JP7487752B2 - Method for mounting electronic devices and components - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device and a method for attaching a component.

Many electronic devices have push buttons on the surface of their housings that are used as operating members for switching switches such as tactile switches arranged inside the housing. A typical example of a push button is a button associated with a switch that turns the power of an electronic device on and off.

The switch inside the housing and the push button that performs the switching operation for that switch are generally arranged in such a way that the switch is positioned on the extension of the direction in which the push button is pressed (operation direction) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-42431 A

In electronic devices where a switch inside a housing is switched on by a push button, for example, it may be difficult to place the switch on the extension of the direction in which the push button is pressed due to restrictions on the placement of various components inside the housing, such as printed circuit boards. Furthermore, depending on the relative positions of the switch and the push button that serves as the operating member for that switch, it may be difficult to efficiently assemble the electronic device, including attaching the operating member to the housing.

The object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a technology that makes it easy to attach an operating member that operates a switch inside a housing to the housing.

An electronic device according to one embodiment includes an operating member having a device housing, a switch arranged in an internal space of the device housing, a switch operation unit for performing switching operations on the switch, a button unit located in a through hole provided in the device housing, a rotation axis that engages with a support unit provided on the device housing, and an abutment unit that can abut against the device housing, the operating member being rotatable around the rotation axis relative to the device housing and supported by the support unit so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation axis, and the device housing and the operating member are configured such that the through hole is positioned on the rotational orbit of the button unit when the operating member rotates around the rotation axis with the abutment unit abutting against the device housing.

The above aspect makes it easy to attach the operating member that operates the switch inside the housing to the housing.

FIG. 1 is a top view illustrating an example of an external configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between a switch and an operating member in the printing device illustrated in FIG. 1 . 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of factors that reduce the efficiency of a task of attaching an operating member to a first device housing. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an operating member according to one embodiment. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a first housing part according to one embodiment to which an operation member is attached; FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional bottom view illustrating the corresponding relationship between each part of the operation member and each part of the first housing part. FIG. 11A to 11C are side cross-sectional views (part 1) illustrating a method for attaching the operation member to the first housing part according to the embodiment. 13 is a side cross-sectional view (part 2) illustrating a method of attaching the operation member to the first housing part according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view (part 3) illustrating a method of attaching the operation member to the first housing part according to the embodiment; FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view (part 4) illustrating a method of attaching the operation member to the first housing part according to the embodiment; FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view (part 5) illustrating a method of attaching the operation member to the first housing part according to the embodiment; FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view (part 6) illustrating a method of attaching the operating member to the first housing part according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view (part 7) illustrating a method of attaching the operating member to the first housing part according to the embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a printing device that creates labels by printing on a tape-like print medium is given as an example of an electronic device, but the electronic device according to the present invention is not limited to such a printing device.

The X, Y, and Z directions shown in each referenced figure are intended to clarify the correspondence between the directions and surfaces of the printing device between the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a top view showing an example of the external configuration of a printing device according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram explaining the relationship between the switches and operating members in the printing device illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between the switches, operating members, and housing when only the housing of the printing device in Fig. 1 is cut along line A-A' and viewed from the right side.

The printing device 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a first housing part 2, a second housing part 3, and a third housing part 4. The second housing part 3 is attached to one side of the first housing part 2, and the third housing part 4 is attached to the other side of the first housing part 2. A box-shaped housing is formed having an internal space capable of accommodating electronic components such as a printed circuit board, a transport mechanism for transporting a tape-shaped print medium, a printing mechanism for printing on the print medium, and a tape cartridge containing a roll of tape-shaped print medium. The housing of the printing device 1 is configured so that the tape cartridge can be detached. For example, the second housing part 3 can be detached from the first housing part 2, and the tape cartridge can be detached (replaceable) by removing the second housing part 3 from the first housing part 2.

