Housing and Electronic Device

Abstract

Provided are a housing and an electronic device that can stably fix a plate member while improving the appearance quality. 【Solution means】 The housing is a housing for an electronic device, and includes a housing member having a curved outer surface and a concave portion provided on a part of the outer surface, and a plate member that is attached to the bottom surface of the concave portion so as to fill the concave portion and whose surface faces the outer surface. The plate member has a rectangular outer shape having a long side and a short side shorter than the long side. The bottom surface of the concave portion is formed in a curved shape along the curved surface shape in the long side direction of the plate member, and is formed in a straight line in the short side direction of the plate member.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

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

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

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

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

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

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The housing according to the first aspect of the present invention is a housing for an electronic device, which has an outer surface with a curved surface shape, and a housing member provided with a concave portion on a part of the outer surface, and a plate member attached to the bottom surface of the concave portion so as to fill the concave portion and having a surface facing the outer surface. The plate member has a rectangular outer shape having a long side and a short side shorter than the long side. The bottom surface of the concave portion is formed in a curved shape that curves along the curved surface shape in the long side direction of the plate member, and is formed in a straight line shape in the short side direction of the plate member.

[0008] The electronic device according to the second aspect of the present invention has a housing member having an outer surface with a curved surface shape and provided with a concave portion on a part of the outer surface of the curved surface shape, and a plate member attached to the bottom surface of the concave portion so as to fill the concave portion and having a surface facing the outer surface. The plate member has a rectangular outer shape having a long side and a short side shorter than the long side. The bottom surface of the concave portion is formed in a curved shape that curves along the curved surface shape in the long side direction of the plate member, and is formed in a straight line shape in the short side direction of the plate member.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the above aspect of the present invention, it is possible to stably fix the plate member while improving the appearance quality.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Figure 5C

Figure 5D

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

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

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 of the present embodiment is a clamshell-type notebook PC, and has a configuration in which a first housing 11 and a second housing 12 are relatively rotatably connected by a hinge 14. In the present embodiment, the electronic device 10 of the notebook PC is exemplified, but the electronic device may be other than a notebook PC, for example, a single display device, a tablet PC, a smartphone, or a portable game machine.

[0013] The second housing 12 is a flat box body and is adjacent to the first housing 11. Inside the second housing 12, various electronic components such as a motherboard on which a CPU and the like are mounted, a battery device, a memory, and an antenna device are accommodated. A keyboard 16 and a touch pad 17 face the upper surface 12a of the second housing 12. The second housing 12 may mount a touch panel type display on the upper surface 12a and display a software keyboard thereon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0020] The plate member 26 is embedded in a concave portion 28 formed in a part of the outer surface 20a, and the surface 26a faces the outer surface 20a. The surface 26a of the plate member 26 can be positioned slightly lower on the Z1 side than the outer surface 20a, or can be installed substantially flush with the outer surface 20a. The concave portion 28 and the plate member 26 are provided, for example, in the vicinity of the X2, Y2 corners in the plan view shown in FIG. 2, and are close to the edge portion (vertical wall 23) on the X2 side. This position is a part of the curved surface shape 20b formed on the outer surface 20a. That is, the plate member 26 is installed in a concave portion 28 formed in a part of the curved surface shape 20b.

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

[0022] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the plate member 26 and its peripheral portion. FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the plate member 26 removed from the concave portion 28 shown in FIG. 4A. FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D are schematic cross-sectional views taken along the lines VA-VA, VB-VB, VC-VC, and VD-VD in FIG. 2, respectively. FIG. 6A is a perspective view schematically showing the state immediately before the plate member 26 is attached to the bottom surface 28a of the concave portion 28. FIG. 6B is an explanatory view schematically showing the state in which the plate member 26 is attached to the bottom surface 28a shown in FIG. 6A.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 4A to 6B, the plate member 26 has a rectangular outer shape having a long side 26b and a short side 26c shorter than the long side 26b. The plate member 26 can be composed of a thin resin plate formed of, for example, polycarbonate or the like.

[0024] The thickness of the plate member 26 can be, for example, about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. The length of the long side 26b can be, for example, twice or more the length of the short side 26c. For example, the length of the long side 26b can be about 30 mm to 80 mm, and the length of the short side 26c can be about 10 mm to 30 mm. Since the plate member 26 has such a shape, it can be bent somewhat flexibly at least in the direction of the long side 26b, but has strong bending rigidity in the direction of the short side 26c and is difficult to bend rigidly.

[0025] The concave portion 28 has a shape in which a part of the curved surface shape 20b formed on the outer surface 20a is shallowly dug down. The shape of the concave portion 28 in plan view can be a rectangular shape slightly larger than the outer shape of the plate member 26. The depth of the concave portion 28 in the Z direction is slightly larger than the thickness of the plate member 26. Thereby, the plate member 26 can be installed so as to fill the concave portion 28.

