JP2014044627A - Information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique which can make a connection part thinner.SOLUTION: An information processing device includes a first cabinet, a second cabinet, a first plate fixed to each of the first cabinet and the second cabinet and having flexibility, a second plate fixed to the first cabinet and having flexibility, and a fixing member that is provided in the second cabinet, can make the second plate slidable in the connection direction of the first cabinet and the second cabinet, and can fix the second plate.

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus.

  Patent document 1 discloses the hinge provided in the connection part of an electronic device main body and a display.

JP 2010-218102 A

  However, since the hinge disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a very complicated configuration, the connecting portion is thickened. For this reason, the technique which can make a connection part thin is calculated | required.

  According to the present disclosure, the first casing, the second casing, the first casing and the second casing fixed to each of the first casing and the first casing having flexibility, and the first casing are fixed to the first casing. A second plate having flexibility, and a fixing member provided on the second casing, the second plate being slidable in the length direction of the first plate, and capable of being fixed. A processing device is provided.

  According to the present disclosure, the connecting portion that connects the first casing and the second casing includes the first plate, the second plate, and the fixing member.

  As described above, according to the present disclosure, the connecting portion can be thinned.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an external appearance example of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is a perspective view showing an example of appearance of an information processor. It is a perspective view showing an example of appearance of an information processor. It is a side view which shows an example of a hinge typically. It is a side view which shows an example of a hinge typically. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of a 2nd board and a fixing member. It is a perspective view which shows the example of installation of a hinge. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a fixing member. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a fixing member. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a fixing member. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a fixing member.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol. Moreover, the dimension of each figure is schematic.

The description will be made in the following order.
1. 1. Appearance example of information processing apparatus 2. Hinge configuration 3. Action of hinge 4. Hinge installation example 5. First modification of fixing member 6. Second modification of fixing member 7. Third modification of fixing member Fourth modification of fixing member

<1. Appearance example of information processing device>
First, an example of the appearance of the information processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. The information processing apparatus 100 includes a display 110 (first housing), a main body 120 (second housing), and a connecting unit 200 that connects them. The connecting part 200 incorporates a hinge 10 to be described later and is covered with a cover 200a. The main body 120 includes a display and a touch panel, and can display a keyboard image and the like shown in FIG. Further, the information processing apparatus 100 may be any information processing apparatus as long as the information processing apparatus includes a plurality of housings and a connecting portion that connects these. Examples of the information processing apparatus 100 include a notebook computer and a mobile phone.

  According to the hinge 10 according to the present embodiment, the user can freely rotate the display 110 and the main body 120 in a range of 0 to 360 degrees with the connecting portion 200 as a rotation axis, while these can be moved at a desired position. Can be fixed. Here, in the present embodiment, the state in which the display surface of the display 110 is in contact with the main body 120 is set to 0 degree. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the user can place the information processing apparatus 100 in any one of a folded state, a horizontal state, and a reverse folded state (a parabola state).

  Here, the bent state is a state where the angle between the display 110 and the main body 120 is 0 degree or more and less than 180 degrees, and the horizontal state is a state where these angles are 180 degrees. The parallax state is a state where these angles are greater than 180 degrees and less than or equal to 360 degrees. In the barbarian state, as shown in FIG. 3, the user can stand the display 110 and the main body 120 with the connecting portion 200 facing up. The movable range of the display 110 and the main body 120 is not limited to this example, and may be limited to a certain range.

<2. Hinge configuration>
Next, based on FIGS. 4-7, the specific structure of the hinge 10 is demonstrated. 4 shows a horizontal state of the information processing apparatus 100, and FIG. 5 shows a bent state of the information processing apparatus 100. The hinge 10 includes a first plate 20, a second plate 30, a support member 40, and a fixing member 50.

  The first plate 20 is a plate that can be bent (has flexibility), and is fixed to the display 110 and the main body 120. The first plate 20 is, for example, a SUS plate. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the user rotates the display 110 in the arrow A1 or A2 direction, the first plate 20 bends accordingly.