In the housing of the printing device 1, there are provided a printed circuit board 5 on which various electronic components including a tact switch 501 for turning the power on and off are mounted, and an operation member 6 for a user to perform a switching operation of turning the tact switch 501 on and off. The operation member 6 is rotatably attached to the first housing part 2, and a part of the operation member 6 (a button part 610) is inserted into a through hole 210 formed in the first housing part 2. The operation member 6 is attached to the first housing part 2 in a manner that allows it to rotate around a rotation axis whose axis direction is a direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the direction (-Z direction) of a pressure load applied by a user pressing the button part 610. The operation member 6 and the tact switch 501 are arranged so that a part (a switch operation part 620) other than the button part 610 of the operation member 6 that rotates by applying a pressure load to the button part 610 from the outside of the printing device 1 abuts against the tact switch 501 to perform a switching operation.

1 and 2, the operating member 6 has a flat base 600 whose planar shape is a sector with an apex angle of 90 degrees, and a rotation shaft 630 is provided at the apex angle of the base 600. The rotation shaft 630 of the operating member 6 is provided so that the axial direction (extension direction of the axis Rx) is normal to the sector plane 601 (hereinafter referred to as the "first main surface 601") of the base 600. The operating member 6 is rotatably supported by the first housing part 2 by engaging the rotation shaft 630 with a support part 230 provided in a part of the first housing part 2 that becomes the inside of the housing.

A button portion 610 and a regulating portion 604 are provided on a first side surface 603 of the base 600 of the operating member 6, which extends from the rotating shaft 630 in a first radial direction. The button portion 610 is provided so as to protrude from the first side surface 603 in a tangent direction of an arc centered on the axis Rx in the first radial direction. The operating member 6 is biased in a rotation direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 2) opposite to the rotation direction when the button portion 610 is pressed by an elastic member such as a torsion spring (not shown). The regulating portion 604 is a portion that abuts the biased operating member 6 against the first housing part 2 to regulate the rotation of the operating member 6 in the biasing direction, and determines the reference position of the button portion 610 inserted into the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2 (the position when the printing device 1 is not subjected to a pressing load from the outside). The restricting portion 604 is formed with dimensions such that, for example, when it contacts the first housing part 2, the tangent direction of the arc centered on the axis Rx in the first radial direction is approximately parallel to the pressing direction of the button portion 610.

The switch operation unit 620 is provided on the second side surface 605 of the base 600 of the operating member 6, which extends from the rotating shaft 630 in the second radial direction. The switch operation unit 620 is provided, for example, so as to protrude from the second side surface 605 in the tangent direction of an arc centered on the axis Rx in the second radial direction. The tact switch 501 is disposed on the extension of the protruding direction of the switch operation unit 620. When the user of the printing device 1 presses the button unit 610 to rotate the operating member 6, the switch operation unit 620 abuts against the tact switch 501, and when the user stops pressing the button unit 610, the switch operation unit 620 moves away from the tact switch 501 due to the above-mentioned bias. This abutment and separation of the switch operation unit 620 constitutes a switching operation for the tact switch 501.

By using such an operating member 6 to perform a switching operation on the tact switch 501, the tact switch 501 can be positioned in a position other than directly below the button portion 610. This makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and work steps required to electrically connect the wiring of the printed circuit board 5 and the tact switch 501 as shown in FIG. 2, for example.

The operation of attaching the operating member 6 to the first housing part 2 involves supporting (engaging) the rotating shaft 630 of the operating member 6 with the support part 230 of the first housing part 2, and inserting the button part 610 into the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2. In order to perform such an operation efficiently, the support part 230 of the first housing part 2 is not a hole shape corresponding to the rotating shaft 630 of the operating member 6, but a groove shape that allows the rotating shaft 630 to enter and exit by moving the rotating shaft 630 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

