CN105098458B - Portable device with elastic clamping mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable device with an elastic locking mechanism, including a middle frame structure, an electrical connector module and a shell. The middle frame structure includes a main frame, and a frame formed by extending the main frame along a first direction. A first combination frame and a snap arm provided on the first combination frame. In this way, the electrical connector module can be assembled on the middle frame structure in a second direction opposite to the first direction. on, and the housing can be assembled on the outside of the first combination frame along the first direction, wherein the electrical connector in the electrical connector module abuts the engaging arm so that the engaging arm is in the first engaging position. one of the position and the second engaging position.

Description

Portable Devices with Elastic Snap Mechanisms

technical field

The invention relates to a portable device, especially a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism.

Background technique

Nowadays, most mobile devices such as tablet computers and notebook computers are equipped with Universal Serial Bus (USB) for direct data exchange with the connection interface of external devices. Due to its high capacity and small size, USB flash drives And easy to carry, etc., so it has gradually become a necessity for these mobile devices to store data temporarily or permanently.

In existing patent literature, known a kind of traditional USB flash drive structure, it mainly is to have the electrical connector of USB interface and the printed circuit board of an integrated packaging circuit with memory function to be fixed by dispensing on an insulating seat, and then fix the two split insulating shells on the insulating seat at the same time by dispensing to cover the printed circuit board and expose the electrical connector.

Known another kind of traditional USB flash drive structure, it mainly utilizes snap-in way to connect electrical connector module (comprises the printed circuit board of the electrical connector with USB interface and the integrated package circuit with memory function) and insulating shell Assembled on the insulating base. Specifically, a plurality of hooks are arranged on the insulating seat, and corresponding slots are arranged on the insulating shell. When assembling, the electrical connector module and the insulating shell are mainly assembled on the insulating seat along the same direction, wherein The electrical connector is engaged and positioned by a specific hook whose size matches the electrical connector, and the insulating shell is positioned by the cooperation of other hooks and slots.

The following problems may occur in the manufacturing process that meets the current technical level: the structure of the USB flash drive may increase the number of defective products due to human error such as too much or too little glue dispensing during assembly. Secondly, as far as the traditional hook design is concerned, it is not only easy to cause the failure of the hooking function due to manufacturing tolerances and demoulding factors. Furthermore, traditional hooks are usually designed to only work with a specific counterpart. Therefore, when the design of the counterpart changes or the supplier changes, the original mold design of the hook must also be replaced, which will not only cause mold repair costs The waste is also limited in the choice of suppliers of counterparts.

In summary, in view of the need for improvement in the assembly design of the existing USB flash drive, the inventor actively studies how to use a simple USB flash drive with cost considerations based on his years of design and manufacturing experience in related fields. Assembling methods and achieving good structural strength, the present invention was finally developed under careful consideration of various conditions.

Contents of the invention

In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism, which utilizes the special design of the middle frame structure, and cooperates with the locking arm to reciprocate to move to the first locking position and the second locking It not only has the advantage of easy assembly, but also makes the appearance and dimensional tolerance of the connector a true zero gap.

In order to achieve the above purpose and effect, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism, comprising:

A middle frame structure, including:

a main frame;

a first combined frame body formed by extending the main frame body along a first direction and having a slot; and

An engaging arm is arranged in the slot, and the engaging arm is formed by extending obliquely and downward from the main frame adjacent to the main frame, and the engaging arm can be at the first engaging position and reciprocating movement between the second engaging positions;

An electrical connector module has an electrical connector, and the electrical connector module is assembled on the middle frame structure along a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the end of the electrical connector abuts against the engaging an arm with the engaging arm in one of the first engaging position and the second engaging position; and

A shell is assembled on the outside of the first combination frame along the first direction.

Wherein, the engaging arm has an engaging surface, and a stop portion protrudes from the end of the engaging surface.

Wherein, the engaging surface of the engaging arm is a rough surface.

Wherein, the engaging surface of the engaging arm is provided with a plurality of auxiliary engaging structures, and the height of the stop part is greater than the height of each of the auxiliary engaging structures.

Wherein, the engaging arm is at the first engaging position, and the end of the electrical connector abuts against one of the auxiliary engaging structures.

Wherein, the auxiliary engaging structures are a plurality of racks arranged in parallel at intervals.

Wherein, the engaging arm is at the second engaging position, and the end of the electrical connector abuts against the stop portion.

Wherein, the stop portion is a block.

Wherein, the electrical connector module further includes a circuit board, which is housed in the housing and electrically connected to the circuit board.

Wherein, it further includes a pair of tail cover structure for limiting the position of the circuit board, the tail cover structure is assembled at the tail end of the shell and is arranged opposite to the middle frame structure.

