a rectangular cutout or recessed portion in which the keyboard 20 is to be placed. A palm rest 12c is also formed on a surface 12a formed on the outer surface of the surface plate 30a (see FIG. 1). The palm rest 12c is disposed on each of the X1 and X2 sides of the touchpad 22. The palm rest 12c is a flat surface on which a user who operates the keyboard 20 and the touchpad 22 can place his or her hands.

[0022] The Z2 side surface of the housing member 30 is an opening surface 30c that is not covered by the surface plate 30a. This gives the housing member 30 an overall shallow bathtub shape (see FIG. 5). The opening surface 30c corresponds to the open upper surface of a container whose bottom is formed by the surface plate 30a and whose four peripheral walls are formed by the standing walls 30b. Although the opening surface 30c in this embodiment is partially closed by the bottom plate 36a of the recessed portion 36, it forms an upper opening of the bathtub-shaped housing member 30 as a whole.

[0023] The base cover member 32 and the cover member 34 are covers that are detachably connected to the housing member 30 and open and close the opening surface 30c. A part of the total opening area of ​​the opening surface 30c, for example, approximately half of the range on the Y1 side, is covered by the cover member 34. The remaining part of the total opening area of ​​the opening surface 30c, for example, approximately half of the range on the Y2 side, is covered by the base cover member 32.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the base cover member 32 can have an outer plate portion , an inclined wall portion , and an inner plate portion .

[0025] The outer plate portion 38 forms the Z1 side surface (bottom surface 12b) of the housing 12. The outer plate portion 38 can form approximately half of the total surface area of ​​the bottom surface 12b on the Y2 side. An edge portion 38a on the Y1 side of the outer plate portion 38 extends linearly along the X direction. The edge portion 38a forms a boundary line with an edge portion 48a of the cover member 34. The outer plate portion 38 can have a pair of left and right engagement recesses 38b, 38b that open toward the edge portion 38a.

[0026] Reference symbol 44 in Fig. 2 denotes rubber feet. The rubber feet 44 are feet when the electronic device 10 is placed on a desk surface or the like. A pair of rubber feet 44 are fixed, for example, to the surface of the outer plate portion 38 and to the surface of a plate portion 48 of the cover member 34 described below. The rubber feet 44 may be in the shape of a bar that is long in the left-right direction. Reference symbol 45 in Fig. 2 denotes an air intake. The air intake 45 is an opening for introducing outside air into the fan of the cooling module mounted in the housing 12.

[0027] The inclined wall portion 40 is a wall portion that rises from the edge portions of three sides of the outer plate portion 38 except for the edge portion 38a. The outer shapes of these three sides of the outer plate portion 38 are smaller than the outer shapes of the corresponding three sides of the housing member 30. The inclined wall portion 40 is a tapered wall portion that connects obliquely between the edge portion of the outer plate portion 38 and the standing wall 30b of the housing member 30. The inclined wall portion 40 rises in the Z2 direction from the edge portions of the three sides of the outer plate portion 38 except for the edge portion 38a. Furthermore, the inclined wall portion 40 is gradually inclined in a direction away from the outer plate portion 38 (outside the housing 12) toward the rising direction. As a result, the tip of the inclined wall portion 40 abuts against the tip of the standing wall 30b.

[0028] The inner plate portion 42 is a band-shaped plate that protrudes toward the Y1 side from the edge portion 38a of the outer plate portion 38 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The surface of the inner plate portion 42 is located one step lower than the surface of the outer plate portion 38. In other words, the inner plate portion 42 is located at a position offset toward the Z1 side from the outer plate portion 38. As a result, the inner plate portion 42 is normally covered by the cover member 34 (see FIG. 2).

[0029] Such a base cover member 32 is screwed to the housing member 30 with screws 46 provided at various locations on the outer periphery. The base cover member 32 is fastened to the housing member 30 with screws 46, for example, at the Y2 side corners of the inclined wall portion 40 and at multiple locations on the inner plate portion 42. The base cover member 32 can be removed from the housing member 30 by removing the screws 46 after removing the cover member 34. The base cover member 32 can also be engaged with the housing member 30 using a predetermined hook or the like together with the screws 46.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cover member 34 may include a plate portion 48 and an angled wall portion 50 .