However, if a button portion 610 is provided on the first side surface 603 extending in the first radial direction at the base 600 of the operating member 6, which protrudes in the tangent direction of an arc centered on the axis Rx in the first radial direction, it may be difficult to insert the button portion 610 into the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2, which may reduce work efficiency.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a factor that reduces the efficiency of the work of attaching an operating member to a first device housing. The configuration of the first housing part 2 and operating member 6 illustrated in Figure 3 is the same as the configuration of the first housing part 2 and operating member 6 according to this embodiment, except that they do not have a position adjustment mechanism, which will be described later with reference to Figures 4 to 13.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the support portion 230 of the first housing part 2 has a groove shape in which the direction of entry of the rotation axis 630 of the operating member 6 is a direction approaching the through hole 210 along the first housing part 2, and the deepest part of the groove is located at a position where it abuts against the rotation axis 630 when the button portion 610 of the operating member 6 is inserted into the through hole 210 and the regulating portion 604 abuts against the first housing part 2.

The operation of attaching the operating member 6 to the first housing part 2 is performed, for example, with the first housing part 2 placed on a workbench so that the entrance in the groove-shaped support part 230 faces upward. In this operation, first, the rotation shaft 630 of the operating member 6 is inserted into the support part 230 of the first housing part 2, and then the operating member 6 is rotated to insert the button part 610 of the operating member 6 into the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2.

When the first housing part 2 and the operating member 6 are not provided with a position adjustment mechanism described later, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when the rotating shaft 630 of the operating member 6 is located at the bottom (innermost part) of the support part 230, the distance LA1 between the axis Rx and the first button end 610a, which is the part of the button part 610 that is the furthest from the axis Rx, is longer than the distance LB1 between the axis Rx and the first through-hole end 210a, which is the part of the through-hole 210 that is the furthest from the axis Rx at the opening end on the inside side of the housing. Therefore, in order to insert the button part 610 into the through-hole 210, it is necessary to displace the rotating shaft 630 of the operating member 6 toward the entrance of the support part 230, and since it is time-consuming to adjust the amount of displacement, etc., work efficiency is reduced.

To prevent a decrease in the efficiency of the installation work of the operating member 6 caused by the distance LA1 between the axis Rx and the first button end 610a of the button part 610 described above, the printing device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a position adjustment mechanism in the first housing part 2 and the operating member 6 as described below.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an operating member according to one embodiment. Figure 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a first housing part according to one embodiment to which an operating member is attached. Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional bottom view illustrating the corresponding relationship between each part of the operating member and each part of the first housing part. The X' direction, Y' direction, and Z' direction in Figure 4 are directions associated with the illustrated operating member 6, and the operating member 6 is attached to the first housing part 2 so that the Y' direction is approximately the same as the Y direction associated with the printing device 1 in other drawings.

As described above, the operating member 6 of this embodiment has a base 600, a button portion 610, a switch operation portion 620, and a rotating shaft 630. In addition, a rib 640 including a part of the position adjustment mechanism is provided on each of the first main surface 601 of the base 600 and the second main surface 602 facing the opposite side to the first main surface 601. The rib 640 includes a first portion 641, a second portion 642, and a third portion 643. The first portion 641 is located near the switch operation portion 620 on the first main surface 601 and the second main surface, and is a portion that suppresses deformation (e.g., twisting, etc.) of the base 600 and suppresses the positional deviation of the switch operation portion 620 in the axial direction. The second portion 642 is located near the button portion 610 on the first main surface 601 and the second main surface 602, and is a portion that suppresses deformation of the base 600 and functions as a part of the position adjustment mechanism. The third portion 643 is located between the first portion 641 and the second portion 642, and is a portion that suppresses deformation of the base portion 600.

In this embodiment, the portion of the first housing part 2 to which the operating member 6 is attached is provided with a pair of walls 241 and 242 having a support portion 230, and a pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 located between the pair of walls 241 and 242 and functioning as part of the position adjustment mechanism. The pair of walls 241 and 242 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 may each be integrally formed with the portion in which the above-mentioned through hole 210 is formed, or may each be formed separately.

