JP7453545B2 - Structure to prevent connector cover from falling off - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a structure for preventing the connector cover of a waterproof electronic device, such as a wireless device, which is often used outdoors, from falling off.

This type of electronic device is equipped with an optional connector (hereinafter referred to as a connector) inside the device body for connecting external devices such as a microphone or speaker jack, USB, external power source, etc. is provided with an opening for inserting a jack into this connector. When no external device is connected to this connector, a connector cover is attached to cover the opening.

Conventionally, in order to prevent the connector cover from falling off, the fixing feet of the connector cover were pulled into the housing through holes in the housing of the device, and the curvature (protrusions) of the fixing feet prevented the connector cover from falling off. For this reason, the connector cover had to be fixed at the initial stage of manufacturing and assembling the electronic device. In this case, the connector portion is closed by the connector cover, and therefore, it is necessary to open the connector cover during the finished product inspection process on the production line.

Furthermore, when the entire connector cover is made of an elastic member, there is a problem in that the fitting and fixing portion of the connector cover to the housing is easily deformed. Therefore, the connector cover is composed of an elastic member and a rigid member (metal plate), the fitting part of the connector cover with the housing opening is a thin metal annular projection, and the periphery of the metal plate is made of an elastic member. A molded structure is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Furthermore, in order to facilitate the assembling of the connector cover in the manufacturing process, it is known that the connector cover is made of an elastic material such as rubber and is integrally molded with the engaging part to the device body and the cover part (for example, (See Patent Document 2).

Patent No. 3991546 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-258964

In the case of a connector cover having an integral structure in which a metal plate is molded with an elastic member, as shown in Patent Document 1, the cost increases, and if the rigid member is damaged, it is necessary to replace the entire connector cover.

In the case of a connector cover that is integrally molded with an elastic member such as rubber, as shown in Patent Document 2, the connector cover is made of resin or the like so that it becomes easy to come off from the device body, and conversely, it becomes difficult to come off from the device body. If an O-ring or the like is provided to achieve waterproofness, the cost and assembly process will increase.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and makes it possible to attach a connector cover to a device casing at any stage, inspect the finished product at the optional connector section, and then assemble the connector cover after the inspection. The purpose of this invention is to provide a structure that prevents connector covers of equipment from falling off.

The present invention provides a fall prevention structure for a connector cover that has an opening for a connector formed in a housing of an electronic device and is attached to cover the opening.
a connector cover made of an elastic member and covering the opening for the connector;
a cover holder made of a rigid member that is attached to the connector cover and fixes the connector cover to the housing;
The connector cover has a receiving part on its back side that engages and holds the holding part of the cover holder,
The cover holder has a hook portion for fixing to the housing and a holding portion for holding the connector cover,
The holding part of the cover holder is engaged with the receiving part of the connector cover to form a unit, and the hook part of the cover holder is fitted and fixed in a hole provided in the housing.

In the fall prevention structure, the connector cover may be removable from the cover holder.

In the above-mentioned drop-off prevention structure, the connector cover may have a protrusion integrally formed on the back side thereof, which fits into the connector opening of the casing and has a waterproof function.

In the fall prevention structure, the receiving part of the connector cover that engages and holds the holding part of the cover holder is a hollow convex part with a protruding periphery, and the hook part of the cover holder is fitted and fixed. The periphery of the hole in the housing may be a recess, and the convex portion of the connector cover may fit into the recess of the housing to provide a waterproof function.

According to the present invention, the connector cover is made up of an elastic member and a rigid member, and the rigid member is used to fix the connector cover to the housing so that it is removable, so if the rigid member is damaged, it can be replaced. Therefore, costs can be reduced. In addition, since the connector cover can be attached to the equipment housing by fitting it from the outside of the equipment housing, the connector cover can be attached to the equipment at any stage, and the finished product can be inspected at the connector part. You can then assemble the connector cover. Furthermore, even if the connector cover comes off from the device housing during use, the connector cover can be attached without disassembling the product.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device to which a connector cover fall prevention structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the housing of the electronic device and the connector cover before attachment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector cover and the cover holder before being attached to the connector cover. The perspective view of the state where a cover holder is attached to the same connector cover and it is made into a unit. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the connector cover and the hole in the housing as the same unit. (a) is a perspective view showing how to attach a cover holder to the same connector cover, and (b) is a perspective view showing how to fix the connector cover made into the same unit to a housing. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the inner surface of the casing with the connector cover fixed to the casing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A connector cover fall prevention structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an electronic device 1, which is a portable radio device, employing the connector cover fall prevention structure of this embodiment. The electronic device 1 includes an optional connector 2 (there are multiple types of connectors, hereinafter collectively referred to as connectors 2) for connecting an external device inside the device main body, and a housing 4 of the electronic device 1 An opening for the connector 2 is formed, and the opening is covered with a connector cover 5 when no external equipment is connected to the connector 2. The connector cover 5 must be attached to the housing 4 so that it does not easily fall off, and the connector 2 must be in a usable state when an external device is connected to the connector 2.

