JP2815513B2 - Pen storage unit structure in electronic equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a relatively small electronic device provided with an input pen, for example, a personal handy electronic device such as an electronic organizer and a pen housing structure in a pen input electronic device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, some portable or handy type electronic devices such as an electronic organizer are provided with a dedicated input pen and an input is performed by the pen.

[0003] In such a relatively small electronic device, if the pen storage portion or the storage method in the main body is set under the space limitation, the main body and the input pen may be damaged or the operability may be reduced. It is important to realize a convenient structure without any hindrance.

[0004] As a technique relating to such a problem, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. Among them, the one shown in FIG. 7 is a pen insertion type storage unit structure which is mainly adopted in the related art. In this configuration, a pen storage unit 51 having a pen insertion port 51a at one end is provided on one side of the main body 50 of the electronic device, and a pen 52 is inserted into the storage unit 51 from the pen insertion port 51a in the arrow direction in FIG. It is designed to be inserted and stored. In this case, the pen 52 is locked when it is inserted to a predetermined storage position in the storage section 51, and the pen 52 is further locked from that position.
The lock is released by pushing 2 in.

On the other hand, the pen shown in FIG. 8 is provided with a hard cover 61 on a main body 60 of an electronic apparatus so as to be openable and closable, and a pen 62 having a concave cross section in which a pen 62 can be stored at one side of the main body on the hinge shaft side of the cover 61. While the storage portion 63 is provided, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 9, a pen lifting projection 61a having a size substantially corresponding to the pen width is formed near the hinge axis. In this pen-lifting storage structure, the pen 62
Is a pen lifting projection 61a when the cover 61 is opened.
As a result, the entire pen width is lifted while being supported, and is locked when the pen is stored in the pen storage portion 63 in a predetermined state. According to this, since the pen 62 is automatically lifted when the hard cover 61 is opened, there is an advantage that the pen 61 is easily taken out.

[0006]

However, the above-described conventional pen housing structure has the following problems.

That is, in the pen-insertable storage structure shown in FIG. 7, when the pen 52 is taken out of the storage 51, the pen 52 must be pushed in once to release the lock and then pulled out. This increases the number of operations and is cumbersome.

On the other hand, the pen-lifting type storage structure shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 has a configuration in which the entire width of the pen 62 is supported by the pen-lifting projection 61a formed on the hinge shaft side of the hard cover 61. Accordingly, the dimension of the pen lifting projection 61a in the protruding direction becomes larger. Therefore, there is a problem that it is not suitable for downsizing, because it is necessary to leave a space for the large dimension. Further, when the hard cover 61 is opened, the pen 62 cannot be stored in the storage section 63, so that the pen lock mechanism does not work and the pen 62 cannot be locked. For this reason, there arises a problem that the pen 62 moves in the storage section 63 to produce a sound or to damage the pen itself or the main body 60.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems in the prior art. In an electronic device provided with an input pen, the input pen can be easily stored and the input pen is locked in a predetermined state in the storage section. The input pen can be easily removed at the same time as the cover is opened, and the cover can be opened and closed regardless of the presence of the input pen in the storage section. Another object of the present invention is to realize a pen housing structure suitable for a small-sized electronic device, which does not cause damage to the main body and is easy to operate and easy to use.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a pen housing portion structure according to the present invention has a main body having a screen protection cover which can be opened and closed, and a hinge shaft of the cover in the main body. An electronic device provided with a pen storage portion on one side of a position where the input pen can be detachably stored in parallel with the hinge axis from the upper surface side of the main body is characterized as follows.

That is, a pen lock mechanism is provided at one longitudinal end of the pen housing to lock the input pen in the pen housing by pushing one end of the input pen in the pen lock direction with a predetermined spring force when the pen is housed. In addition, a pen lifting mechanism that lifts the input pen in the pen storage unit with a predetermined spring force when the pen lock is released is provided on the bottom side of the pen storage unit.

An undercut portion having a projection with an inclined upper surface is formed on the outer periphery of the pen to provide a predetermined gap in front of the projection, while a hinge shaft side of the cover has When the cover is closed, a convex portion is provided which engages with the projection through the gap while pressing the input pen toward the pen lock mechanism against the inclined surface of the projection in the undercut portion of the input pen.