The rib 640 of the operating member 6 illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 has the same height from the first main surface 601 (or the second main surface 602) of the first portion 641 and the second portion 642, and is higher than the height of the third portion 643. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the pair of walls 241 and 242 to which the operating member 6 is attached are provided so that the distance (gap) between the walls is approximately equal to the distance from the upper end of the second portion 642 on the first main surface 601 of the operating member 6 to the upper end of the second portion 642 on the second main surface 602. In this way, it is possible to suppress the misalignment of the axial position of the operating member 6 between the pair of walls 241 and 242, and to suppress the occurrence of rotation failure of the operating member 6 due to an increase in the contact area between the pair of walls 241 and 242 and the rib 640 of the operating member 6.

4 and 6, the third portion 643 of the rib 640 of the operating member 6 extends along an arc centered on the axis Rx, and the second portion 642 includes a portion displaced radially outward from a position corresponding to the extension of the arc of the third portion 643. The second portion 642 abuts against a pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 provided on the first housing part 2 during the process of inserting the button portion 610 of the operating member 6, whose rotating shaft 630 has entered the support portion 230, into the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2. The second portion 642 of the operating member 6 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 are formed so that the position of the button portion 610 can be adjusted relative to the position of the through hole 210 when each portion of the button portion 610 passes through the position of the opening end on the housing inner side of the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2. The pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 illustrated in Figures 4 to 6 are formed so that the distance (gap) between the restricting portions is longer than the distance corresponding to the thickness of the base 600 (the distance from the first main surface 601 to the second main surface 602), and a portion of each restricting portion overlaps with the base 600 of the operating member 6 after attachment. The relationship between the second portion 642 of the operating member 6 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 will be described later with reference to Figures 8 to 11, etc.

7 is a side cross-sectional view (part 1) for explaining a method of attaching an operating member to a first housing part according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view (part 2) for explaining a method of attaching an operating member to a first housing part according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view (part 3) for explaining a method of attaching an operating member to a first housing part according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view (part 4) for explaining a method of attaching an operating member to a first housing part according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view (part 5) for explaining a method of attaching an operating member to a first housing part according to an embodiment. FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view (part 6) for explaining a method of attaching an operating member to a first housing part according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view (part 7) for explaining a method of attaching an operating member to a first housing part according to an embodiment. In FIGS. 7 to 13, "Rx" represents the axis of the rotation shaft 630 of the operating member 6, and "Px" represents the axis of the rotation shaft of the operating member 6 when the rotation shaft 630 is supported at the innermost part of the support part 230.

The support portion 230 of the first housing part 2 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, shaped like a groove in which the direction of entry of the rotation axis 630 of the operating member 6 is a direction approaching the through hole 210 along the first housing part 2, and the deepest part of the groove is positioned so that it abuts against the rotation axis 630 when the button portion 610 of the operating member 6 is inserted into the through hole 210 and the regulating portion 604 abuts against the first housing part 2 (see FIG. 13).

The operation of attaching the operating member 6 to the first housing part 2 is performed, for example, with the first housing part 2 placed on a workbench so that the entrance of the groove-shaped support part 230 faces upward. In this operation, first, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the rotating shaft 630 of the operating member 6 is inserted into the support part 230 of the first housing part 2. When the rotating shaft 630 is inserted to the innermost part of the support part 230, the second portion 642 of the rib 640 of the operating member 6 may be separated from the pair of restricting parts 251 and 252, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