In the electronic device 1 of this embodiment, when the surface on which the display section 3a and the operation section 3b are provided is the front surface of the device, an opening for the connector 2 is provided on one side of the device. External devices include, for example, a microphone, speaker, USB, external power source, etc., and their jacks are connected to the connector 2.

FIG. 2 shows the housing 4 of the electronic device 1 and the connector cover 5 removed from the housing 4. The illustrated case 4 is shown with the back cover attached to the rear opening 4a removed, and the connector 2, display section 3a, operation section 3b, etc. mounted on a circuit board that is expected to be incorporated into the case 4 are removed. . The housing 4 is made of resin or the like, and has a plurality of openings 41, 42, 43, and 44 for the connector 2 formed on one side thereof. In this example, these openings 41 to 44 are openings into which a microphone jack, speaker jack, USB, and external power jack are respectively inserted for connection to the respective connectors 2, and are arranged in a row. There is. In the figure, the connector cover 5 is shown with the back surface that closes the openings 41 to 44 of the housing 4 facing downward, and the front surface facing upward. The connector type corresponding to the connector 2 is displayed on this surface.

A recess 40 having the same shape as the generally rectangular outer shape of the connector cover 5 that is attached to cover the openings 41 to 44 is formed in the housing 4, and each of the openings 41 to 44 is formed in the recess 40. The periphery is further made into a recessed portion. Further, a hole 45 is provided at approximately the center of the recess 40 in the longitudinal direction (in this example, between the central opening 42 and the opening 43), and the periphery of the hole 45 is also a recess 46. . This hole 45 is an opening into which a hook portion 61 of a cover holder 6 (see FIG. 3, etc. described later) is fitted to prevent the connector cover 5 from falling off when the connector cover 5 is attached to the housing 4. . Note that when the connector cover 5 is attached to the casing 4, the back surface of the connector cover 5 comes into contact with the flat surface inside the recess 40 of the casing 4, and the casing of the connector cover 5 is removed by the depth of the recess 40. The amount of protrusion from 4 is reduced, which reduces the chance of it getting caught and falling off during actual use.

FIG. 3 shows a connector cover 5 and a cover holder 6 separated from the connector cover 5, which serves as a structure to prevent the connector cover 5 from falling off the housing 4. FIG. 4 shows a state in which a cover holder 6 is attached to the connector cover 5 to form a unit. FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the connector cover 5 and the hole 45 of the housing 4 as a unit. Note that in FIG. 2 described above, the housing 4 is shown with its back opening 4a facing downward, but in FIG. 5, the back opening 4a is shown inverted upward.

3 to 5, two parts, a connector cover 5 and a cover holder 6 attached to the connector cover 5 and fixed to the housing 4, are used as the drop-off prevention structure. The connector cover 5 is made of an elastic member such as rubber. The cover holder 6 is made of a rigid member such as resin or metal.

The connector cover 5 is made into a unit by attaching a cover holder 6 to the back side facing the housing 4, and is attached and fixed to the housing 4 from the outside of the housing 4. As a structure for this purpose, the cover holder 6 has a hook portion 61 for fixing to the housing 4 and a holding portion 62 for holding the connector cover 5. The hook portion 61 and the holding portion 62 are integrally formed. The hook portion 61 has a pair of claws facing outward toward each other at its tip, and is fixed to the housing 4 by fitting these claws into the holes 45 of the housing 4 .

The connector cover 5 has a hollow receiving part 55 on its back side for engaging and holding the holding part 62 of the cover holder 6. The cover holder 6 is fixed to the connector cover 5 by having its holding portion 62 engaged with and held by the receiving portion 55 of the connector cover 5 .

The cavity-shaped receiving part 55 of the connector cover 5 has a peripheral edge of the cavity as a convex part 56 that is integrally formed with the connector cover 5 to protrude. On the other hand, the periphery of the hole 45 in the housing 4 is a recess 46 . When the unit cover holder 6 is attached to the casing 4, the convex part 56 of the connector cover 5 fits into the recess 46 of the casing 4, and the hook part 61 of the cover holder 6 is attached to the casing 4. It is fitted and fixed into the hole 45. Thereby, the cover holder 6 formed as a unit is fixed to the casing 4 with a waterproof function.

