JP2004287768A - Information terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide information terminal equipment for realizing positive waterproofing by solving the problem that since a waterproofing member(O ring or the like) used for a conventional waterproofing structure is prepared by molding, and a parting line following the joint of the mold is generated, and a projecting flash is formed on the line, there is possibility that waterproofing fails due to the flash when the waterproofing members are mounted while twisted. <P>SOLUTION: This waterproofing structure of this information terminal equipment uses a hollow tube(pipe) manufactured of elastic materials such as rubber or resin by extrusion molding where there is not any flash on a parting line as waterproofing members. When the waterproofing members are placed between the joints of members to be waterproofed, those waterproofing members are arranged so that their axes can be matched(turned to be co-axial). Thus, the outer peripheral face of the pipe is crushed when those members are fit and pressurized, and the terminal faces are adhered to each other so that the waterproofing structure can be realized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

【００２２】
これのように終端面どうしを当接させて隙間が無くした密着状態にすることにより、確実に防水が機能する。このように実測された値から凹型リブ２ａの溝に嵌め入れた終端面間の隙間Ａは、パイプにもよるが０〜１ｍｍ程度が適している。この隙間Ａの０〜１ｍｍを作り出すことは、嵌め込み作業の際に容易に設けることができる。但し、この数値は、パイプの径及び材料、リブの形状、外部環境等により異なる値であるため、シミュレーションだけではなく、正確な数値にするためには、実際にパイプを溝内に嵌め込んで計測することが好ましい。また、パイプの材質により、押圧を掛けても溝方向に延びない場合には、パイプを溝に嵌め込む際に、当初から終端面３ａと終端面３ｂとを当接しておいてもよい。
【００２３】
図３に示すように、情報端末装置の２つの筐体１、２は複数のネジ４により一体的に組み立てられている。このうち筐体１側には、液晶表示素子５を搭載し、その近傍には、操作釦等のスイッチ類を配置するためのスイッチ配置部６が設けられている。また、筐体２には、図示しない電池室が設けられ、着脱自在な電池蓋でカバーされている。この防水構造では、筐体１と筐体２との繋ぎ目にパイプ３を介在させている。これらの筐体１、２に前述した凸型リブと凹型リブを設けて、凹型リブの溝内へ前述した隙間Ａをあけるようにパイプ３を嵌め込む。
【００２４】
以上説明した情報端末装置は、防水部材として、弾性部材からなるパイプが押出し成型で作製された中空のリングを用いているため、容易に密閉構造が実現し、防水効果を得ることができる。また、装置組立作業に際して、防水部材を装置筐体に取り付ける際に捻れ等の発生を配慮する必要もなく、作業性も良好である。
【００２５】
【発明の効果】
以上詳述したように本発明によれば、防水部材をパイプ形状とすることにより水漏れの原因となるバリを無くし、且つ防水部材の潰し量の許容範囲を広くして装着する筐体の繋ぎ目部分の成形精度を緩和しつつ、確実な防水を実現する情報端末装置を提供することができる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】図１は、一実施形態に係る情報端末装置の防水構造について説明するための図である。
【図２】図２は、図１に示した防水構造におけるパイプの終端面の状態を示す図である。
【図３】本発明の情報端末装置の防水構造について説明するための図である。
【図４】従来の防水構造の一例を示す図である。
【図５】従来の防水構造の問題点について説明するための図である。
【符号の説明】
１、２…筐体
１ａ…凸型リブ
２ａ…凹型リブ
３…パイプ
３ａ、３ｂ…終端面
Ａ…隙間[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable information terminal device that prevents water from entering from outside.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, a portable information terminal device is used outdoors, so that measures such as prevention of damage due to impact due to dropping, dust prevention, and waterproofing are taken. Of these, the waterproof structure has a structure in which two divided housings are fitted together, so that an O-ring made of rubber or the like is interposed in a state where the O-ring made of rubber or the like is crushed over the entire periphery of the joint between these housings. This prevents water from entering from outside.
[0003]
For example, a convex rib is provided all around the joint of one housing, and a concave rib is provided all around the joint of the other housing. An O-ring is fitted into the groove of the concave rib, and at the time of assembly, the concave rib and the convex rib are fitted together, and the O-ring is crushed together with the screw and integrated into the housing. There are known techniques for preventing the ingress of water. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses that a waterproof packing is used instead of the O-ring.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-61-50947 [0005]
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-6-213326
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional technology, the O-ring and the waterproof packing used for preventing water leakage are formed in a ring shape, and thus are formed using a pair of dies. For this reason, two parting lines are formed along the joint of the mold, and burrs having a convex shape are present on the parting line.
[0007]
In other words, in the case of the O-ring, this parting line is often formed on the inside and the outside, depending on the alignment of the mold. When the O-ring is brought into close contact with the upper and lower sides of the O-ring, for example, when the O-ring 12 is fitted into the groove 11a of the concave rib 11 as shown in FIG. If the O-ring 12 is present on both side surfaces of the O-ring 12, the O-ring 12 can be tightly sealed on the upper and lower surfaces by the convex ribs 13, so that waterproofing can be achieved. However, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the O-ring 12 is twisted and the parting line is turned upward or downward, the burrs 12a on the parting line cause the parting line to move upward. Water cannot penetrate along the burrs 12a because the lower surface cannot be sealed. If the secondary processing of the deburring is separately performed, infiltration of water can be prevented, but the operation requires a lot of man-hours and increases the cost of the O-ring.
[0008]
On the other hand, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique in which the position of the parting line of the O-ring is decentered so that burrs do not exist in a portion to be closely contacted.
[0009]
Furthermore, conventional O-rings and packings must be properly adhered in order to be waterproof, and the amount of crushing is important. If the protrusion of the convex ribs due to the manufacturing error of the housing and the size of the grooves of the concave ribs vary, the O-ring and the housing do not adhere sufficiently. There is a possibility that a gap may be formed to make waterproofing impossible. Conversely, if the amount of crushing of the O-ring is too large, the casing may be deformed by the reaction force of the O-ring. For this reason, it is necessary to select the material of the housing that is not easily deformed, to improve the precision of the mold, and to strictly control the dimensions of the joints (the convex ribs and the concave ribs) of the housing. Problems such as additional processes such as inspection occur.
[0010]