After the rotating shaft 630 has been inserted to the innermost part of the support part 230, the operating member 6 is rotated in a direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 7) to insert the button part 610 into the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2, and as illustrated in FIG. 8, the second portion 642 of the rib 640 of the operating member 6 abuts against each of the pair of regulating parts 251 and 252 so as to receive an external force from each of the regulating parts 251 and 252 in a direction that displaces the rotating shaft 630 towards the entrance of the support part 230. As a result of the axis Rx of the rotating shaft 630 of the operating member 6 moving a distance Δx toward the entrance of the support part 230 from the axis position Px at the innermost part of the support part 230, the trajectory of the first button end 610a, which is the part of the button part 610 farthest from the axis Rx, when the operating member 6 rotates around the axis Rx becomes closer to the first through hole end 210a, which is the farthest from the axis position Px at the opening end on the inside side of the housing of the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2, compared to the trajectory when the axis Rx is at the axis position Px. The second portion 642 of the rib 640 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 are arranged so that the distance Δx between the axis Rx and the axis position Px immediately before the button portion 610 enters the through hole 210, as illustrated in FIG. 8, is within the range in which the portion of the button portion 610 that first enters the through hole 210 can enter the through hole 210.

When the operating member 6 is rotated to cause a part of the button portion 610 to enter the through hole 210, the first button end 610a of the button portion 610 approaches the opening end of the through hole 210 on the housing inner side, as illustrated in Fig. 9. At this time, in order to cause the first button end 610a of the button portion 610 to enter the through hole 210, the rotating shaft 630 movable within the support portion 230 is displaced to a position where the distance LB1 from the axis Rx to the first through hole end 210a in the through hole 210 is longer than the distance LA1 from the axis Rx to the first button end 610a. That is, the second portion 642 of the rib 640 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 are arranged so that the magnitude relationship between the distance LA2 from the axis Rx to the contact position between the second portion 642 of the rib 640 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 immediately before the first button end 610a of the button part 610 enters the through hole 210 as illustrated in FIG. 9, and the distance LA1 from the axis Rx to the first button end 610a of the button part 610 satisfies LA2≧LA1.

When the operating member 6 is further rotated to cause the first button end 610a of the button section 610 to enter the through hole 210, the second button end 610b, which is the part of the button section 610 closest to the axis Rx, approaches the opening end of the through hole 210 on the housing inner side, as illustrated in Fig. 10. At this time, in order to cause the second button end 610b of the button section 610 to enter the through hole 210, the rotating shaft 630 movable within the support section 230 may be displaced to a position where the distance LB3 from the axis Rx to the second through hole end 210b, which is the part of the through hole 210 closest to the axis Rx, is shorter than the distance LA3 from the axis Rx to the second button end 610b. That is, the second portion 642 of the rib 640 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 are provided so that the magnitude relationship between the distance LB3 from the axis Rx to the second through hole end 210b of the through hole 210 just before the second button end 610b of the button part 610 enters the through hole 210 and the distance LA3 from the axis Rx to the second button end 610b of the button part 610 is LA3 ≧ LB3, as illustrated in FIG. 10. At this time, the distance LA4 from the axis Rx to the abutment position between the second portion 642 of the rib 640 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 is generally equal to or less than the distance LA2 described above with reference to FIG. 9 (i.e., LA4 ≦ LA2).

When the operation member 6 is further rotated to insert the second button end 610b of the button portion 610 into the through hole 210, the button portion 610 abuts against the inner wall of the through hole 210, restricting the movement of the button portion 610 in a direction parallel to the opening end face of the through hole 210 (within the XY plane). After the second button end 610b of the button portion 610 enters the through hole 210, as illustrated in Figures 11 to 13, the restricting portion 604 of the operation member 6 abuts against the first housing part 2, and the button portion 610 reaches the position of the opening end of the through hole 210 on the outer side of the housing, completing the attachment of the operation member 6 to the first housing part 2. After the second button end 610b of the button portion 610 enters the through hole 210, the operation member 6 continues to rotate in a state in which the movement of the button portion 610 in the XY plane is restricted by the inner wall of the through hole 210, and the rotation shaft 630 moves to the innermost part of the support portion 230. Therefore, the second portion 242 of the rib 240 and the pair of restriction portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 are provided so that, after the second button end 610b of the button portion 610 enters the through hole 210, the second portion 242 is separated from each restriction portion 251 and 252 so as to allow the movement of the rotation shaft 630 to the innermost part of the support portion 230, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13.