Wherein, the tail cover structure includes a cover and a second combined frame body formed by extending the cover along the second direction, and two opposite inner side walls of the second combined frame body are respectively provided with a guide rail and an adjacent For the installation limit arm of the guide rail, the tail end of the circuit board has a positioning part, and the positioning part has two installation limit slots corresponding to the two installation limit arms, and the positioning part can pass through the guide rails of the two guide rails. As a result, the two installation limiting arms are correspondingly embedded in the two installation limiting grooves.

In summary, compared with the traditional USB flash drive structure, the present invention combines the electrical connector module and the housing with the middle frame structure along different assembly directions, and only one assembly step is required to install the electrical connector. The module and the shell are combined on the middle frame structure at the same time, and the electrical connector module will not interfere with the shell during the assembly process, so the present invention has the advantage of assembly.

Furthermore, the present invention cooperates with the use of the pre-tilted engaging arm, because the engaging arm can absorb the dimensional tolerance of the electrical connector by means of automatic adjustment, so it can overcome the dimensional tolerance of the electrical connector caused by the centering frame structure. Influence, to achieve the effect of zero-gap combination, and then there is no need to worry about the size variation of various connector suppliers.

In order to further understand the features and technical contents of the present invention, please refer to the following detailed description and drawings related to the present invention. However, the attached drawings are provided for reference and illustration only, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from another perspective of the portable device with the elastic locking mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the portable device with the elastic locking mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the middle frame structure of the present invention from a perspective.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another perspective of the middle frame structure of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the middle frame structure of the present invention and an electrical connector module in one form.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the combination of the middle frame structure of the present invention and another form of electrical connector module.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of reference signs

1 Portable device with elastic snap mechanism

10 Middle frame structure

11 main frame

12 First combo box

120 Slotted

121 The first locking wall

122 Second locking wall

13 Snap arm

130 joint surface

131 Auxiliary snapping structure

132 stopper

20 Electrical Connector Module

21 electrical connector

22 circuit board

23 Positioning Department

231 Install the limit slot

30 shell

40 Tail cover structure

41 Cover

42 Second combo box

421 guide rail

422 Mounting the stop arm

W first direction

detailed description

The disclosed content of the present invention relates to a novel middle frame structure, which can absorb the dimensional tolerance of the electrical connector by means of automatic adjustment through the design of the pre-tilted engaging arm, so there is no need to worry about the supply of various connectors. The dimensional variation of the supplier may be caused by manufacturing tolerances and demoulding factors. The present invention also relates to a portable device using the above-mentioned middle frame structure, which not only has the advantage of easy assembly but also increases the overall structural reliability.

The following will illustrate the structural features and assembly methods of the present invention through specific specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art can easily understand the characteristics and effects of the present invention through the disclosure of the present invention, and without departing from Various modifications and changes are made within the spirit of the present invention to implement or apply the present invention from different viewpoints.

[first embodiment]

Please refer to Figures 1 to 3, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention 3 is a combined view of the portable device with an elastic locking mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the portable device 1 with the elastic locking mechanism includes a middle frame structure 10 , an electrical connector module 20 and a housing 30 . Generally speaking, the electrical connector module 20 is combined with the inner side of the middle frame structure 10 along one assembling direction by snap-fitting, and the housing 30 is combined with the middle frame structure 10 along the opposite assembling direction through a tight fit. The outside of the frame structure 10 is used to protect the electronic components of the electrical connector module 20 .

First of all, it should be explained that the embodiment of the portable device with an elastic locking mechanism of the present invention is a USB flash drive, wherein the electrical connector module 20 includes an electrical connector 21 and a circuit board with an integrated circuit with a memory function 22. The electrical connector 21 has a USB interface, which is used as a bridge for data transmission. The circuit board 22 is arranged at the end of the electrical connector 21 and remains electrically connected to the electrical connector 21 for temporary or Permanently store data input via the USB interface.

Please refer to FIGS. 4 and 5 . The middle frame structure 10 includes a main frame body 11 , a first assembly frame body 12 and an engaging arm 13 . The main body structure of the main frame body 11 is substantially rectangular, and its edge outline is substantially consistent with an open end of the housing 30 . The first combined frame body 12 is formed by extending the main frame body 11 along the first direction W, and the configuration of the first combined frame body 12 is roughly matched with the open end of the housing 30, so as to achieve a tight fit between the two. Effect. It is worth noting that a slot 120 is also provided on the first combination frame body 12, and the engaging arm 13 is disposed in the slot 120, and extends obliquely downward from the direction adjacent to the main frame body 11 to the direction away from the main frame body 11, In this way, the engaging arm 13 can not only maintain a certain degree of freedom of movement when the buckle is installed, but also provide a hooking and abutting force for the electrical connector 21 to be engaged and positioned.