As shown in an embodiment described later, the pen lock mechanism includes, for example, a lock pin movable in the axial direction and a lock pin biased in the pen lock direction so that the input pen is locked when the pen is stored. And a spring. In addition, the pen lifting mechanism is provided, for example, on a bottom surface side of the pen storage unit, and a pen lifting knob that can freely move in the pen lifting direction and a pen lifting knob so that the input pen in the pen storage unit is lifted when pen lock is released. A spring for urging the knob in the pen lifting direction is provided.

[0014]

According to the above arrangement, with the cover open,
Since the input pen is stored in the pen storage section provided on one side of the main body, the input pen is stored on the upper surface side of the main body, that is, on the same plane as the input screen, so that the input pen can be easily stored.
When the pen is stored in the pen storage unit in this manner, the pen lock mechanism pushes one end of the pen in the pen lock direction with a predetermined spring force, so that the input pen is locked in a predetermined state in the pen storage unit. Is done. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the pen moves in the pen storage unit to generate a sound, and a situation in which the pen and the main body come into contact with each other and are damaged due to contact with each other.

Next, when the cover is closed in this state, the projection provided on the hinge shaft side of the cover hits the inclined surface of the projection in the undercut portion of the input pen, and the input pen resists a predetermined spring force. Temporarily pushed by the lock mechanism. Then, in this state, the convex portion of the cover passes through the gap in the undercut portion of the input pen and engages with the projection in the undercut portion. As a result, the input pen is pushed back in the pen lock direction by the pen lock mechanism and returns to the original lock position. In short, close the cover → the convex part on the cover side hits the inclined surface of the projection on the pen side → the pen is pushed by the pen lock mechanism side → the convex part on the cover side engages with the protrusion on the pen side → the pen lock mechanism Is pushed in the pen lock direction, so that the pen returns to the original lock position. Therefore, the cover can be closed even when the pen is stored in the pen storage section.

Further, when the cover is opened in this state, the input pen is first lifted with the opening movement of the cover since the projection on the cover side is initially engaged with the projection of the input pen. Accordingly, the one end of the input pen pressed against the pen lock mechanism is also lifted, thereby unlocking the input pen. Further, with the opening movement of the cover, the engagement between the projection on the cover side and the projection on the pen side is released in parallel with the unlocking of the pen. As a result, the input pen is lifted by a predetermined spring force by the pen lifting mechanism provided on the bottom surface side of the pen storage unit, and can be easily removed from the pen storage unit. That is, by opening the cover, the lock of the pen in the pen storage unit is released, and the pen can be easily removed from the pen storage unit.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. First, the overall configuration of the electronic device according to the embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic device 1 includes an input key 3 and a pen input / display unit 4 on an upper surface of a cabinet 2.
And a screen-protecting hard cover 7 that can be opened and closed about a hinge shaft 6 provided on one side of the main body 5.

The main body 5 is provided with a pen storage section 8 between the pen input / display section 4 and the hinge shaft 6. The pen storage portion 8 is a concave portion having a length and a depth substantially corresponding to the size of the pen 9, and has an opening at an upper portion except for one end portion in the longitudinal direction. It is formed parallel to the hinge shaft 6. An input pen 9 can be removably stored in the pen storage section 8 from the top side of the main body (the side where the pen input / display section 4 and the like are located), and a hinge as shown in FIGS. The hard cover 7 can be opened and closed on the pen input / display unit 4 side of the main body 5 around the shaft 6.

In this embodiment, the pen input / display unit 4 is a liquid crystal display (LCD) 4a as shown in FIG.
And a pen input position detection tablet 4b attached to the front side thereof. The cabinet 2 of the main body 5 includes an upper cabinet 2a and a lower cabinet 2b.
And a predetermined circuit component 10 and a base 11 for processing and storing input information.

Next, the peripheral structure of the pen storage section 8, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in more detail. FIG.
As shown in the figure, on one end side of the pen storage portion 8 in the longitudinal direction,
A pen lock mechanism 12 for locking the input pen 9 stored in a predetermined state is provided. This pen lock mechanism 12
In this embodiment, the lock pin 13 includes a lock pin 13 and a lock pin spring 14.

The lock pin 13 is held movably in the axial direction by a pair of holding holes 2 c and 2 d formed in the cabinet 2 of the main body 5. I have. The lock pin 13 is provided with a flange-shaped stopper portion 13a, and the spring 14 is mounted between the flange-shaped stopper portion 13a and the rear holding hole 2d.
When the lock pin 13 is urged in the pen lock direction (the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 6) by the spring 14, the tip of the lock pin 13 is connected to one end of the input pen 9 (shown in FIG. The rear end 9a can be pushed in the pen lock direction to lock the input pen 9.