After the operation member 6 is attached to the first housing part 2, the remaining predetermined assembly work is performed to complete the printing device 1 in which the button part 610 is located in the through hole 210 as illustrated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. In the completed printing device 1, as illustrated in Fig. 13, the regulating parts 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 have a part that extends to the axis Rx side from the rotation orbit around the axis Rx of the second part 642 of the rib 640 of the operation member 6. In other words, the completed printing device 1 has a part that overlaps with the main surface of the base part 600 of the operation member 6 at a position opposite to the button part 610 with the second part 642 of the rib 640 of the operation member 6 as a boundary, and the distance from the axis Rx of the rotation shaft 630 to the second part 642 in the operation member 6 is shorter than the distance from the axis Rx to the second part 642.

As described above, in the printing device 1 of this embodiment, when the operating member 6, whose rotating shaft 630 is supported by the support portion 230 of the first housing part 2, is rotated, the second portion 642 of the rib 640 of the operating member 6 abuts against the regulating portions 251, 252 of the first housing part 2, so that the button portion 610 of the operating member 6 is in a position that makes it easy to insert the button portion 610 of the operating member 6 into the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2, and the position of the rotating shaft 630 within the support portion 230 is changed. Therefore, in the work of attaching the operating member 6 to the first housing part 2, it is possible to automatically adjust the position of the rotating shaft 630 to insert the button portion 610 into the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2, and a decrease in work efficiency can be suppressed.

The combination of shapes (dimensions) of the second portion 242 and the pair of restricting portions 251 and 252 that satisfies the conditions for realizing the attachment work of the operation member 6 to the first housing part 2 described above with reference to Figures 7 to 13 is not limited to a specific combination. For example, it is appropriately changed depending on the dimensional relationship between the button portion 610 of the operation member 6 and the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2, the shape of the button portion 610, the position of the second portion 642 in the first main surface 601 (and the second main surface 602) of the base portion 600 of the operation member 6 and the positional relationship between the restricting portions 251 and 252, etc. By optimizing the above-mentioned position adjustment mechanism, it is possible to minimize the gap between the button portion 610 and the inner wall of the through hole 210 of the first housing part 2 after the operation member 6 is attached, and for example, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of dust and the like into the inside of the housing.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example to facilitate understanding of the invention. In other words, the attachment mechanism for the operating member and the electronic device according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the second part 642 of the operating member 6 and the regulating parts 251, 252 of the first housing part 2 are provided so that the distance LA1 from the axis Rx to the first button end 610a when the first button end 610a that is farthest from the axis Rx of the rotation shaft 630 in the button part 610 of the operating member 6 is outside the through hole 210 and is located close to the through hole 210, and the distance LB1 from the axis Rx to the first through hole end 210a that is farthest from the axis Rx at the opening end of the through hole 210 on the inner side of the housing, satisfy LA1≦LB1. However, the second part 642 of the operating member 6 and the regulating parts 251, 252 of the first housing part 2 only need to be arranged so that the absolute value of the difference between the distance LA1 from the axis Rx to the first button end 610a when the first button end 610a is outside the through hole 210 and located close to the through hole 210, and the distance LB1 from the axis Rx to the first through hole end 210a, is smaller than the absolute value of the difference between the distance from the axis Rx to the first button end 610a and the distance from the axis Rx to the first through hole end 210a when the button part 610 is located within the through hole 210. If the distance between the first button end 610a and the first through hole end 210a when the first button end 610a is outside the through hole 210 and in a position close to the through hole 210 (the state immediately before entering the through hole 210) is shorter than the distance in the case shown in FIG. 3, which does not have a position adjustment mechanism, the first button end 610a will be able to easily enter the through hole 210.