Therefore, the present invention eliminates burrs that cause water leakage by forming the waterproof member into a pipe shape, widens the allowable range of the crushing amount of the waterproof member, and reduces the molding accuracy of the joint portion of the housing to be mounted. It is another object of the present invention to provide an information terminal device that realizes reliable waterproofing while maintaining the waterproofness.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an information terminal device having a hollow exterior formed by a pair of first and second housings into which a resin-molded outer peripheral edge is fitted. A waterproof member having end faces at both ends in a hollow cylinder (pipe) made by extrusion molding with a material having permeability, and a groove of a concave portion formed at an edge of the entire outer periphery, wherein the waterproof member is formed between the end faces. A first housing fitted into the first housing so as to face each other so that their axes are coaxial, and a second housing formed on the entire outer periphery with a projection fitted into a recess of a groove of the first housing. An information terminal device that crushes the outer peripheral surface of the hollow cylinder when pressure is generated by the fitting of the first housing and the second housing and that the end surfaces adhere to each other to function as a waterproof. I will provide a.
[0012]
In the information terminal device having the above-described configuration, the hollow cylinder (pipe) serving as the waterproof member has a hollow portion whose volume is deformed. Performs a waterproof function. In addition, since this hollow portion exists, the reaction force against the amount of crushing by the housing is small. Since this waterproof member is manufactured by extrusion molding, it has an arbitrary cross-sectional shape and has an outer peripheral surface without burrs.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
First, a waterproof member used for waterproofing the information terminal device of the present invention will be described. As the waterproof member, for example, a hollow cylinder (pipe) manufactured by extrusion using a rubber-based material including synthetic rubber such as silicon rubber or a material having elasticity and anti-permeability such as resin is used.
[0015]
The merit of using this pipe is that the deformation stroke (deformation range in a state where waterproofing is possible) can be longer than that of the O-ring against the deformation in the diameter direction due to pressing. This is because the conventional O-ring is solid and does not change much in volume even when deformed by pressing. On the other hand, since the hollow portion of the pipe is deformed in volume, even if the crushed state changes, the close contact state does not change much, and the pipe performs a waterproof function. Further, since this hollow portion exists, the reaction force against the amount of crushing by the housing (a member for waterproofing) is smaller than that of the O-ring. Furthermore, since this pipe is manufactured by extrusion molding, its cross-sectional shape is free and there is no burr of the parting line on the surface.
[0016]
This pipe has a longer deformation stroke and a weaker reaction force than the conventional O-ring, so even if there is some variation in the amount of crushing due to variations in the dimensions of the housing, it can be absorbed as an allowable range, resulting in water leakage and housing deformation. No such problem occurs. That is, since the allowable range of pressing is larger than that of the O-ring, it is easy to control the accuracy of the mold and the size of the joint of the housing (by the convex rib and the concave rib), and the cost is also useful. It is. Further, in this pipe, there is no burr on the parting line, and when the pipe is fitted into the groove of the concave rib, even if it is twisted, reliable waterproofing is realized.
[0017]
This waterproof member is not a closed (ring) shape but is used as a pipe having two end faces. In a shape having no terminal surface such as an O-ring, there is no seam portion and there is no risk of water leakage. However, in a pipe, there is a risk of water leakage if a gap is formed between the terminal surfaces at both ends. Therefore, when the pipe is pressed by the engagement of the two ribs, the two end surfaces of the pipe are brought into contact with each other so that they are brought into close contact with each other to eliminate the gap.
[0018]
Next, a waterproof structure of the information terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional configuration in which a pipe serving as a waterproof member is interposed at a joint portion formed by fitting the convex rib of the housing and the concave rib of the housing 2. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an arrangement state of the pipe fitted in the concave rib. FIG. 2A shows the state of the end face of the pipe fitted into the concave rib, and FIG. 2B shows the contact state of the end face of the pipe when the convex rib is fitted into the concave rib. Is shown. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a waterproof member is fitted to a housing as a waterproof structure of the information terminal device.
[0019]
The housing of this information terminal device is configured by fitting a housing 1 and a housing 2 that are divided into two, and each component is housed in a hollow portion inside the housing.
[0020]
Of these, a convex rib 1a is provided at the distal end of the housing 1, and a concave rib 2a that can be fitted with the convex rib 1a is provided at the distal end of the housing 2. The concave rib 2a is formed so as to have a certain gap on the side of the groove when fitted with the convex rib 1a.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 1 (b), in the groove of the concave rib 2a, the pipe 3 faces each other with a gap A between the end faces 3a and 3b so that their axes are coincident (coaxial). It is fitted. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the convex rib 1a and the concave rib 2a are fitted, the gap A is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the pipe 3 so that the pipe 3 is inserted into the groove of the concave rib 2a. Extending along the end surface 3a and the end surface 3b. For example, when the gap A between these end faces is obtained by an experiment,