In the example of the input pen 9 shown in FIG.
The b side is formed in a tapered shape, and a concave portion 9c is formed at a predetermined position on the end surface of the rear end 9a. When the tip of the lock pin 13 is pressed against the concave portion 9c at the time of pen locking, the pen lock In the position, the tip 9b side is configured to hit the cabinet 2 and to prevent the cabinet 2 from moving forward.

A pen lifting mechanism 15 for lifting the input pen 9 in the storage unit 8 when the pen lock is released is provided on the bottom side of the pen storage unit 8. In this embodiment, the pen lifting mechanism 15 includes a pen lifting knob 16 and a lifting knob spring 17 for urging the pen lifting knob 16 in the pen lifting direction (upward).

The pen lifting knob 16 is freely movable in the pen lifting direction with its tip protruding by a predetermined amount from a predetermined long hole 2 e formed on the bottom surface of the pen housing 8. ing. The pen lifting knob spring 17 has one end fixed to a positioning pin 18 provided on the bottom surface in the cabinet 2, and the other end pressed against the pen lifting knob 16. Then, the pen lifting knob 16 is urged upward by the spring 17 so that the input pen 9 in the pen storage section 8 is lifted by a predetermined amount as shown by a chain line in FIG. Has become.

On the other hand, the input pen 9 has a rear end 9a.
An undercut portion 9e is provided at an outer peripheral portion located at a substantially intermediate position in the longitudinal direction between the lift knob contact recess 9d and the lift knob contact recess 9d. The undercut 9e is formed so as to face the hinge shaft 6 side of the hard cover 7 when the input pen 9 is stored in a predetermined state in the pen housing 8. The undercut 9e is formed with a projection 9f projecting in a direction parallel to the pen axis with a predetermined gap in front of the projection 9f, and the upper surface of the projection 9f is an inclined surface.

The hard cover 7 has a projection 6a at a predetermined position of the hinge shaft 6 corresponding to the projection 9f of the undercut 9e. When the hard cover 7 is closed, the projection 6a hits the inclined surface of the projection 9f in the undercut 9e and pushes the input pen 9 toward the lock pin 13 while the projection 9a
f, and is engaged with the lower end of the protrusion 9f. In order to smoothly perform such an engagement operation, the convex portion 6a on the cover 7 side in the illustrated example is inclined toward the lower surface side in correspondence with the inclined surface of the projection 9f on the pen 9 side. A surface is provided.

According to such a pen storage unit structure, the hard cover 7 can be opened and closed without worrying about the presence or absence of the input pen 9 in the pen storage unit 8 as follows.
In addition, the input pen 9 in the storage section can be securely locked, and the input pen 9 can be easily lifted and taken out together with the opening of the hard cover 7.

First, in a state where the input pen 9 is stored in a predetermined state in the pen storage section 8 (a state shown by a solid line in FIG. 6), the lock pin 13 is moved by the force of the spring 14 of the pen lock mechanism 12.
Is pressed against the concave portion 9c of the rear end 9a of the pen 9, whereby the pen 9 is securely locked in the pen storage portion 8. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the pen 9 from moving in the pen storage section 8 to make a sound or to damage the pen 9 or the main body 5. At this time, the pen lifting knob 16 of the pen lifting mechanism 15 is pushed downward by the pen 9 against the spring 17.

Next, when the hard cover 7 is closed in this state, the convex portion 6a of the hinge shaft 6 hits the upper surface of the projection 9f, that is, the inclined surface of the undercut portion 9e of the pen 9, and pushes the pen 9 downward. At this time, the pen 9 is pushed toward the lock pin 13 against the spring 14 by the horizontal component force of the pushing force acting on the projection inclined surface. as a result,
The projection 6a of the hinge shaft 6 of the cover 7 passes through the gap in front of the projection 9f in the undercut 9e of the pen 9, and engages with the lower end surface of the projection 9f. At the same time, the pen 9 is pushed back in the pen lock direction (the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 6) by the lock pin 13 biased by the spring 14, and returns to the original locked state. Therefore, in the electronic device 1, even if the input pen 9 is stored in the pen storage unit 8 of the main body 5 in a predetermined state, the hard cover 7
Can be closed. In other words, without having to worry about the presence or absence of the pen 9 in the pen
Can be closed.

Incidentally, even if the storage state of the pen 9 in the pen storage section 8 is somewhat incomplete at first, by closing the cover 7 as described above, the convex portion 6a of the hinge shaft 6 is located on the pen 9 side. Since the pen 9 is pressed down by hitting the projection 9f, the pen can be locked at a predetermined position in the storage section 8.