In addition, the connector cover 5 is integrally formed with protrusions 51, 52, 53, and 54 that fit into the connector openings 41, 42, 43, and 44 of the housing 4 on the back side facing the housing 4. ing. When attaching the cover holder 6 to the housing 4, these protrusions 51, 52, 53, and 54 fit into the openings 41, 42, 43, and 44, respectively. This increases the waterproof function. Further, when the connector cover 5 is attached to the housing 4, the back surface of the connector cover 5 facing the housing 4 comes into contact with the plane inside the recess 40, so that the waterproof function is enhanced.

Further, both the connector cover 5 and the cover holder 6 are attached by the engagement of the receiving part 55 and the holding part 62, and the connector cover 5 can be removed from the cover holder 5, so that the connector cover 5 is a rigid member due to some large stress being applied thereto. Even if the cover holder 6 is damaged, it can be replaced.
Furthermore, since the connector cover 5 is fixed to the housing 4 at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, one end or the other end of the connector cover 5 can be attached while the connector cover 5 is attached and fixed to the housing 4. The openings 41, 42, 43, 44 can be opened by bending. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily connect an external device to the connector 2 without removing the connector cover 5 from the housing 4.

6(a) shows how to attach the cover holder 6 to the connector cover 5, and FIG. 6(b) shows how to fix the connector cover 5 as a unit to the housing 4. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the connector cover 5 is fixed to the housing 4. As shown in FIG. A cover holder 6 is attached to the back side of the connector cover 5 to form a unit, and the hook part 61 of the cover holder 6 formed as a unit is fitted and fixed into the hole 45 of the casing 4. The hook portion 61 of the cover holder 6 is made of a rigid member and has two outward claws. When the hook part 61 is fitted into the hole 45, the claw of the hook part 61 is slightly bent and press-fitted, and after fitting, the bend of the claw returns to a state where it is prevented from coming off. The connector cover 5 fixed to the housing 4 can be removed by narrowing the two claws of the hook portion 61 inward to disengage the connector cover 5 from the housing 4 (hole 45).

As described above, according to the connector cover falling-off prevention structure of the present embodiment, the connector cover 5 can be attached to the housing 4 by fitting from the outside of the housing 4, so it can be attached at any stage of the manufacturing process. Therefore, the finished product can be inspected using the connector 2, and the connector cover 5 can be assembled after the inspection.

In addition, the connector cover 5 that is a unit is made of an elastic member and a rigid member, and the rigid member is used to fix the connector cover 5 to the housing 4 so that it can be removed, so if the rigid member is damaged. can be replaced, reducing costs. Even if the connector cover 5 comes off from the housing 4 during use, the connector cover 5 can be attached without disassembling the product.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, although the hook portion 61 and the holding portion 62 of the cover holder 6 are shown to be integrally formed, the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration of the portion 55 may also take any form.

1 Electronic device 2 Connector 3a Display section 3b Operation section 4 Housing 4a Back opening of housing 40 Recessed section 41, 42, 43, 44 Opening section 45 Hole 46 Recessed section 5 Connector cover 51, 52, 53, 54 Projection section 55 Receiver Part 56 Convex part 6 Cover holder 61 Hook part 62 Holding part

Claims (4)

An opening for a connector is formed in a casing of an electronic device, and a connector cover is attached to cover the opening, and the connector cover falls off.
a connector cover made of an elastic member and covering the opening for the connector;
a cover holder made of a rigid member that is attached to the connector cover and fixes the connector cover to the housing;
The connector cover has a receiving part on its back side that engages and holds the holding part of the cover holder,
The cover holder has a hook portion for fixing to the housing and a holding portion for holding the connector cover,
A connector cover characterized in that a holding part of the cover holder is engaged with a receiving part of the connector cover to form a unit, and a hook part of the cover holder is fitted and fixed in a hole provided in the housing. Fall-off prevention structure. 2. The connector cover fall prevention structure according to claim 1 , wherein the connector cover is removable from the cover holder. Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the connector cover has a protrusion that is integrally formed on the back side of the connector cover and that fits into the opening for the connector of the housing and exhibits a waterproof function. Structure to prevent the connector cover from falling off as described in . The receiving part of the connector cover that engages and holds the holding part of the cover holder is a hollow convex part with a protruding peripheral edge,
The periphery of the hole in the housing into which the hook part of the cover holder is fitted and fixed is a recessed part,
3. The connector cover fall prevention structure according to claim 2, wherein the convex portion of the connector cover fits into the concave portion of the housing to provide a waterproof function.

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