[0031] The plate portion 48 forms the bottom surface 12b of the housing 12. The plate portion 48 can form approximately half of the total surface area of ​​the bottom surface 12b on the Y1 side. An edge portion 48a on the Y2 side of the plate portion 48 extends linearly along the X direction. The edge portion 48a forms a boundary line with the edge portion 38a of the base cover member 32. The plate portion 48 can have a pair of left and right engagement latches 48b, 48b facing the edge portion 48a.

[0032] The engagement latch 48b is a plate piece supported by the plate portion 48 and slidable along the Y direction. At least an operating portion 48b1 of the engagement latch 48b is exposed on the surface (bottom surface 12b) of the plate portion 48. The engagement latch 48b can be slid in the Y direction by hooking a fingertip or the like on the operating portion 48b1 and operating it. An end portion 48b2 on the Y2 side of the engagement latch 48b engages with the engagement recess 38b of the base cover member 32 at least at a position where it has moved furthest toward the Y2 side. The end portion 48b2 is separated from the engagement recess 38b at least at a position where it has moved furthest toward the Y1 side, and the engagement state is released. The engagement latch 48b engages with the engagement recess 38b, thereby preventing the cover member 34 from moving in the Z direction relative to the housing member 30.

[0033] 3 denotes a latch arrangement groove formed in the inner plate portion 42. The latch arrangement groove 42a is, for example, a cutout hole or a recess. The engaging latch 48b is slidably received in the latch arrangement groove 42a.

[0034] The inclined wall portion 50 is a wall portion that rises from the edge portions of three sides of the plate portion 48 except for the edge portion 48a. The outer shapes of these three sides of the plate portion 48 are smaller than the outer shapes of the corresponding three sides of the housing member 30. The inclined wall portion 50 is a tapered wall portion that connects the edge portion of the plate portion 48 and the standing wall 30b of the housing member 30 at an angle. The inclined wall portion 50 rises from the edge portions of the three sides of the plate portion 48 except for the edge portion 48a in the Z2 direction. Furthermore, the inclined wall portion 50 is gradually inclined in a direction away from the plate portion 48 (outside the housing 12) toward the rising direction. As a result, the tip of the inclined wall portion 50 abuts against the tip of the standing wall 30b (see FIG. 5).

[0035] 2, the left and right inclined wall portions 50 extending along the Y direction are continuous with the left and right inclined wall portions 40 of the base cover member 32 across the edges 38a, 48a. As a result, the outer periphery of the outer periphery of the base cover member 32 and the cover member 34 appears to be formed by the inclined wall portions 40, 50, and the outer periphery has a generally tapered shape as a whole.

[0036] The cover member 34 may have a hook 34a on the Y1 side edge. The hook 34a is formed on the inner wall surface 50a of the inclined wall portion 50 extending in the X direction. The hook 34a is provided, for example, at three locations in the X direction. The housing member 30 may have an engaged portion 30d on the Y1 side edge. The engaged portion 30d is formed on the inner wall surface of the standing wall 30b extending in the X direction or in the vicinity thereof. The engaged portion 30d is provided at a position corresponding to each of the three hooks 34a. The engaged portion 30d is, for example, a recess. The engaged portion 30d can engage with the hook 34a toward the Y1 direction. When the hook 34a engages with the engaged portion 30d, movement of the cover member 34 in the Z direction relative to the housing member 30 is prevented.

[0037] Such a cover member 34 is disposed with respect to the base cover member 32, which is screwed to the housing member 30, such that the edge portion 48a and its periphery cover the inner plate portion 42. The cover member 34 has the hook 34a engaged with the engaged portion 30d and the engagement latch 48b engaged with the engagement recess 38b. This connects the cover member 34 to the housing member 30. When removing the cover member 34 from the housing member 30, the engagement latch 48b is operated to disengage the cover member 34 from the engagement recess 38b. Next, the edge portion 48a is lifted in the Z2 direction, while the hook 34a is pulled out from the engaged portion 30d. This allows the cover member 34 to be easily removed from the housing member 30 without going through complicated procedures such as removing screws.

[0038] As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the battery 24 is detachably supported on the inner surface 30e side of the housing member 30 and covered with the cover member 34. That is, the battery 24 is mounted in an area on the Y1 side of the housing 12 that is opened and closed by the cover member 34. The battery 24 has, for example, a long overall length in the X direction, a short width in the Y direction, and a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flattened in the Z direction. The battery 24 has a side surface (first side surface) 24a on the Y1 side and a side surface (second side surface) 24b on the opposite side that extend over most of the X direction width of the housing 12. The side surface 24a is a surface facing the inclined wall portion 50 on the Y1 side of the cover member 34. The side surface 24b is a surface facing the inside of the housing 12.