Next, when the cover 7 is opened from the state shown by the solid line in FIGS. 5 and 6, first, the projection 9f on the pen 9 side engaging with the projection 6a of the hinge shaft 6 is moved to the cover 7 Is lifted with the opening movement of. As a result, as shown by the chain line in FIG. 6, the rear end 9a of the pen 9 pressed by the lock pin 6 is also lifted, and the lock on the pen 9 is released. In parallel with this, as shown in FIG. 3, as the cover 7 is opened, the projection 6a on the cover 7 side is completely disengaged from the projection 9f of the undercut 9e of the pen 9 and the engagement between the two is released. Is done. As a result, the pen 9 is moved by the pen lifting knob 16 provided on the bottom side of the pen storage unit 8 and the spring 17 for urging the pen upward.
It is naturally lifted from the storage section 8 to a predetermined state (the state shown by the chain line in FIG. 6 or the state shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). Therefore, in the electronic device 1, the lock of the pen 9 in the pen storage unit 8 is released at the same time when the hard cover 7 is opened, and the pen 9 can be easily taken out from the storage unit 8.

In the present embodiment, the hinge shaft 6 is a single shaft, but the same applies to a multi-shaft case. Further, the pen lock mechanism 12 is provided on the side facing the rear end 9a of the input pen 9 in the longitudinal direction of the pen storage section 8, but may be provided on the side facing the pen tip 9b.

Further, the pen lifting mechanism 15 is not limited to the configuration shown in the above embodiment, as long as the input pen 9 can be raised to a predetermined state when the pen lock is released.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, in an electronic device provided with an input pen, the cover can be closed even if the input pen is stored in the pen storage section. There is no need to worry about the presence or absence of the input pen in the storage unit.

Further, since the pen is stored from the upper surface side of the main body, that is, on the same plane as the input screen, the pen can be easily stored in the pen storage section, and the cover can be easily removed. At the same time as opening, the input pen in the pen storage unit is lifted to a predetermined position and can be easily taken out, so when pushing the pen into or out of the pen storage unit of the main unit at the time of pen storage like the conventional pen insertion type storage unit structure This eliminates the hassle of pulling out the pen, which results in better usability and operability.

Further, since the input pen stored in the pen storage section is securely locked by the pen lock mechanism,
It is possible to prevent such a problem that the input pen moves in the pen storage unit and a sound is generated or the pen or the main body is damaged.

Further, in the pen housing portion structure according to the present invention, the projection provided on the cover side only needs to be able to hit and engage with the projection on the undercut side of the pen. It does not require a large size that can lift the entire pen width unlike the partial structure.
Therefore, it is possible to realize a pen housing structure suitable for miniaturization.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover of the electronic device is closed.

FIG. 3 is an end view cut along the line aa of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view showing a state where the cover is partially opened.

FIG. 5 is an end view showing a state in which the cover is closed.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the electronic device in a state in which a pen is stored in a pen storage unit, which is cut in a longitudinal direction of the pen storage unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a pen insertion type storage unit structure in a conventional electronic device.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of a pen-lifting storage unit structure in a conventional electronic device.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic device 5 ... Main body 6 ... Hinge axis 6a ... Convex part 7 ... Cover (hard cover) 8 ... Pen storage part 9 ... Input pen 9e ... Under Cut part 9f Projection 12 Pen lock mechanism 15 Pen lifting mechanism

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06F 1/00 G06F 3/00 G06F 15/02

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An input pen is provided on one side of a side of the body where a hinge axis of the cover is located in parallel with the hinge axis on an upper side of the body. In an electronic device provided with a pen storage portion that can be detachably stored from an electronic pen, one end of the input pen is pushed toward the one end in the longitudinal direction of the pen storage portion with a predetermined spring force in the pen lock direction when the pen is stored. A pen lock mechanism that locks the input pen in the storage section is provided, while a pen lifting mechanism that lifts the input pen in the pen storage section by a predetermined spring force when the pen lock is released is provided on the bottom side of the pen storage section. In the outer peripheral portion, an undercut portion having a projection with an inclined upper surface is formed to provide a predetermined gap in front of the projection, and the cover is closed on the hinge shaft side of the cover when the cover is closed. A pen receiving portion structure for an electronic device, wherein a convex portion is provided which engages with the projection while pressing the input pen toward the pen lock mechanism while hitting an inclined surface of the projection in the undercut portion of the pen. .