  When the user rotates display 110 from the position shown in FIG. 4 in the direction of arrow A1, information processing apparatus 100 is in a bent state. On the other hand, when the user rotates the display 110 in the arrow A2 direction from the position shown in FIG.

  The second plate 30 is overlaid on the surface of the first plate 20. The second plate 30 is a metal plate that can be bent (has flexibility). The second plate 30 is fixed to the display 110. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the second plate 30 has an end portion 31 on the display 110 side extending in the width direction, and a through hole 32 is formed in the end portion 31. The through hole 32 is a hole through which a through fixing member such as a screw or a screw passes. The second plate 30 is fixed to the display 110 by a penetration fixing member.

  On the other hand, the end 33 on the main body 120 side of the second plate 30 passes through the fixing member 50. As will be described later, the fixing member 50 is a member capable of sliding and fixing the second plate 30.

  The support member 40 is a member that brings the second plate 30 into contact (contact) with the first plate 20, that is, when the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 are bent, the second plate 30 is the first plate 30. It is a member that holds the second plate 30 so as not to be separated from the plate 20. The support member 40 surrounds the surface and side surfaces of the second plate 30 and is fixed to the first plate 20. A portion of the support member 40 that faces the surface of the second plate 30 is in close contact with the surface of the second plate 30. Further, the second plate 30 is in close contact with the first plate 20. Therefore, the support member 40 causes the second plate 30 to be in close contact with the first plate 20. Further, a plurality of support members 40 are provided at predetermined intervals along the length direction of the first plate 20.

  By providing a plurality of support members 40, the possibility that the first plate 20 is separated from the second plate 30 is reduced. Furthermore, since the support members 40 are separated from each other by a predetermined interval, the possibility that the support members 40 are in contact with each other in the bent state is reduced. If the support members 40 are in contact with each other, the bending of the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 may be hindered. When the angle formed between the display 110 and the main body 120 is greater than 0 degrees, the support members 40 are preferably not in contact with each other. Note that the width (the length in the length direction of the first plate 20) and the number of the support members 40 are not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, the width and the number shown in FIG. Moreover, the support member 40 should just be able to suppress the distance of the 1st board 20 and the 2nd board 30 to below predetermined value. That is, the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 may be separated from each other. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the thickness of the connecting portion 200, the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 are preferably in contact with each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the fixing member 50 includes a case 50 a, a leaf spring 51 (elastic member), a base 52 (contact member), and a through hole 53. The fixing member 50 is a member that can slide and fix the second plate 30 in the direction of the arrow a1 or a2. The elastic member is not limited to the leaf spring 51, and may be any elastic member that exhibits an action described later.

  The case 50 a contains a leaf spring 51 and a base 52. The leaf spring 51 is in contact with the surface (one surface) of the second plate 30, and the base 52 is in contact with the back surface (the other surface) of the second plate 30. That is, the leaf spring 51 and the base 52 sandwich the second plate 30 and the leaf spring 51 presses the second plate 30 downward (in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the second plate 30). ing. Therefore, a frictional force acts between the leaf spring 51 and the second plate 30. The fixing member 50 fixes the second plate 30 by this frictional force. That is, this frictional force is a fixing force by the fixing member 50.

  The end 33 of the second plate 30 has an arrow a1 or a2 between the leaf spring 51 and the base 52 when a force larger than the fixing force by the fixing member 50 acts on the end 33 of the second plate 30. Move (slide) in the direction. That is, the end 33 of the second plate 30 slides in the length direction of the first plate 20. On the other hand, when the force acting on the second plate becomes equal to or less than the fixing force by the fixing member 50, the fixing member 50 fixes the second plate 30 by the fixing force. Therefore, the fixing member 50 can slide the second plate 30 in the length direction of the first plate 20 and can be fixed. The through hole 53 is a hole through which the end 33 of the second plate 30 passes.

  A leaf spring may be provided instead of the base 52. In this case, the second plate 30 is sandwiched between two plate springs. Further, the leaf spring 51 may be provided below the second plate, and the protrusion corresponding to the base may be provided above the second plate. In any shape, the fixing member 50 can achieve the above-described action.