For example, the position adjustment mechanism in the electronic device according to the present invention is not limited to the combination of the second portion 642 of the rib 640 of the operating member 6 and the pair of regulating portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 described above, and can be appropriately changed. For example, the portion of the operating member 6 that abuts against the regulating portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 to change the position of the axis Rx of the rotating shaft 630 is not limited to the second portion 642 provided as a part of the rib 640, but may be a portion provided separately from the rib 640. For example, the portion of the operating member 6 that abuts against the regulating portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2 to change the position of the axis Rx of the rotating shaft 630 may be, for example, a columnar portion provided at a position radially outward from the rib that does not have the second portion 642 that displaces radially outward as illustrated in FIG. 3. In addition, a portion of the base 600 of the operating member 6 may be expanded radially outward, and the expanded portion may come into contact with a restricting portion corresponding to the restricting portions 251 and 252 of the first housing part 2, thereby changing the position of the axis Rx of the rotating shaft 630.

The electronic device according to the present invention is not limited to a printing device that prints on a tape-like print medium, but may be any device that has an operating member for performing a switching operation on a switch arranged inside a housing, such as a tactile switch. Furthermore, the switching operation by the operating member is not limited to turning the power on and off, but may be other operations. Therefore, the electronic device according to the present invention is diverse, such as computers, communication devices, digital cameras, electrical appliances, home appliances, and car navigation devices.

The invention as described in the claims of the original application is set forth below.
[Appendix 1]
An apparatus housing;
A switch disposed in the internal space of the device housing;
an operating member having a switch operating section for performing a switching operation on the switch, a button section located in a through hole provided in the device housing, and a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft being supported by a support section provided in the device housing so as to be rotatable and movable in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotating shaft;
the device housing and the operating member are configured such that a difference between a first distance from the axis center to the first button end when a first button end farthest from the axis center in the button portion is outside the through hole and located close to the through hole, and a second distance from the axis center to a first through hole end farthest from the axis center at the opening end of the through hole on the inside side of the housing, is smaller than a difference between the first distance and the second distance when the button portion is located within the through hole. the electronic device characterized in that the device housing and the operating member are configured such that a position of the rotation axis in the support portion is changed by a difference between the first distance and the second distance when the button portion is located within the through hole.
[Appendix 2]
The electronic device described in Appendix 1, characterized in that the device housing has a regulating portion that extends toward the axis further than the rotational orbit around the axis of the portion of the operating member when the button portion of the operating member is positioned within the through hole, and the position of the rotation axis in the support portion is changed when the portion of the operating member abuts against the regulating portion.
[Appendix 3]
The operating member has a flat base,
the rotation shaft is provided at a first position on the base such that an axial direction of the rotation shaft is a normal direction to a main surface of the base,
the button portion is provided on the base portion so as to protrude in a tangential direction of an arc from a second position within a plane extending in a first radial direction of a circle centered on the axis of the rotation shaft,
the switch operation portion is provided so as to protrude in a tangential direction of the arc from a third position within a plane extending in a second radial direction of the circle,
the portion that comes into contact with the device housing is provided on the main surface of the base, at a fourth position where a distance from the axis of the rotation shaft is longer than a distance from the axis of the rotation shaft to the second position in the first radial direction of the circle, so as to protrude in a normal direction of the main surface,
The electronic device described in Appendix 2, characterized in that the regulating portion of the device housing overlaps with and faces a main surface of the base of the operating member at a position opposite the button portion with respect to the portion of the operating member, and has a portion whose distance from the axis of the rotation shaft is shorter than the distance from the axis of the operating member to the fourth position.
[Appendix 4]
an operating member having a switch operating section for performing a switching operation on a switch arranged in a device housing, a button section, and a rotating shaft, the operating member being attached to the device housing such that the rotating shaft is supported by a support section provided on the device housing, the support section supporting the rotating shaft of the operating member so as to be rotatable and movable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft;
a first button end portion of the button portion that is farthest from the axis center at the opening end of the through hole on the inside side of the housing, the first button end portion being located outside the through hole and close to the through hole, and a second distance from the axis center to a first through hole end portion that is farthest from the axis center at the opening end of the through hole on the inside side of the housing, the first button end portion being located outside the through hole and close to the through hole, the second distance from the axis center to a first through hole end portion that is farthest from the axis center at the opening end of the through hole on the inside side of the housing, the second distance being smaller than the difference between the first distance and the second distance after the button portion is inserted into the through hole.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Printing device 2, 3, 4 Housing part 210 Through hole 230 Support portion 241, 242 Wall portion 251, 252 Restriction portion 5 Printed circuit board 501 Tactile switch 6 Operation member 600 Base portion 601, 602 Main surface 603, 605 Side surface 604 Restriction portion 610 Button portion 620 Switch operation portion 630 Rotation shaft 640 Ribs 641, 642, 643 (of rib 640)