[0039] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the battery 24 can have a locked portion 52 and a protruding piece 54 on the side surface 24a.

[0040] The locked portion 52 is a claw-shaped protrusion provided on the side surface 24a and extends in the X direction. The locked portion 52 may have a length of, for example, about 1 / 4 of the entire length of the side surface 24a. The locked portion 52 is provided at an intermediate position including the center in the longitudinal direction (X direction) of the side surface 24a. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the locked portion 52 may be at a position where at least a part of it overlaps the touch pad 22 vertically. The locked portion 52 of this embodiment overlaps the touch pad 22 vertically over its entire length. The locked portion 52 is, for example, lined up on the X1 side of the speaker 29 on the X2 side. The locked portion 52 may be provided in a pair on the left and right in the longitudinal direction of the side surface 24a. In this case, it is preferable to similarly provide a pair on the left and right of the latch member 60 described later.

[0041] The locked portion 52 can have a locked surface 52a and a sliding surface 52b.

[0042] The locked surface 52a protrudes from the side surface 24a and is a plane (XY plane) facing the Z2 side. The sliding surface 52b is on the opposite side of the locked surface 52a in the Z direction and faces the Z1 side. The sliding surface 52b is an inclined surface that gradually slopes toward the Z2 side from the side surface 24a toward the tip side of the locked portion 52. The locked portion 52 may be formed as a recess recessed from the side surface 24a toward the Y2 side, rather than a protrusion protruding from the side surface 24a to the Y1 side.

[0043] The protruding piece 54 is a eaves-shaped plate piece provided on the side surface 24a, and extends in the X direction. The length of the protruding piece 54 can be shorter than the locked portion 52. The protruding piece 54 is adjacent to the X1 side of the locked portion 52, for example. The protruding piece 54 is located between the locked portion 52 and the speaker 28 on the X1 side.

[0044] The protruding piece 54 can have a receiving portion 54a and a handle portion 54b.

[0045] The receiving portion 54a abuts against one end of a spring member 62 of the locking mechanism 26 described below. The Z2 side surface of the protruding piece 54 is formed of an inclined surface 54c that follows the inclined shape of the inclined wall portion 50 on the Y1 side (see FIG. 6). The Z1 side surface of the receiving portion 54a can be formed of a flat surface (XY plane). The Z1 side surface of the receiving portion 54a may be formed of an inclined surface that follows the inclined shape of the inclined surface 54c.

[0046] The handle portion 54b is formed, for example, in a range including the center in the longitudinal direction of the protruding piece 54. The handle portion 54b extends in the X direction from the receiving portion 54a along the side surface 24a. The handle portion 54b can be used as a finger hook when removing the battery 24 from the housing 12 (see FIG. 9B). For example, an operator can hook a fingertip F on the Z2 side surface of the handle portion 54b to easily lift the battery 24 toward the Z2 side. It is preferable that the Z1 side surface (inner surface) of the handle portion 54b is formed as an inclined surface that follows the inclined shape of the inclined surface 54c. In this case, it becomes easier to hook a fingertip F on the inner surface of the handle portion 54b.

[0047] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the battery 24 may have a connector 56 and a positioning piece 58 on the side 24b.

[0048] The connector 56 serves as a contact point that electrically connects the battery 24 and a power supply component mounted on a motherboard or the like. The connector 56 protrudes in the Y2 direction from the side surface 24b. As shown in Fig. 3, the connector 56 can be located in a position that pairs with the protruding piece 54 in the Y direction. In other words, the protruding piece 54 and the connector 56 can be located on the same straight line that is perpendicular to the side surfaces 24a and 24b and extends in the Y direction.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 4, a terminal 57 to which a connector 56 is connected is mounted on a motherboard supported by a housing member 30. It is preferable that the connector 56 can be freely connected to and detached from the terminal 57 in the Z direction. The connector 56 can be configured, for example, as a connector with a comb-tooth structure in which a plurality of comb teeth 56a are arranged in the X direction. The comb teeth 56a are arranged in parallel in the X direction via slits at predetermined intervals, and terminals (contact points) that come into contact with the terminal 57 are provided between the comb teeth 56a. This allows the connector 56 to be connected to the terminal 57 in the Z1 direction and to be removed from the terminal 57 in the Z2 direction.