<3. Hinge Action>
Next, based on FIG.4 and FIG.5, the effect | action of the hinge 10 is demonstrated. When the user applies a force in the direction of the arrow A1 or A2 to the display 110 and a force larger than the fixing force by the fixing member 50 acts on the end 33 of the second plate 30, the first plate 20 and the second plate The plate 30 bends in the direction in which the user applies force. Further, when the user applies a force in the direction of arrow A1 to the display 110, the fixing member 50 moves the end 33 of the second plate 30 in the direction of arrow a1. On the other hand, when the user applies a force in the direction of arrow A2 to the display 110, the fixing member 50 moves the end portion 33 of the second plate 30 in the direction of arrow a2.

  That is, since the curvature radius when the first plate 20 is bent differs from the curvature radius when the second plate 30 is bent, the lengths of the bent portions of these plates are also different. Therefore, the end portion 33 moves in the direction of the arrow a1 or a2 by an amount corresponding to this difference.

  When the user releases his / her hand from the display 110, the fixing member 50 fixes the second plate 30 at the current position by the fixing force. Thereby, the user can fix the display 110 with respect to the main body 120 at a desired angle. For example, the user can fix the display 110 to the position shown in FIG. 5 by rotating the display 110 from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5 and releasing the hand. It should be noted that the hinge 10 has the same effect when the user rotates the main body 120.

<4. Hinge installation example>
Next, an installation example of the hinge 10 will be described based on FIG. In this example, the hinges 10 are provided at the center and the left and right ends of the connecting portion 200, respectively. The number and arrangement of the hinges 10 are not limited to this example. Further, the first plate 20 of each hinge 10 is fixed to the connecting plate 60. The connecting plate 60 is a bendable plate and is provided across both ends of the connecting portion 200 in the length direction. The connecting plate 60 is made of the same material as that of the first plate 20, for example. The connecting plate 60 and the first plate 20 may be integrally formed. Further, the connecting plate 60 may not be provided.

  A flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 300 is disposed between the hinges 10. The FPC 300 is a circuit that connects the electronic circuit of the main body 120 and the electronic circuit of the display 110 and distributes information exchanged between these electronic circuits. The cover 200a illustrated in FIG. 1 covers, for example, the first plate 20, the second plate 30, the support member 40, and the connecting plate 60. According to this installation example, the hinge 200 and the connecting plate 60 are disposed in the connecting portion 200. And since the hinge 10 is implement | achieved by thin structures, such as the 1st board 20, the 2nd board 30, etc., the connection part 200 is made thin. Furthermore, since the flexible printed circuit board 300 is disposed between the hinges 10, the connecting portion 200 is further reduced in thickness.

<5. First Modification of Fixing Member>
Next, a first modification of the fixing member 50 will be described based on FIG. The fixing member 50 according to the first modification includes a rack 35 and a gear 62. The rack 35 is provided at the end 33 of the second plate 30 and extends in the length direction of the second plate 30. The rack 35 includes teeth 35 a that mesh with teeth 62 a provided on the gear 62.

  The gear 62 is provided in the case 50a via the rotating shaft 61, and rotates when a torque greater than a predetermined torque is applied. The gear 62 includes teeth 62 a that mesh with the teeth 61 a of the rack 61.

  The fixing member 50 has the following effects by the above configuration. That is, when the user applies a force in the direction of the arrow A1 or A2 (see FIG. 4) to the display 110 and a torque greater than a predetermined torque is applied to the gear 62, the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 are Bend in the direction in which the user applied force.

  Further, when the user applies a force in the arrow A1 direction to the display 110, the rack 35 moves in the arrow a1 direction while rotating the gear 62 in the arrow b1 direction. On the other hand, when the user applies a force in the direction of arrow A2 to the display 110, the rack 35 moves in the direction of arrow a2 while rotating the gear 62 in the direction of arrow b2.

