JP2015046419A - Electronic equipment with board protection structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic device such as a printer provided with a structure for protecting a circuit board excellent in falling impact resistance.SOLUTION: An electronic device such as a printer 1 includes an outer case 2, a mechanism frame 11 arranged inside the outer case 2, a strut 14 bridged between the outer case 2 and the mechanism frame 11 and a circuit board 12 arranged away from the outer case 2 in a space between the outer case 2 and the mechanism frame 11 where the strut 14 is bridged. An impact force is scarcely transmitted from the outer case to the circuit board when the printer 1 falls. As the impact force applied to the outer case 2 is supported by the side of the mechanism frame 11 via the strut 14, the outer case will not make contact with the surface or the like of the circuit board as a result of large deformation. The circuit board is prevented from deformation, breakage and cutting of a wiring pattern when fell.

Description

  The present invention relates to electronic devices such as printers and scanners. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic device such as a portable small printer in which a built-in circuit board is protected from being damaged or disconnected by an impact caused by dropping.

  As a portable small electronic device, a portable small printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. Since a small portable printer may be accidentally dropped on the floor or the like, it is necessary to protect the built-in components from impacts caused by dropping. In particular, a built-in circuit board on which a fine wiring pattern is formed is vulnerable to impact, and disconnection, board damage, etc. are likely to occur.

  Patent Documents 2 and 3 propose a structure in which an outer peripheral portion of a substrate is sandwiched between upper and lower exterior cases in an electronic device or the like. In the latter patent document 3, the substrate is fixed by upper and lower exterior cases with an annular rubber interposed therebetween. This prevents the substrate from being greatly bent by an external force applied to the upper and lower exterior cases, or prevents the substrate from cracking.

JP 2005-88350 A JP-A-11-204958 JP-A-5-315772

  In the substrate protection structures disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, since the substrate is sandwiched between the upper and lower exterior cases, external forces applied to these exterior cases are easily transmitted to the substrate. For this reason, when a large impact force is applied to the substrate by dropping or the like, the wiring pattern of the substrate may be cut or damaged.

  In the substrate protection structures disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the substrate is disposed at a position sufficiently separated from the upper and lower exterior cases. Even if an external force is applied to the outer case to cause distortion or deflection, the outer case is less likely to hit the surface of the inner substrate. However, in a portable small printer or the like, the substrate is arranged in a narrow space inside the outer case. When trying to arrange a board of the largest possible size, it is necessary to devise such as arranging the board along the inner surface of the bottom side of the printer in the exterior case in order to secure a large space for installing the board. is there. For this reason, there is a case where the substrate cannot be arranged in a state sufficiently separated from the exterior case inside the exterior case.

  In such a case, when a large external force such as an impact due to a drop is applied, the outer case is bent and hits the substrate surface, and the fine wiring pattern is likely to be cut or damaged. In addition, if the exterior case is greatly deformed by the impact force, excessive stress and distortion are generated in the substrate disposed at a close position, and the substrate may be damaged.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device such as a printer provided with a substrate protection structure having excellent drop impact resistance and the like.

In order to solve the above problems, an electronic device of the present invention
An exterior case,
A mechanism frame arranged inside the exterior case;
A support straddled between the outer case and the mechanism frame;
In the space between the exterior case and the mechanism frame where the support is spanned, a circuit board disposed away from the exterior case;
It is characterized by having.

  In the electronic device of the present invention, the circuit board is separated from the outer case in the outer case. The impact force acting on the exterior case when the electronic device is dropped or the like is not directly transmitted from the exterior case to the circuit board. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of deformation, breakage, cutting of the wiring pattern, and the like due to the impact force.

  Further, the impact force acting on the exterior case is supported on the mechanism frame side via the support column. The mechanism frame is a highly rigid part on which the components of the electronic device are mounted. Therefore, even if a large impact force acts on the exterior case, the exterior case will not be greatly deformed. Even if the circuit board is arranged near the outer case, the outer case does not hit the surface of the circuit board or the like. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the deformation, damage, cutting of the wiring pattern, and the like caused by the deformed outer case.

  In the electronic apparatus according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the circuit board includes a board through hole through which the support column extends. By forming a through hole in the circuit board, it is possible to place the support column not only on the outer peripheral part of the circuit board but also on a desired part such as the center part of the circuit board. Therefore, it is possible to arrange the support column at the most suitable place for preventing the portion of the outer case facing the circuit board from being deformed by an external force. Thereby, deformation of the exterior case due to external force can be reduced, and damage to the circuit board due to deformation of the exterior case can be reliably prevented.