[0050] A plate-shaped stopper for positioning the battery 24 in the Z direction can be integrally provided on the connector 56. The stopper of the connector 56 can be held down by the inner plate portion 42. A notch 42b for exposing the connector 56 and terminals 57 is provided on the edge on the Y1 side of the inner plate portion 42.

[0051] The positioning piece 58 is a stopper that can position the side surface 24b of the battery 24 at least in the Z direction. The positioning piece 58 is a plate piece that protrudes in the Y2 direction from the side surface 24b. When the cover member 34 is connected to the housing member 30, the surface of the positioning piece 58 can be pressed by the inner plate portion 42. In the case of this embodiment, the connector 56 is located on the X1 side of the side surface 24b in the longitudinal direction. It is preferable that the positioning piece 58 be provided at a position closer to X2 on the side surface 24b. A notch 42c is provided on the edge on the Y1 side of the inner plate portion 42 to expose the positioning piece 58.

[0052] 7 is a schematic perspective view of the lock mechanism 26 and its surroundings. The lock mechanism 26 holds the battery 24 in the housing 12. The lock mechanism 26 also has the function of making it easy to remove the battery 24 when replacing the battery 24, etc.

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the lock mechanism 26 can have a latch member 60 biased by a spring 66, and a spring member 62 that biases the battery 24 in the Z direction.

[0054] 5 and 7, the latch member 60 is supported on the inner surface 30e side of the housing member 30 so as to be slidable in the Y direction. The latch member 60 extends in the X direction along the Y1-side edge of the housing member 30. The latch member 60 can lock the locked portion 52 of the battery 24 from the Z2 side. The latch member 60 has a length in the X direction that is slightly shorter than the overall length of the locked portion 52, for example.

[0055] The latch member 60 may have a locking portion 64, an inclined surface 60a, and a receiving surface 60b.

[0056] The locking portion 64 can have a locking surface 64a and a sliding surface 64b. The locking surface 64a protrudes from the Y2 side surface of the latch member 60 and is a flat surface (XY plane) facing the Z1 side. The sliding surface 64b is on the opposite side of the locking surface 64a in the Z direction and faces the Z2 side. The sliding surface 64b is an inclined surface that gradually slopes toward the Z1 side from the side surface on which the locking portion 64 is formed toward the tip side of the locking portion 64.

[0057] The inclined surface 60a is a surface facing the Z2 side of the latch member 60. The inclined surface 60a gradually inclines toward the Z1 side as it advances in the Y1 direction. It is preferable that the inclination angle of the inclined surface 60a is similar to or the same as the inclination angle of the inclined wall portion 50 on the Y1 side of the cover member 34. The inclined surface 60a can be in close proximity to or in contact with the inner wall surface 50a of the inclined wall portion 50 on the Y1 side of the cover member 34 (see FIG. 5).

[0058] The receiving surface 60b is formed, for example, by recessing the Z1 side surface of the latch member 60. The receiving surface 60b stands in the Z direction and faces the Y1 side. One end of a spring 66 that generates a biasing force in the Y direction is supported by the receiving surface 60b. The other end of the spring 66 is supported by the housing member 30. The spring 66 is, for example, a compression coil spring, and is installed along the Y direction. The spring 66 constantly biases the latch member 60 in the Y2 direction.

[0059] Such a latch member 60 is normally in a locked position moved to the furthest Y2 side by the biasing force of a spring 66 when not subjected to an operating force (external force) by an operator (see Figs. 5 and 8A). In the locked position, the latch surface 64a of the latch member 60 presses the locked surface 52a of the battery 24 from the Z2 side. In the locked position, the inclined surface 60a is in a position close to or in contact with the inner wall surface 50a of the inclined wall portion 50.

[0060] By applying an external force, the latch member 60 can be moved to an unlocked position where it is retreated from the locked portion 52 to the Y1 side against the biasing force of the spring 66 (see FIG. 8B). In the unlocked position, the latch member 60 has the locking surface 64a disengaged from the locked surface 52a.

[0061] 6 and 7, the spring member 62 is, for example, a compression coil spring, and is installed along the Z direction. One end of the spring member 62 abuts against the Z1 side surface of the receiving portion 54a of the protruding piece 54 so as to be able to press against it. The other end of the spring member 62 is supported on the inner surface 30e side of the housing member 30. As a result, the spring member 62 is interposed between the housing member 30 and the battery 24, and constantly biases the battery 24 in a direction (Z2 direction) that lifts it up from the inner surface 30e.

