KR20070083433A - Lead opening and closing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The container unit consists of a lid and a unit body. The holder is a recess formed in the lower portion of the unit body. The lid is exposed to the bottom surface of the camera body. The lid may slide between a locked position adjacent the first inner surface of the holder and a release position adjacent the second inner surface of the holder against the first inner surface. The end of the lead is provided with a rotary shaft. Both ends of the rotary shaft engage with two extension holes formed on the side of the holder. The lid is held slidably and rotatable by the holder.

Description

Lead Opening and Closing Device {LID OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE}

1 is a perspective view showing the front side of an electronic camera;

2 is a plan view showing the bottom side of the electronic camera;

3 is a perspective view showing the structure of a container unit;

4A and 4B are plan views showing the bottom side of the container unit in which the lid moves to the locked position and the unlocked position;

5A, 5B and 5C are cross-sectional views showing the structure of the container unit and showing the structure and operation of the protrusions and the engaging protrusions that function as the locking mechanisms;

6A, 6B and 6C are sectional views showing the structure of the container unit and showing the structure and operation of the torsion spring;

7A, 7B and 7C are sectional views showing the structure of the container unit and showing the structure and operation of the click mechanism.

The present invention relates to a lid opening and closure device in which a lid rotatably supported by a case is rotated between a closed position covering a slot formed in the case and an open position exposing the slot.

In recent years, portable compact electronic devices and the like of electronic cameras have become popular. In this kind of electronic device, a rechargeable battery or the like is used as the power source and mounted in the case of the device. Therefore, such electronic devices are provided with leads for inserting and removing batteries into and out of the device case.

As a mechanism for opening and closing the lid, a lid provided for closing the slot formed in the case between the locked position held by the case and the unlocked position in which the lid is released from the case so that the lid covers and does not open the slot, Mechanisms for sliding are known (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 06-89710, 10-3893, 2003-142841, and 2004-79543). The lid is rotated through the release position to the open position to expose the slot. The lid opening and closing mechanism described in the above application is provided with a slide mechanism for protruding the lid from the outside of the case and a locking mechanism for prohibiting rotation of the lid. In this lid opening and closing mechanism, when the lid slides out of the case, the locking mechanism is unlocked so that the lid can be opened.

However, in the lid opening and closing mechanism described in the above application, since the lid slides to protrude out of the case, it is necessary to form lead openings on both surfaces of the case. Therefore, there arises a problem that the members constituting the case are complicatedly processed and the cost is increased. In addition, since the locking mechanism is disposed at the corner of the case, it causes another problem that the locking mechanism is damaged due to drop impact or the like.

In view of the above, the main object of the present invention is to provide a lead opening and closing device having a break-proof structure against an impact applied due to a drop or the like.

To achieve the above and other objects, the lid opening and closing device according to the present invention includes a locking mechanism, a holding part and a rotating mechanism. The locking mechanism prevents the lid from rotating to the open position where the inlet formed on one side of the case is exposed when the lid is held in the locked position. The holding portion slidably holds the lid between the locked position and the unlocked position. When the lid is held in the locked position, it is closed to the inside of the side adjacent to the face on which the inlet is formed. The lid is away from the inside of the side when held in the unlocked position. The rotation mechanism causes the lid to rotate to an open position around the end of the lid positioned in the slide direction when the lid is held in the unlocked position.

In a preferred embodiment, the end of the lid is the front end defined when the lid slides from the locked position to the unlocked position. The rotation mechanism includes a shaft and a pair of extension holes. The shaft is disposed at either the front end of the lid and the case so as to be perpendicular to the slide direction of the lid. An extension hole is formed at the front end of the lid and the other side of the case so as to extend in the slide direction. Both ends of the shaft are fitted to the extension holes.

The lid opening and closing device preferably further comprises an engaging claw and an elastic member. The engaging claw is arranged at the position adjacent to the inlet and the shaft side to hold the object mounted inside the inlet. The elastic member may be bent in a direction to retain the engagement claw and retract toward the shaft at the inlet.

The lid opening and closing device preferably further comprises a torsion spring and a slide surface. The torsion spring with the shaft inserted biases the lid toward the open position. One end of the torsion spring is in contact with the inner surface of the lid and the other end is in contact with the case. With respect to the slide surface, when the lid moves between the locked position and the unlocked position, the end of the torsion spring slides. The slide surface is inclined toward the shaft so as to widen the gap between the lid and the holding portion.

The locking mechanism preferably includes a protrusion, an engagement protrusion and a contact surface. The protrusion is formed on the inner side of the lid. The engaging projection is formed in the case and holds the projection when the lid is held in the locked position. The engagement protrusion is released from the protrusion when the lid is moved to the unlocked position. Contact surfaces are formed in the protrusions and the engaging projections. The contact surfaces contact each other when the lid is moved from the open position to the unlocked position where the inlet is covered, with the lid positioned closer to the locked position than the unlocked position. The contact surface is inclined away from the lead towards the shaft.

The lid opening and closing device preferably further comprises a click protrusion and a click member. The click projection is formed on the inner side of the lid and on one side of the case. The click member is disposed inside the lid and on the other side of the case. The click member holds the click protrusion to resist resistance to the slide movement of the lid when the lid is held in the locked position. The click member releases the click protrusion and biases the lead towards the open position as soon as the slide operation overcomes the resistance.