  In the electronic device of the present invention, from the viewpoint of assembly workability of a circuit board, an outer case, etc., the column is a column integrally formed with the mechanism frame, or a column provided with one end fixed to the body frame. It is desirable that the other end of the support column is in contact with the exterior case.

  Moreover, it is desirable that the other end portion of the column is inserted with play in a recess disposed in the exterior case. When the other end portion of the column is in contact with the outer case in a state where it cannot move, a large bending stress or the like is generated at the column contact portion when an impact force is applied to the outer case. In the present invention, the other end of the column is in contact with the exterior case in a state where there is play, in other words, it is in a state of minute movement, so that a large stress does not act on the part, so the exterior case is damaged and is greatly damaged. Deformation can be prevented.

  In the case of a portable small electronic device, an attachment member such as a belt clip for attaching the small electronic device to an operator's trouser belt or the like may be attached to the outer surface of the exterior case. In the case of an electronic apparatus provided with such a mounting member, the mounting member includes a protrusion projecting toward the exterior case at a portion corresponding to the support column with the exterior case interposed therebetween. It is desirable.

  When dropped or the like, an impact force is also applied to the mounting member, and the mounting member may be deformed and collide with the exterior case. When the attachment member is greatly deformed toward the exterior case, the protrusion formed on the attachment member collides with the other end of the support column with the exterior case interposed therebetween. The impact force transmitted from the mounting member to the exterior case is transmitted to the support column located on the opposite side and transmitted to the mechanism frame side. Since a large bending stress is not generated in the outer case, the outer case is not greatly deformed.

  In the electronic device of the present invention, the exterior case may be configured to include a first case piece and a second case piece attached to the first case piece. In this case, the first case piece and the circuit board are attached to the mechanism frame, the second case piece is separated from the mechanism frame, and between the second case piece and the mechanism frame, A configuration in which the support column and the circuit board are arranged can be employed.

  Next, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes a portable small printer having a print head mounted on the mechanism frame and a transport mechanism that transports a recording medium via a print position by the print head. Printer.

  In a printer such as a portable small printer, there is a risk that the printer may fall from the operator's hand. By applying the present invention, it is possible to realize a printer having excellent drop impact resistance and the like.

1 is a perspective view showing a portable small printer according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the small printer of FIG. 1 is viewed from a direction different from that of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the small printer of FIG. 1 in the state which removed the lower case. It is a perspective view which shows the left half of the small printer of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view and a partially enlarged view showing a rear half of the small printer of FIG. 1.

  Embodiments of an electronic apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, the present invention is applied to a portable small printer, but the present invention can also be applied to a printer other than a portable small printer. The present invention is also applicable to electronic devices other than printers, such as portable scanners and barcode readers.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable small printer according to the present embodiment (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a “printer”) as viewed from the paper discharge side, and FIG. 2 shows the printer on the paper discharge side. It is a perspective view at the time of seeing from the opposite side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view when the printer with the lower case removed is viewed from the side opposite to the paper discharge side.

  The printer 1 includes an outer case 2 and a printer mechanism unit 3 (FIG. 3) incorporated in the outer case 2. A paper discharge port 4 is formed in the outer case 2 in a straight line with a constant width, through which printed recording paper (not shown) is discharged. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the surface of the outer case 2 on which the paper discharge port 4 is formed is called the printer top surface 5 and the opposite side is called the printer bottom surface 6, and the length direction of the paper discharge port 4 (paper width direction or conveyance) The road width direction) is referred to as the printer width direction X, the long side direction of the printer upper surface 5 and the bottom surface 6 orthogonal to the printer width direction X is referred to as the printer longitudinal direction Y, and the direction orthogonal to these directions X and Y is referred to as the printer thickness direction Z.

  The exterior case 2 includes a first case piece and a second case piece. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the first case piece is the upper case 7 in which the paper discharge port 4 is formed, and the second case piece is the lower case attached to the upper case 7 from the lower side of the printer vertical direction Z. Case 8 is. The upper case piece 7 includes a substantially rectangular upper plate portion 7a on which the printer upper surface 5 is formed, and front and rear end portions of the upper plate portion 7a are bent in an arc shape downward in the printer vertical direction Z. On both sides of the upper plate portion 7a in the printer width direction X, side plate portions extending downward in the printer vertical direction Z are formed. In the figure, only one side plate portion 7c is shown. A lid plate 7d is attached to the side plate portion 7c to removably seal the battery exchange port.