[0062] Next, the replacement operation of the battery 24 will be described.

[0063] Fig. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the housing 12 shown in Fig. 5 placed on a desk surface or the like with the bottom surface 12b side facing up and the cover member 34 removed. Fig. 8B is a diagram showing the latch member 60 shown in Fig. 8A moved to the unlocked position. Fig. 9A is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the housing 12 shown in Fig. 6 placed on a desk surface or the like with the bottom surface 12b side facing up and the cover member 34 removed. Fig. 9B is a diagram showing the battery 24 floating up due to the biasing force of the spring member 62 shown in Fig. 9A.

[0064] First, a procedure for removing the battery 24 will be described. When removing the battery 24, the cover 14 is closed on the front surface 12a of the housing 12, and the electronic device 10 is placed on a desk or the like with the bottom surface 12b of the housing 12 facing up.

[0065] As shown in Figures 8A and 9A, the cover member 34 is removed from the housing member 30. For example, the engagement latch 48b is operated with a fingertip to disengage it from the engagement recess 38b, and the hook 34a is removed from the engaged portion 30d. This allows the cover member 34 to be easily removed from the housing member 30 without using tools or the like. Then, as shown in Figures 3 and 7, the area on the Y1 side of the opening surface 30c of the housing member 30 is exposed, and the battery 24 and the locking mechanism 26 become accessible.

[0066] As shown in Figures 8A and 8B, the latch member 60 in the locked position is moved to the unlocked position. The engaging portion 64 of the latch member 60 is disengaged from the engaged portion 52 of the battery 24. Then, as shown in Figures 9A and 9B, the biasing force of the spring member 62 presses the protruding piece 54, and the battery 24 floats upward (towards Z2) from the inner surface 30e. In other words, the battery 24 pops up.

[0067] At this time, the connector 56 is connected to the terminal 57 so as to be freely attached and detached in the Z direction. Therefore, the battery 24 rotates with the side 24b side where the connector 56 and the positioning piece 58 are located as a fulcrum, and the side 24a side rises up. In particular, the connector 56 in this embodiment is located in a position where it overlaps in the Y direction with the protruding piece 54 that receives the urging force of the spring member 62. Therefore, when the protruding piece 54 is raised by the spring member 62, no load in the X direction is applied to the connector 56 and the terminal 57. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the load on the connector 56 and the terminal 57 when popping up. The protruding piece 54 functions not only when popping up, but also as a handle when removing the battery 24, and can be used to pull the battery 24 straight out without applying any load.

[0068] 9B, insert fingertip F under (on the Z1 side) handle portion 54b of the raised protruding piece 54 and lift handle portion 54b up. This makes it possible to easily remove battery 24 from housing 12.

[0069] When the operating force on the latch member 60 is released in the unlocked position, the latch member 60 returns to the locked position by the biasing force of the spring 66. At this time, the battery 24 is in a pop-up state by the biasing force of the spring member 62. Therefore, the latch member 60 slides under the locked portion 52 while the sliding surface 64b slides on the sliding surface 52b of the locked portion 52. As a result, the locked portion 52 is caught by the locking portion 64, and the pop-up state of the battery 24 is maintained. In other words, after the lock mechanism 26 moves the latch member 60 to the unlocked position to pop up the battery 24, the fingertip can be released from the latch member 60. This makes it easier to remove the battery 24. Of course, the battery 24 may be removed while the latch member 60 is held in the unlocked position by the fingertip.

[0070] Next, a procedure for installing a new battery 24 to replace the battery 24 removed as described above will be described.

[0071] In this case, the latch member 60 has returned to the locked position by the biasing force of the spring 66. The locking mechanism 26 can attach the battery 24 to the housing 12 with the latch member 60 in the locked position. First, the connector 56 and the positioning piece 58 of the battery 24 are inserted into the notches 42b and 42c while tilting them downward. Next, the battery 24 is pushed down into the housing 12 against the biasing force of the spring member 62. The latched portion 52 of the battery 24 presses the latch member 60 from above. Then, the sliding surface 52b presses the sliding surface 64b while sliding against each other, and the latch member 60 is moved to the Y1 side against the biasing force of the spring 66.