  When the user releases the display 110, the gear 62 stops rotating at the current position, so the rack 35 also stops at the current position. That is, the fixing member 50 stops the second plate 30 at the current position. Thereby, the user can fix the display 110 with respect to the main body 120 at a desired angle.

<6. Second Modification Example of Fixing Member>
Next, a second modification of the fixing member 50 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, in the second modification, the racks 35 are provided on both side surfaces of the second plate 30, and the gear 62 is also provided for each rack 35. The second modification also has the same effect as the first modification.

<7. Third Modification of Fixing Member>
Next, a third modification of the fixing member 50 will be described based on FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, in the third modified example, a rectangular through hole that penetrates the second plate 30 from the front surface to the back surface is formed in the end portion 33 of the second plate 30. The rack 35 is provided on the side surface of the through hole, and the gear 62 is disposed inside the through hole. The third modification also has the same effect as the first modification.

<8. Fourth Modified Example of Fixing Member>
Next, a fourth modification of the fixing member 50 will be described based on FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the fixing member 50 according to the fourth modification includes a first rack 37, a spring (elastic member) 36, and a second rack 70. The elastic member is not limited to the spring 36, and may be any elastic member that exhibits an action described later.

  The first rack 37 is a member that extends in the length direction of the second plate 30, and is provided on the end 33 of the second plate 30 via a spring 36. The first rack 37 has teeth 37 a that mesh with the teeth 70 a of the second rack 70. A play (space) is formed between the teeth 37a and the teeth 70a. This is to facilitate the movement of the first rack 37 in the direction of the arrow a1 or a2 with respect to the second rack 70.

  The spring 36 connects the first rack 37 and the end portion 33 of the second plate 30. The spring 36 presses the first rack 37 against the second rack 70 with a predetermined elastic force. The second rack 70 is a member extending in the length direction of the second plate 30 and is provided in the case 50a. The first rack 37 has teeth 70 a that mesh with the teeth 37 a of the first rack 37.

  The fixing member 50 has the following effects by the above configuration. That is, when the user applies a force in the direction of the arrow A1 or A2 (see FIG. 4) to the display 110 and a force greater than the elastic force is applied from the first rack 37 to the spring 36, the first plate 20 and The second plate 30 bends in the direction in which the user applies force.

  Furthermore, when the user applies a force in the direction of arrow A1 to the display 110, the first rack 37 and the second rack 70 are disengaged, and the first rack 37 moves in the direction of arrow a1. On the other hand, when the user applies a force in the direction of arrow A2 to the display 110, the first rack 37 and the second rack 70 are disengaged, and the first rack 37 moves in the direction of arrow a2.

  When the user releases his / her hand from the display 110, the first rack 37 and the second rack 70 are engaged again. Further, the spring 36 presses the first rack 37 against the second rack 70. As a result, the first rack 37 stops at the current position. That is, the fixing member 50 stops the second plate 30 at the current position. Thereby, the user can fix the display 110 with respect to the main body 120 at a desired angle.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the connecting portion 200 includes the hinge 10. The hinge 10 is realized by a thin configuration such as the first plate 20, the second plate 30, and the fixing member 50. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the connecting portion 200, and thus it is possible to reduce the thickness of the information processing apparatus 100 itself. Furthermore, since the flexible printed circuit board 300 is disposed between the hinges 10, the connecting portion 200 is further reduced in thickness.

  Further, since the display 110 can be rotated by bending the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 and sliding the second plate, the movable range of the display 110 becomes wider. That is, in this embodiment, the display 110 can be rotated by a bendable range (for example, 0 to 360 degrees) of the first plate 20 and the second plate 30. This improves the convenience for the user. Furthermore, noise during rotation is also reduced.

  Furthermore, since the structure of the connection part 200 becomes simple (smooth), the beauty of the connection part 200 and, consequently, the beauty of the information processing apparatus 100 itself is improved. In particular, in this embodiment, since the flexible printed circuit board 300 is disposed between the hinges 10, the configuration of the connecting portion 200 becomes simpler.