In more detail, the first combination frame 12 is integrally formed of a first locking wall 121 and two second locking walls 122, wherein the two second locking walls 122 are separated from the first locking wall 121 respectively. The opposite two side edges are extended and formed along the edge contour of the hollow frame body. In other words, the first combined frame body 12 is roughly U-shaped, and the slot 120 of the first combined frame body 12 is defined between the ends of the two second locking walls 122 and the main frame body 11 . It should be noted that, through the arrangement of the slots 120 , the engaging arm 13 can move back and forth between the first engaging position and the second engaging position, and then can be matched with the electrical connector 21 within a certain tolerance range.

In order to achieve a perfect combination between the electrical connector module 20 and the housing 30 and the middle frame structure 10, the joint surface 130 of the engaging arm 13 can be provided with a plurality of auxiliary engaging structures 131, and the end of the joint surface 130 can be further convex A blocking portion 132 is provided, and the height of the blocking portion 132 must be greater than that of the auxiliary engaging structure 131 . In this way, the displacement condition of the electrical connector 21 is double restricted, which helps the electrical connector module 20 to be assembled in place. In addition, the width of the first locking wall 121 of the first combination frame body 12 must not be greater than the maximum inner diameter of the housing 30, and the width of the second locking wall 122 must not be greater than the minimum inner diameter of the housing 30, so that the housing 30 can be The second direction opposite to the first direction W is tightly fitted on the first combined frame body 12 .

In practical application, the auxiliary engaging structure 131 may be a plurality of racks or grooves arranged in parallel at intervals, and the stop portion 132 may be a locking block or a hook, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In a modified embodiment, the engaging surface 130 of the engaging arm 13 can be intentionally roughened, and a concave-convex structure is formed on the engaging surface 130 to increase the frictional force, thereby increasing the force required for disassembling the electrical connector module 20. pull.

Please refer to FIGS. 6 and 7 , and refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 together. The structural features of the portable device 1 with the elastic locking mechanism of the present invention have been described in detail above, and its assembly method will be further described below. Generally, the size of the electrical connector 21 may vary due to different suppliers or manufacturing tolerances.

Please refer to FIG. 6 , which is a schematic diagram of a combination of a middle frame structure and an electrical connector module. As shown in the figure, when an electrical connector module 20 is combined with the middle frame structure 10 along the first direction W, the electrical connector 21 therein has a shorter length, so the engaging arm 13 of the middle frame structure 10 is electrically connected to the middle frame structure 10. The connector 21 is pushed to the first engagement position after being positioned, and the end of the electrical connector 21 abuts against one of the auxiliary engagement structures 131 . In other words, the electrical connector module 20 will not fall off from the middle frame structure 10 due to the stress of the engaging arm 13 .

Please refer to FIG. 7 , which is a schematic diagram of combining the middle frame structure with another electrical connector module. As shown in the figure, when another electrical connector module 20 is combined with the middle frame structure 10 along the first direction, the electrical connector 21 therein has a longer length, so the engaging arm 13 of the middle frame structure 10 is electrically connected to the middle frame structure 10. The connector 21 is in the second engaged position after being pushed against and positioned, and the end of the electrical connector 21 abuts against the stop portion 132 . Likewise, the electrical connector module 20 will not fall off from the middle frame structure 10 due to the stress against the engaging arm 13 .

[Second embodiment]

Please refer to FIG. 8 , which is a perspective view of a portable device with an elastic locking mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment is that the portable device 1 with the elastic locking mechanism further includes a tail cover structure 40, the tail cover structure 40 is assembled at the tail end of the casing 30 and is opposite to the middle frame structure 10 , is mainly used to limit the circuit board 22 of the electrical connector module 20 .

Please refer to Figures 8 and 9 together. In this specific embodiment, the tail cover structure 40 is an integral structure of a cover 41 and a second combined frame body 42, wherein the second combined frame body 42 is formed by the cover 41 along the It is formed by extending in a second direction opposite to the first direction W, and a guide rail 421 and a mounting limit arm 421 adjacent to the guide rail 421 are respectively provided on two opposite inner sidewalls of the second combination frame body 42 . On the other hand, the shell 30 has another open end (not shown in the figure), and the main body structure of the cover 41 is substantially rectangular and the edge profile is roughly consistent with the other open end of the shell 30 . On the other hand, the rear end of the circuit board 22 is further provided with a positioning portion 23 , and the positioning portion 23 has two installation limiting slots 231 corresponding to the installation limiting arms 421 of the second combination frame 42 .