[0072] When the battery 24 is pushed down to a predetermined position, the latch member 60 moves again to the locked position by the biasing force of the spring 66. Then, when the latch member 60 is in the locked position, the locking surface 64a presses the locked surface 52a of the battery 24 from the Z2 side again. This locks the battery 24 with the latch member 60. At this time, the connector 56 is also smoothly connected to the terminal 57 from above. Finally, the cover member 34 is connected to the housing member 30, completing the installation of the battery 24.

[0073] As described above, the electronic device 10 of this embodiment can include a latch member 60 supported by the housing member 30 so as to be movable between a locked position where the latch member 60 presses the engaged portion 52 of the battery 24 and an unlocked position where the latch member 60 is retracted from the engaged portion 52. The latch member 60 has an inclined surface 60a that faces the inner wall surface 50a of the inclined wall portion 50 of the cover member 34 in the locked position. The electronic device 10 can further include a spring member 62 that is interposed between the housing member 30 and the battery 24 and biases the battery 24 in a direction to lift it up from the inner surface 30e.

[0074] Therefore, in the electronic device 10, the battery 24 is lifted by the biasing force of the spring member 62 simply by moving the latch member 60 from the locked position to the unlocked position. Therefore, the electronic device 10 allows the battery 24 to be easily removed without going through complicated procedures using tools. Therefore, the electronic device 10 can reduce the effort and psychological hurdle required for general users to replace the battery 24. Moreover, the latch member 60 has an inclined surface 60a that faces the inner wall surface 50a of the inclined wall portion 50 of the cover member 34 in the locked position. Therefore, the electronic device 10 can install the latch member 60 by effectively utilizing the triangular space inside the inclined wall portion 50, which is a dead space in the housing 12 in general electronic devices (see FIG. 5). Moreover, in the electronic device 10, when the cover member 34 is removed during replacement of the battery 24, the inclined wall portion 50 disappears. As a result, a space for moving the latch member 60 to the unlocked position appears. Therefore, the electronic device 10 can also suppress the obstruction of the thinning and miniaturization of the housing 12 due to the need to secure the installation space for the latch member 60.

[0075] Incidentally, in the housing 12, the palm rest 12c on the side of the touch pad 22 is formed only by a thin surface plate 30a. Therefore, although the space below the palm rest 12c is a triangular space that is prone to becoming dead space, it is possible to ensure a certain degree of vertical height. Therefore, in this embodiment, speakers 28, 29 are installed below the palm rest 12c (see Figures 1 and 3). This allows the electronic device 10 to maximize the box capacity of the speakers 28, 29 while effectively utilizing the dead space below the palm rest 12c.

[0076] On the other hand, the triangular space inside the inclined wall portion 50 is narrower at the position where it overlaps with the touchpad 22. This is because, although the touchpad 22 is thin, it is thicker than the surrounding surface plate 30a. Therefore, in this embodiment, the latch member 60 is disposed at a position where it overlaps with the touchpad 22 vertically. This is because the latch member 60 does not need to have a large vertical height like the speakers 28, 29. This allows the electronic device 10 to effectively utilize the narrower dead space below the touchpad 22 to install the latch member 60, thereby making it possible to further reduce the thickness and size of the housing 12.

[0077] The inclined surface 60a of the latch member 60 can approach or come into contact with the inner wall surface 50a of the inclined wall portion 50 in the locked position (see FIG. 5). This can prevent the latch member 60 from rattling due to the impact of the electronic device 10 being dropped, or from unintentionally retreating from the locked portion 52. As a result, the battery 24 can be prevented from floating up or rattling within the housing 12 due to the biasing force of the spring member 62.

[0078] Here, as shown in FIG. 5, when the latch member 60 is in the locked position, the amount of engagement between the locking surface 64a and the locked surface 52a, that is, the contact distance in the Y direction between the locking surface 64a and the locked surface 52a, is called the distance L. The gap between the inclined surface 60a and the inner wall surface 50a in the moving direction (Y direction) of the latch member 60 is called the gap C. In this case, it is preferable that the gap C is smaller than the distance L. That is, consider a case where the latch member 60 in the locked position moves to the Y1 side due to the impact of the electronic device 10 being dropped or the like. In this case, since the gap C is smaller than the distance L, the inclined surface 60a abuts against the inner wall surface 50a before the locking state between the locking surface 64a and the locked surface 52a is released. Therefore, the latch member 60 is prevented from moving back further, and rattling of the battery 24 in the housing 12 is more reliably suppressed. Note that the gap C is zero when the inclined surface 60a abuts against the inner wall surface 50a.