  Furthermore, since the number of parts of the hinge 10 is reduced, the manufacturing cost of the connecting portion 200 and, consequently, the manufacturing cost of the information processing apparatus 100 are reduced.

  Further, the hinge 10 includes a support member 40, and the support member 40 suppresses the distance between the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 to a predetermined value or less, so that the hinge 10 is further thinned.

  Furthermore, since the support member 40 makes the 1st board 20 and the 2nd board 30 contact, the hinge 10 is further reduced in thickness.

  Furthermore, since a plurality of support members 40 are provided along the length direction of the first plate 20, the interval between the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 is more reliably suppressed to a predetermined value or less. Can do. Further, since the support members 40 are spaced apart from each other, the possibility that the support members 40 come into contact with each other when the first plate 20 and the second plate 30 are bent (specifically, in a bent state) is reduced. Is done.

  Furthermore, since the fixing member 50 includes the leaf spring 51 and the base 52, the second plate 30 can be slid and fixed more reliably.

  Furthermore, since the fixing member 50 includes the rack 35 and the gear 62, the second plate 30 can be slid and fixed more reliably.

  Furthermore, since the fixing member 50 includes the first rack 37, the spring 36, and the second rack 70, the second plate 30 can be slid and fixed more reliably.

  The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that it belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure. For example, the configuration of the fixing member is not limited to the configuration described above. Moreover, the flexible printed circuit board 300 may be disposed at other positions. In the installation example shown in FIG. 7, the fixing member 50 of each hinge 10 may have a different configuration (configuration shown in each modification).

The following configurations also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.
(1)
A first housing;
A second housing;
A first plate that is fixed to each of the first housing and the second housing and has flexibility;
A second plate fixed to the first housing and having flexibility;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a fixing member that is provided on the second casing and is slidable in the length direction of the first plate and can be fixed.
(2)
The information processing apparatus according to (1), further including a support member that keeps a distance between the first plate and the second plate to a predetermined value or less.
(3)
The information processing apparatus according to (2), wherein the support member contacts the first plate and the second plate.
(4)
The information processing apparatus according to (2) or (3), wherein a plurality of the support members are provided at predetermined intervals along the length direction of the first plate.
(5)
The fixing member is
An elastic member for pressing one surface of the second plate in a direction perpendicular to the one surface;
An information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4), comprising: a contact member that contacts the other surface of the second plate.
(6)
The fixing member is
A rack provided on the second plate and extending in a length direction of the second plate;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4), further comprising: a gear that meshes with the rack and rotates when a torque equal to or greater than a predetermined torque is applied.
(7)
The fixing member is
A first rack extending in a length direction of the second plate;
An elastic member connecting the second plate and the first rack;
The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4), further comprising: a second rack that is fixed to the second housing and meshes with the first rack.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Information processing apparatus 10 Hinge 20 1st board 30 2nd board 35 Rack 36 Spring 37 1st rack 40 Support member 50 Fixing member 50a Case 51 Leaf spring 52 Base 62 Gear 70 2nd rack

Claims (7)

A first housing;
A second housing;
A first plate that is fixed to each of the first housing and the second housing and has flexibility;
A second plate fixed to the first housing and having flexibility;
An information processing apparatus comprising: a fixing member that is provided on the second casing and is slidable in the length direction of the first plate and can be fixed.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a support member that suppresses an interval between the first plate and the second plate to a predetermined value or less.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the support member contacts the first plate and the second plate.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the support members are provided at predetermined intervals along the length direction of the first plate. The fixing member is
An elastic member for pressing one surface of the second plate in a direction perpendicular to the one surface;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a contact member that contacts the other surface of the second plate. The fixing member is
A rack provided on the second plate and extending in a length direction of the second plate;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a gear that meshes with the rack and rotates when a torque equal to or greater than a predetermined torque is applied. The fixing member is
A first rack extending in a length direction of the second plate;
An elastic member connecting the second plate and the first rack;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second rack fixed to the second casing and meshing with the first rack.

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