[0022]
By bringing the end surfaces into contact with each other in such a manner as described above to form a close contact state in which no gap is formed, waterproofing can be reliably performed. The gap A between the end surfaces fitted in the grooves of the concave ribs 2a from the actually measured values is suitably about 0 to 1 mm, depending on the pipe. Creating the gap A of 0 to 1 mm can be easily provided during the fitting operation. However, since this value is different depending on the diameter and material of the pipe, the shape of the rib, the external environment, etc., not only the simulation but also the actual value of the pipe is set in the groove in order to obtain an accurate value. It is preferable to measure. Further, when the pipe is not extended in the groove direction even when pressure is applied due to the material of the pipe, the terminal surface 3a and the terminal surface 3b may be abutted from the beginning when the pipe is fitted into the groove.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 3, two housings 1 and 2 of the information terminal device are integrally assembled with a plurality of screws 4. A liquid crystal display element 5 is mounted on the housing 1 side, and a switch arrangement section 6 for arranging switches such as operation buttons is provided in the vicinity of the liquid crystal display element 5. The housing 2 is provided with a battery chamber (not shown), which is covered with a removable battery cover. In this waterproof structure, a pipe 3 is interposed between the casing 1 and the casing 2. The above-mentioned convex ribs and concave ribs are provided in these housings 1 and 2, and the pipe 3 is fitted into the grooves of the concave ribs so as to leave the above-mentioned gap A.
[0024]
The information terminal device described above uses a hollow ring formed by extrusion of a pipe made of an elastic member as a waterproof member, so that a sealed structure can be easily realized and a waterproof effect can be obtained. In addition, it is not necessary to consider the occurrence of twist or the like when attaching the waterproof member to the device housing during the device assembling work, and the workability is good.
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the waterproof member is formed in a pipe shape, thereby eliminating burrs that cause water leakage, and connecting the housing to be mounted with a wide allowable range of the crushing amount of the waterproof member. It is possible to provide an information terminal device that realizes reliable waterproofing while relaxing the molding accuracy of the eye portion.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a waterproof structure of an information terminal device according to one embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a state of a terminal end surface of the pipe in the waterproof structure shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a waterproof structure of the information terminal device of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional waterproof structure.
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a problem of a conventional waterproof structure.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 2, housing 1a, convex rib 2a, concave rib 3, pipes 3a, 3b, end surface A, gap

Claims (1)

In an information terminal device having a hollow exterior formed by a pair of first and second housings in which edges of the entire outer periphery formed by resin molding are fitted,
A waterproof member having end surfaces at both ends in a hollow cylinder (pipe) made by extrusion molding of a material having elasticity and permeability;
A groove of a concave portion is formed on the edge of the entire outer periphery, and the first housing is fitted with the waterproof member facing each other such that the axes of the end surfaces are coaxial.
A second housing that forms a projection that fits into the recess of the groove of the first housing on the entire outer periphery,
An information terminal, wherein when the first housing and the second housing are pressed by fitting, an outer peripheral surface of the hollow cylinder is crushed, and the terminal surfaces are brought into close contact to function as a waterproof. apparatus.

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