  The lower case 8 includes a substantially rectangular bottom plate portion 8a on which the printer bottom surface 6 is formed, a front plate portion 8b extending from the front end of the bottom plate portion 8a in the front-rear direction Y of the printer, and extending upward in the printer vertical direction Z. A rear plate portion 8c extending from the rear end of 8a to the upper side of the printer is provided. Further, side plate portions extending above the printer are formed on both sides of the bottom plate portion 8a. In the figure, only one side plate 8e is shown. A lower case 8 is attached to the upper case 7 from the lower side of the printer, and the lower case 8 is fixed to the upper case 7 by a fixing screw (not shown).

  A belt clip 9, which is an attachment member, is attached to the bottom plate portion 8 a of the lower case 8. The belt clip 9 includes plate portions 9a and 9b extending in the longitudinal direction Y of the printer and facing each other with a constant width. The end portions of the plate portions 9a and 9b on the front side of the printer are connected in an arc shape, and the other end portions 9c and 9d are separated from each other. An end portion 9c of one plate portion 9a is fixed to the bottom plate portion 8a. The printer 1 is in a posture in which the front portion in the front-rear direction Y of the printer faces upward, and in this state, the belt clip 9 can be attached to the belt (not shown) of the operator's pants.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the printer mechanism unit 3 built in the outer case 2 has a configuration in which components of the printer 1 are mounted on a mechanism frame 11. A printed wiring board 12 (circuit board), which is one of the components, is attached to a lower portion of the printer vertical direction Z in the mechanism frame 11 in a posture substantially orthogonal to the printer vertical direction Z. The printed wiring board 12 is a board having a rectangular outline as a whole, and a circular board through hole 13 is formed at a substantially central portion thereof. A support column 14 extends in the vertical direction Z of the printer through the substrate through hole 13. The support column 14 is bridged between the mechanism frame 11 and the lower case 8. The support column 14 of this example is integrally formed with the mechanism frame 11 which is a resin molded product, for example, and the circular front end surface 14b of the front end portion 14a is in contact with the bottom plate portion 8a of the lower case 8 as will be described later. Yes.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the left half of the printer 1 and shows a longitudinal section taken along the line IV-IV shown in FIG. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the rear half of the printer 1 and shows a cross section taken along the line VV shown in FIG. FIG. 5B is a partially enlarged view thereof. The internal structure of the printer 1 will be described with reference mainly to these drawings. Inside the printer 1, a roll paper storage unit 15 is formed on the rear side of the printer longitudinal direction Y with respect to the printer mechanism unit 3. The roll paper storage unit 15 is formed between the upper case 7 and the lower case 8 and is a storage unit having a substantially circular cross section that extends in the printer width direction X.

  The roll paper storage unit 15 stores, for example, roll paper (not shown) in a form in which heat-sensitive paper is rolled up. In FIG. 4, as shown by a thick line arrow, the paper P having a certain width drawn from the roll paper passes through the paper transport path formed between the paper guides 16 and 17 arranged opposite to the paper discharge port 4. Pulled out. A thermal head 19 and a platen roller 20 extending in the printer width direction X are disposed in front of the paper discharge port 4. The sheet is conveyed while being pressed against the thermal head 19 by the platen roller 20 and printed. The printed paper P is discharged from the paper discharge port 4. A cutting blade 21 extending in the printer width direction X is disposed at the paper discharge port 4, and the printed paper P can be cut into a predetermined length by the cutting blade 21.

  The transport motor 22 that drives the platen roller 20 is mounted on one end of the mechanism frame 11 in the printer width direction X, as shown in FIG. The rotation of the transport motor 22 is transmitted to the platen roller 20 via a train wheel (not shown). A platen roller 20, a conveyance motor 22, a train wheel (not shown), and the like constitute a conveyance mechanism for the paper P. Further, a battery power source 23 is mounted on the mechanism frame 11 as a power source. On the printed circuit board 12, electronic components that constitute a printer control unit that controls the sheet transport operation by the platen roller 20 and the printing operation by the thermal head 19 are mounted.

(Board protection structure)
With reference mainly to FIGS. 4 and 5, a board protection structure for enhancing the drop impact resistance performance of the printed wiring board 12 in the printer 1 will be described. As described above, the printed wiring board 12 is attached to the lower end of the mechanism frame 11. That is, it is disposed in a space between the mechanism frame 11 and the bottom plate portion 8a of the lower case 8 located on the lower side. The printed wiring board 12 is arranged at a predetermined distance above the upper surface 8f of the bottom plate portion 8a of the lower case 8 above the printer vertical direction Z. In this example, the printed wiring board 12 is disposed in parallel to the bottom plate portion 8a at a substantially constant interval.