When assembling the portable device 1 with the elastic locking mechanism of this embodiment, the electrical connector modules 20 of various sizes and specifications can be snapped on the middle frame structure 10 along the first direction W, and then tightened by the middle frame structure 10. It is equipped with an open end of the shell 30 and combined with the shell 30; thereafter, the tail cover structure 40 can be correspondingly combined with the other open end of the shell 30 along the second direction opposite to the first direction W, and the circuit board 22 in the process The two opposite side edges of the positioning portion 23 can be guided by the guide rail 421 of the tail cover structure 40, so that the installation limiting arm 421 is inserted into the installation limiting groove 231 of the positioning portion 23 and mutually clamped and limited.

It should be noted that the present invention does not limit the assembly sequence of the middle frame structure 10 and the tail cover structure 40. In other words, when assembling the present invention, the tail cover structure 40 can also be assembled on the casing 30 along the second direction first, and then the electric The connector module 20 and the middle frame structure 10 are combined with the housing 30 along the first direction W. Similarly, during the process, the opposite side edges of the positioning portion 23 of the circuit board 22 can be guided by the guide rail 421 of the tail cover structure 40, so that the installation limit arm 421 is embedded in the installation limit groove 231 of the positioning portion 23 and mutually Card limit.

Accordingly, the electrical connector module 20 can be perfectly combined with the housing 30 through the engaging arm 13 of the middle frame structure 10 and the installation limiting arm 421 of the tail cover structure 40, and the engaging arm 13 and the installation limiting arm 421 are relatively The connector modules 20 have a mutual clamping function, which greatly improves the reliability of the overall structure. According to a pull-out test result, the portable device 1 with the elastic locking mechanism of this embodiment can withstand a pull-out force of at least 5 kgf. In summary, compared with the traditional USB flash drive structure, the present invention combines the electrical connector module and the housing with the middle frame structure along different assembly directions, and only one assembly step is required to install the electrical connector. The module and the shell are combined on the middle frame structure at the same time, and the electrical connector module will not interfere with the shell during the assembly process, so the present invention has the advantage of assembly.

Furthermore, the present invention cooperates with the use of the pre-tilted engaging arm, because the engaging arm can absorb the dimensional tolerance of the electrical connector by means of automatic adjustment, so it can overcome the dimensional tolerance of the electrical connector caused by the centering frame structure. Influence, to achieve the effect of zero-gap combination, and then there is no need to worry about the size variation of various connector suppliers.

The above descriptions are only examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of patent protection of the present invention. Anyone who is familiar with similar skills, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the equivalent replacements of changes and modifications still fall within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims (7)

1. A portable device having a resilient snap-fit mechanism, comprising:

a middle frame structure, comprising:

a main frame body;

a first combined frame body formed by extending the main frame body along a first direction and provided with a slot; and

a clamping arm arranged in the slot, wherein the clamping arm is formed by extending downwards from the position close to the main frame body to the direction far away from the main frame body in an inclined way, and can move back and forth between a first clamping position and a second clamping position;

an electrical connector module having an electrical connector, the electrical connector module being assembled on the middle frame structure along the first direction, wherein a distal end of the electrical connector abuts against the engaging arm, so that the engaging arm is located at one of the first engaging position and the second engaging position; and

the shell is assembled on the outer side of the first combined frame body along a second direction opposite to the first direction; wherein,

the clamping arm is at the first clamping position, the tail end of the electric connector abuts against one of the auxiliary clamping structures, the clamping arm is at the second clamping position, and the tail end of the electric connector abuts against the stop part.

2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the engaging surface of the engaging arm is a rough surface.

3. The portable device with elastic clamping mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of auxiliary clamping structures are a plurality of spaced parallel arranged racks.

4. The portable device with elastic clamping mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stop portion is a latch.

5. The portable device with elastic clamping mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical connector module further comprises a circuit board, the circuit board is accommodated in the housing and electrically connected with the electrical connector.

6. The portable device with elastic clamping mechanism as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a tail cover structure for limiting the position of the circuit board, wherein the tail cover structure is assembled at the tail end of the housing and disposed opposite to the middle frame structure.

7. The portable device with an elastic engaging mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tail cover structure includes a cover and a second combined frame formed by extending the cover along the second direction, two opposite inner sidewalls of the second combined frame are respectively provided with a guide rail and a mounting limiting arm adjacent to the guide rail, the tail end of the circuit board has a positioning portion, the positioning portion has two mounting limiting grooves corresponding to the two mounting limiting arms, and the positioning portion can be guided by the two guide rails to enable the two mounting limiting arms to be correspondingly inserted into the two mounting limiting grooves.