[0079] In the electronic device 10, the cover member 34 can be configured to open and close a portion of the opening surface 30c of the housing member 30. The remaining portion of the opening surface 30c is covered by a base cover member 32 fixed with screws to the housing member 30. This allows the housing 12 to place only the battery 24 and other devices that require frequent replacement or maintenance inside the cover member 34, and allows the motherboard and the like to be hidden inside the base cover member 32. This makes it even easier to remove the cover member 34 of the electronic device 10 when replacing the battery 24, further reducing the effort and psychological hurdle for general users.

[0080] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the housing 12 equipped with a cover member 70 according to a modified example.

[0081] In the above, the opening 30c of the housing member 30 is closed by the base cover member 32 and the cover member 34. As shown in Fig. 10, the opening 30c of the housing member 30 can also be configured to be detachably closed by a single cover member 70. The cover member 70 has a structure in which the base cover member 32 and the cover member 34 are substantially integrated together.

[0082] The cover member 70 can have a plate portion 72 and an inclined wall portion 74. The plate portion 72 has a structure in which the outer plate portion 38 and the plate portion 48 shown in FIG. 2 are integrated together. The plate portion 72 can omit a portion corresponding to the inner plate portion 42 of the base cover member 32. The left and right inclined wall portions 74 along the Y direction have a structure in which the inclined wall portion 40 and the inclined wall portion 50 shown in FIG. 2 are integrated together. The inclined wall portion 74 on the Y1 side along the X direction can have the same structure as the inclined wall portion 50 shown in FIG. 2.

[0083] 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]

[0084] 10 Electronic equipment 12. Cabinet 14 Lid 22 Touchpad 24 Battery 26 Locking mechanism 30 Housing parts 30c opening surface 32 Base cover member 34,70 Cover member 40,50,74 Slanted wall section 48,72 Plate section 52 Locked part 54 Projecting piece 54a Receiving part 54b Handle 56 Connector 57 Terminal 60 Latch member 62 Spring parts 64 Locking part

Claims

1. An electronic device, A housing member having an opening surface; a cover member having a plate portion and an inclined wall portion that stands from an edge of the plate portion and is inclined in a direction away from the plate portion in the standing direction, and that opens and closes at least a part of the opening surface; a battery that is detachably supported on an inner surface side of the housing member and has a latched portion on a first side surface facing the inclined wall portion; a spring member interposed between the housing member and the battery and biasing the battery in a direction to lift the battery from the inner surface of the housing member; a latch member having a locking portion that presses the locked portion against the biasing force of the spring member, the latch member being supported by the housing member so as to be movable between a locked position in which the locking portion presses the locked portion and an unlocked position in which the locking portion retracts from the locked portion, the latch member further having an inclined surface that comes into close proximity with or into contact with an inner wall surface of the inclined wall portion at the locked position and faces the inner wall surface of the inclined wall portion; a spring that biases the latch member relative to the housing member in a direction from the unlocked position toward the locked position; Equipped 1. An electronic device comprising:

2. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, The battery has a protruding piece that protrudes from a side surface and contacts one end of the spring member.

1. An electronic device comprising:

3. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, The protruding piece is a receiving portion against which one end of the spring member abuts; A handle portion extending from the receiving portion along the side surface; have 1. An electronic device comprising:

4. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, The protruding piece is provided on the first side surface.

1. An electronic device comprising:

5. 5. The electronic device according to claim 4, A terminal is provided that is supported on the housing member side, the battery has a connector protruding from a second side surface facing the opposite side to the first side surface and removably connected to the terminal; The protruding piece and the connector are positioned on the same straight line perpendicular to the first side surface and the second side surface.

1. An electronic device comprising:

6. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, With respect to the moving direction of the latch member, a gap between the inclined surface and the inner wall surface is smaller than an engagement amount between the latch member and the engaged portion.

1. An electronic device comprising:

7. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the cover member opens and closes a part of an opening surface of the housing member, The device further includes a base cover member that is fixed to the housing member with a screw and closes the remaining portion of the opening of the housing member.

1. An electronic device comprising:

8. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, a touch pad exposed on a surface of the housing member; The latch member is positioned so as to overlap the touch pad vertically.

1. An electronic device comprising:

Images