  The support column 14 formed integrally with the mechanism frame 11 is positioned substantially at the center of the bottom plate portion 8a facing the printed wiring board 12 having a substantially rectangular outline. The support column 14 extends through the circular substrate through hole 13 formed in the printed wiring board 12 with play and extends to the upper surface 8 f of the bottom plate portion 8 a of the lower case 8. On the upper surface 8f of the bottom plate portion 8a with which the tip surface 14b of the tip portion 14a of the support column 14 is in contact, an annular projection 24 that protrudes upward in the printer vertical direction Z is formed. The inner diameter of the circular recess inside the annular protrusion 24 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the tip end portion 14 a of the support column 14. Accordingly, the tip end portion 14a is in a state of being slightly movable in a plane direction orthogonal to the printer vertical direction Z, and is in contact with the bottom surface portion (upper surface 8f) of the circular recess inside the annular protrusion 24.

  Next, as described above, the belt clip 9 is attached to the printer bottom surface 6 which is the lower surface of the bottom plate portion 8a. The end of the plate portion 9a of the belt clip is fixed to the bottom plate portion 8a, and the other portions are slightly separated from the bottom plate portion 8a as a whole. A circular protrusion 25 is formed at a substantially central portion of the plate portion 9a in the front-rear direction Y of the printer. An annular protrusion 26 is also formed so as to surround the protrusion 25 concentrically. The protrusions 25 and 26 protrude toward the bottom plate portion 8a and are in contact with the bottom plate portion 8a. The protrusions 25 and 26 are formed at positions facing the tip surface 14b of the support column 14 and the annular protrusion 24 of the bottom plate portion 8a with the bottom plate portion 8a interposed therebetween.

  In the printer 1 configured as described above, the printed wiring board 12 is separated from the bottom plate portion 8 a of the lower case 8 of the outer case 2 in the outer case 2. Therefore, the impact force acting on the outer case 2 when the printer 1 is dropped or the like is not directly transmitted from the lower case 8 of the outer case 2 to the printed wiring board 12. Compared to the conventional configuration in which the substrate is sandwiched between the upper and lower cases, the printed wiring board 12 is less likely to be deformed, damaged, or cut the wiring pattern due to the impact force.

  Further, the impact force acting on the lower case 8 of the outer case 2 is supported on the side of the mechanism frame 11 having high rigidity via the support column 14 in contact with the lower case 8. The lower case 8 is not greatly deformed by the impact force. Since the lower case 8 is not greatly deformed, the lower case 8 does not hit the printed wiring board 12 that is opposed to the lower case 8 with a slight gap.

  In particular, the support column 14 is bridged between the mechanism frame 11 and the substantially central portion of the lower case 8 facing the printed wiring board 12. The deformation of each part in the lower case 8 increases as the distance from the support part by the support column 14 increases. Since the support column 14 is disposed substantially at the center of the portion of the lower case 8 facing the printed wiring board 12, the deformation of the portion can be suppressed to a small level. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the lower case 8 from being deformed by an impact and hitting the printed wiring board 12.

  Further, the front end surface 14b of the front end portion 14a of the support column 14 is formed on the inner side of the annular projection 24 of the bottom plate portion 8a of the lower case 8 in a state in which the front end surface 14b is minutely movable in the direction perpendicular to the printer vertical direction Z. It is in contact with the bottom portion of the circular recess. When an impact is applied to the bottom plate portion 8a of the lower case 8, the bottom plate portion 8a deformed by the impact is strongly pressed against the support column 14, and the bottom plate portion 8a is supported by the support column 14 so as not to be deformed from the upper side in the printer vertical direction Z.

  In this case, if the portions in contact with each other are fixed to each other so as not to move, a large stress concentration occurs in the portions. In this example, since the front end surface 14b of the support column 14 is in contact with the bottom plate portion 8a in a movable state, such stress concentration does not occur. Therefore, the bottom plate portion 8a supported by the support column 14 is not broken and damaged.

  Further, if the front end surface 14b of the support column 14 is only movably in contact with the bottom plate portion 8a of the lower case 8, the front end portion 14a of the support column 14 becomes larger along the bottom plate portion 8a when a large impact force is applied. There is also a risk of bending sideways and breakage. In this example, the tip end portion 14a is inserted into a circular concave portion inside the annular projection 24, and the movement amount is restricted within a predetermined range. Therefore, the tip end portion 14a side of the support column 14 is not greatly bent, and the impact force can be reliably transmitted on the mechanism frame 11 side.