Claims (6)

An apparatus housing;
A switch disposed in the internal space of the device housing;
an operating member having a switch operating section for performing a switching operation on the switch, a button section located within a through hole provided in the device housing, a rotation shaft engaging with a support section provided in the device housing, and an abutment section capable of abutting against the device housing, the operating member being rotatable around the rotation shaft relative to the device housing and supported by the support section so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation shaft,
the device housing and the operation member are configured such that the through hole is located on a rotation trajectory of the button portion when the operation member rotates around the rotation axis with the contact portion in contact with the device housing.
Electronics. the device housing has a restricting portion extending toward the axis center further than a rotation orbit around the axis center of the abutting portion when the button portion of the operation member is positioned within the through hole, and a position of the rotation axis in the support portion is changed by the abutting portion abutting against the restricting portion.
2. The electronic device according to claim 1. The device housing and the operating member are configured such that the abutment portion abuts against the device housing to change the position of the rotation axis in the support portion so that a difference between a first distance from the axis center to the first button end in the button portion when the first button end is located outside the through hole and close to the through hole, and a second distance from the axis center to a first through hole end in the button portion that is located at the opening end of the through hole on the inside side of the housing, is smaller than a difference between the first distance and the second distance in the case where the button portion is located within the through hole.
3. The electronic device according to claim 2. The operating member has a flat base,
the rotation shaft is provided at a first position on the base such that an axial direction of the rotation shaft is a normal direction to a main surface of the base,
the button portion is provided on the base portion so as to protrude in a tangential direction of an arc from a second position within a plane extending in a first radial direction of a circle centered on the axis of the rotation shaft,
the switch operation portion is provided so as to protrude in a tangential direction of the arc from a third position within a plane extending in a second radial direction of the circle,
the abutment portion is provided on the main surface of the base portion so as to protrude in a normal direction of the main surface at a fourth position where a distance from the axis of the rotation shaft is longer than a distance from the axis of the circle to the second position in the first radial direction,
the restricting portion of the device housing overlaps with a main surface of the base portion of the operation member at a position on the opposite side of the button portion with respect to the contact portion, and the restricting portion has a portion where a distance from the axis of the rotation shaft to the fourth position is shorter than a distance from the axis of the operation member to the fourth position.
4. The electronic device according to claim 3. the position of the rotation axis in the support part is changed so that the device housing and the operation member move toward the entrance of the support part;
The electronic device according to claim 2 . an operating member having a switch operating section for performing a switching operation on a switch arranged in an apparatus housing, a button section, a rotating shaft, and an abutment section that can abut against the apparatus housing, the operating member being attached to the apparatus housing so that the operating member is rotatable around the rotating shaft relative to the apparatus housing and is supported by a support section that supports the rotating shaft so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotating shaft;
the operation member is rotated about the rotation axis so that the through hole formed in the device housing is positioned on a rotation path of the button portion when the operation member is rotated about the rotation axis with the abutment portion in contact with the device housing, thereby inserting the button portion of the operation member into the through hole ;
How to install parts.

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