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

[0027] The bottom surface 28a has a rectangular outer shape having a long side 28b and a short side 28c shorter than the long side 28b. The peripheral edge portions of the bottom surface 28a can be surrounded by a narrow outer groove portion 28d that is recessed on the Z2 side. The groove portion 28d is a relief portion for preventing the outer edge portion of the back surface 26d of the plate member 26 from causing poor adhesion and floating up from the bottom surface 28a. Therefore, the bottom surface 28a of the present embodiment has a rectangular shape with an outer shape slightly smaller than the outer shape of the plate member 26 by the amount of the groove portion 28d provided. The groove portion 28d may be omitted. In this case, the outer shape of the bottom surface 28a can have a rectangular shape that is the same as or slightly larger than the outer shape of the plate member 26.

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

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B, the bottom surface 28a is formed in a curved line shape that curves along the curved surface shape 20b with respect to the direction along the long side 26b of the plate member 26. That is, the long side 28b of the bottom surface 28a is a curve that extends along the curved surface shape 20b. Specifically, the line connecting the corner C1 and the corner C2 of the bottom surface 28a shown in FIGS. 4B and 6A, and the line connecting the corner C3 and the corner C4 are curves.

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

[0031] When attaching the plate member 26 to such a concave portion 28, the back surface 26d is attached to the bottom surface 28a with a double-sided adhesive tape 30. At this time, the bottom surface 28a is formed in a curved line shape in the long side 26b, 28b direction and in a straight line shape in the short side 26c, 28c direction. For this reason, the plate member 26 curves along the curved surface in the long side 28b direction in the long side 26b direction, and is fixed as it is to the plane in the short side 28c direction in the short side 26c direction.

[0032] From the above, the surface 26a of the plate member 26 is installed such that the long side 26b direction is along the curved surface shape 20b of the outer surface 20a of the housing member 20, that is, along the inner edge of the concave portion 28. For this reason, the step S1 formed between the long side 26b of the surface 26a and the adjacent outer surface 20a is minimized.

[0033] On one hand, the surface 26a of the plate member 26 is installed linearly along the short side 26c direction without following the curved surface shape 20b of the outer surface 20a of the housing member 20. However, the short side 26c is shorter than the long side 26b. Therefore, the short side 26c of the surface 26a suppresses the step S2 formed between the adjacent outer surface 20a and is not prominent on the outer surface 20a.

[0034] Here, consider a configuration in which the bottom surface 28a is formed as a flat surface. For example, the flat bottom surface 28a is formed by taking a horizontal plane at three of the four corners C1 to C4. Therefore, for example, when the bottom surface 28a is formed into a flat surface with reference to the corners C1 to C3, the corner C4 is either in a position sunken on the Z1 side or in a position raised on the Z2 side. As a result, when the plate member 26 is attached to the flat bottom surface 28a, there is a possibility that a large step is formed on the outer surface 20a at the portion directly above the corner C4 that is displaced in the Z direction. In addition, since the long side 28b of the flat bottom surface 28a is also formed linearly, the step S1 between the flat bottom surface 28a and the curved outer surface 20a is likely to be prominent.

[0035] In this regard, the bottom surface 28a of the concave portion 28 of the present embodiment is formed in a curved shape that follows the curved surface shape 20b in the long side 26b direction and linearly in the short side 26c direction as described above. Thereby, the first housing 11 can minimize the steps S1 and S2 between the plate member 26 and the surrounding outer surface 20a, and a high appearance quality can be obtained. Moreover, the plate member 26 is not curved in the short side 26c direction where the bending rigidity is strong. Therefore, the plate member 26 can also suppress the occurrence of a problem that the short side 26c floats from the bottom surface 28a and the double-sided adhesive tape 30 peels off, and can be stably fixed.

[0036] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that it can be freely changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0037] The rectangular shape of the plate member 26 is not obstructive to a shape in which the long side 26b and the short side 26c are somewhat curved in plan view, not to mention the case where the long side 26b and the short side 26c are perfect straight lines in plan view.

Explanation of Signs

[0038] 10 Electronic device 11 First housing 20 Housing member 20a Outer surface 20b Curved surface shape 26 Plate member 26b, 28b Long side 26c, 28c Short side 27 Logo 28 Concave portion 28a Bottom surface

Claims

1. A housing for an electronic device, comprising: A housing member having a curved outer surface and a concave portion provided in a part of the outer surface; a plate member attached to a bottom surface of the recessed portion so as to fill the recessed portion, the plate member having a surface facing the outer surface; Equipped with The plate member has a rectangular outer shape having a long side and a short side that is shorter than the long side, The bottom surface of the recessed portion is formed in a curved shape along the long side of the plate member so as to follow the curved surface shape, and is formed in a straight line along the short side of the plate member. A housing characterized by:

2. 2. The housing of claim 1, The length of the long side of the plate member is at least twice the length of the short side. A housing characterized by:

3. The housing according to claim 1 or 2, The plate member is a resin plate. A housing characterized by:

4. An electronic device, A housing member having a curved outer surface, the curved outer surface being provided with a concave portion; a plate member attached to a bottom surface of the recessed portion so as to fill the recessed portion, the plate member having a surface facing the outer surface; Equipped with The plate member has a rectangular outer shape having a long side and a short side that is shorter than the long side, The bottom surface of the recessed portion is formed in a curved shape along the long side of the plate member so as to follow the curved surface shape, and is formed in a straight line along the short side of the plate member.

1. An electronic device comprising:

5. 5. The electronic device according to claim 4, The plate member is a logo plate having a logo on its surface.

1. An electronic device comprising:

Images