In addition, when there exists such an annular | circular shaped protrusion 24, the alignment of the lower case 8 with respect to the support | pillar 14 becomes easy, and there exists an advantage that the assembly | attachment operation | work of the lower case 8 etc. also becomes easy.

  Further, in the printer 1, the protrusion 25 is formed on the plate portion 9 a facing the bottom plate portion 8 a of the lower case 8 in the belt clip 9. One end 9c of the belt clip 9 is fixed to the lower case 8, and the protrusion 25 is in contact with the bottom plate portion 8a. If the belt clip 9 collides with the lower case 8 when receiving an impact force due to dropping, the bottom plate portion 8a of the lower case 8 may be greatly deformed, which may damage the internal printed wiring board 12.

  In this example, the protrusion 25 is in contact with the bottom plate portion 8a, and the contact position of the protrusion 25 is a position facing the tip surface 14b of the column 14 with the bottom plate portion 8a interposed therebetween. For this reason, the impact force applied to the belt clip 9 is transmitted to the side of the mechanism frame 11 via the support column 14, and a large bending stress is not generated in the bottom plate portion 8a. Therefore, it is possible to reliably avoid the adverse effect that the lower case 8 is greatly deformed by the impact force from the belt clip 9 and the printed wiring board 12 is damaged.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, one support column is arranged, but a plurality of support columns can also be arranged. In this case, a plurality of through holes of the printed wiring board may be formed and passed through the support. If the support is disposed on the outer periphery of the printed wiring board, it is not necessary to provide a through hole in the printed wiring board. Instead of the through hole, a notch may be cut from the edge of the printed wiring board to form a pillar-shaped groove having a predetermined shape.

  The support column is integrally formed on the mechanism frame side, but conversely, it can be formed integrally on the lower case side. A strut is manufactured as a separate part from the mechanism frame and lower case, and one end of this strut is fixed to the mechanism frame, and the other end is in contact with the lower case, and spans between the mechanism frame and the lower case. It is also possible. Furthermore, it is also possible to bridge the strut between the mechanism frame and the lower case in a state in which a recess is formed in each of the mechanism frame and the lower case, and both ends of the strut are attached to and contacted with these. .

  In addition, although the support | pillar in said embodiment is a cylinder of circular cross section, it is also possible to use a prism. It is also possible to use a truncated cone-shaped or truncated pyramid-shaped column.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer, 2 Exterior case, 3 Printer mechanism part, 4 Paper discharge port, 5 Printer upper surface, 6 Printer bottom face, 7 Upper case, 7a Upper board part, 7c Side board part, 8 Lower case, 8a Bottom board part, 8b Front board part 8c Rear plate portion, 8e side plate portion, 8f upper surface, 9 belt clip, 9a plate portion, 9b plate portion, 9c end portion, 9d end portion, 11 mechanism frame, 12 printed wiring board, 13 substrate through-hole, 14 strut, 14a tip part, 14b tip face, 15 roll paper storage part, 16 paper guide, 17 paper guide, 19 thermal head, 20 platen roller, 21 cutting blade, 22 transport motor, 23 battery power supply, 24 projecting part, 25 projecting part, 26 Protrusion, P paper, X printer width direction, Y printer front-back direction, Z printer The direction

Claims (7)

An exterior case,
A mechanism frame arranged inside the exterior case;
A support straddled between the outer case and the mechanism frame;
In the space between the exterior case and the mechanism frame where the support is spanned, a circuit board disposed away from the exterior case;
An electronic device characterized by comprising: The circuit board includes a substrate through hole through which the support extends.
The electronic device according to claim 1. The support column is a support column integrally formed with the mechanism frame, or a support column having one end fixed to the body frame.
The other end of the column is in contact with the exterior case,
The electronic device according to claim 1. The other end of the column is inserted with play in a recess disposed in the exterior case,
The electronic device according to claim 3. Having a mounting member arranged in the exterior case;
The mounting member includes a protrusion that protrudes toward the exterior case at a portion corresponding to the support, with the exterior case interposed therebetween.
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The exterior case includes a first case piece and a second case piece attached to the first case piece,
The first case piece and the circuit board are attached to the mechanism frame,
The second case piece is separated from the mechanism frame;
The column and the circuit board are disposed between the second case piece and the mechanism frame.
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A print head mounted on the mechanism frame;
A transport mechanism for transporting a recording medium via a printing position by the print head;
have,
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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