The electronic camera 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes various imaging mechanisms embedded in the camera body 11 of the parallelepiped case. The camera body 11 is comprised from the front cover 11a and the back cover 11b.

The front of the camera body 11 is provided with a lens barrel 13 including a taking lens 12, a flash emitter 14 and a grip 15 for emitting a flashlight toward an object. The upper surface of the camera body 11 is provided with a shutter button 16 recessed for photographing, a mode dial 17 rotated to switch modes, and a power button 18 pressed to turn the power on and off. The back of the camera body 11 is provided with an operating unit 19 (see Fig. 2) composed of an LCD (not shown) and a plurality of buttons for displaying an image and various setting pictures.

In addition to the various imaging mechanisms, the container unit 30 (see FIG. 3) described below is built in the camera body 11. The container unit 30 is held by the front cover 11a and the back cover 11b. As shown in FIG. 2, a lid 31 constituting the container unit 30 is provided on the lower surface of the camera body 11. The lid 31 is opened and closed when the battery and the memory card are inserted into the camera body 11 and removed from the camera body 11.

The lid opening and closing mechanism of the present invention consists of a lid 31 and a holder 32 which rotatably and slidably holds the lid 31. As shown in FIG. 3, the container unit 30 includes a unit body 40 and a lid 31 of a parallelepiped case. The unit body 40 includes a battery 41 and a memory card 44 (see Fig. 3). The battery 41 is a power source for driving each component of the camera body 11. The memory card 44 is a recording medium for storing image data.

The above-mentioned holder 32 is a recess formed in the bottom of the unit body 40. As shown in Figs. 4A and 4B, a space having a size larger than the outline of the lid 31 is formed so that the lid 31 slides in the holder 32 in the direction indicated by the arrow A. Figs. The lid 31 is slidably held by the holder 32 between the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A) and the unlocked position (shown in FIG. 4B). In the locked position, the lid 31 is adjacent to the inner wall 32a and the rotation of the lid 31 is inhibited by the locking mechanism described later. In the unlocked position, the lid 31 is adjacent to the inner wall 32b and the locking mechanism is unlocked. The lid 31 slides inside the surface adjacent to the bottom surface of the camera body 11.

When the lid 31 slides from the locked position to the unlocked position, the lid 31 is rotated by the rotation mechanism around the end portion of the lid 31 positioned in the slide direction. As will be described later, the rotation mechanism consists of a rotary shaft 51 and an extension hole 52. Hereinafter, the rotation mechanism is described.

One end of the lid 31 is provided with a rotary shaft 51. In addition, the holder 32 is provided with two extension holes 52 formed on the side wall adjacent to the inner wall 32b and extending in the slide direction (indicated by arrow A) of the lid 31. Both ends of the rotary shaft 51 are engaged with two extension holes 52. The lid 31 is held by the holder 32 so that it can slide in the direction of arrow A and can be rotated in the direction of arrow B.

The battery slot 43 and the card slot 45 are formed in the surface 32c of the holder 32 facing the inner surface 31a of the lid 31 when the lid 31 is closed. The battery slot 43 is an inlet for inserting the battery 41 into the battery chamber 42 of the unit body 40. The card slot 45 is an entrance for inserting the memory card 44. On the other hand, the engaging claw 46 is disposed on the side of the rotary shaft 51 such that the battery 41 is in contact with the battery slot 43 to prevent the battery chamber from falling down. The engaging claw 46 is fixed to the head of the leaf spring 47 and can be moved in the slide direction (indicated by arrow A) of the lid 31.

When the lid 31 is held in the locked position (shown in Fig. 4A), its rotation is inhibited by the locking mechanism. As described below, the locking mechanism includes a protrusion, an engagement protrusion, and an engagement opening for retaining the protrusion. Hereinafter, the locking mechanism is described.

Three protrusions 54 to 56 are formed on the surface of the lid 31. When the lid 31 is held in the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A), the protrusion 54 is inserted into and held in the engagement opening 61 formed in the inner wall 32a of the holder 32, whereby the lid 31 Prohibit the rotation of the. When the lid 31 is moved to the release position (shown in FIG. 4B), the protrusion 54 is retracted from and disengaged from the engagement opening 61 so that the lid 31 can be rotated.

When the lid 31 is held in the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A), the protrusion 55 is held by an engagement protrusion formed on the inner wall 32a of the holder, to prevent rotation of the lid 31. When the lid 31 is moved to the release position (shown in FIG. 4B), the protrusion 55 is retracted from and disengaged from the engaging protrusion, so that the lid 31 can be rotated.

As shown in Figs. 5A to 5C, the opposing surface 32c of the holder 32 is provided with an opening 63 formed at a position corresponding to the engagement protrusion 62 and the protrusion 56. As shown in Figs. When the lid 31 is held in the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A), the protrusion 56 is held by the engagement protrusion 62 as shown in FIG. 5A to prevent rotation of the lid 31. When the lid 31 is moved to the release position (shown in FIG. 4B), the protrusion 56 is retracted toward the opening 63 side as shown in FIG. 5B and is separated from the engaging protrusion 62, so that the lid 31 ) Can be rotated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusions 56 are disposed at positions adjacent to the fulcrum (rotary shaft 51) compared to the protrusions 54 and 55. When the rotary shaft 51 is held in a position closer to the locked position than the unlocked position (as shown in Fig. 5C) in the extension hole 52, the protrusion 56 moves the lid 31 in the closed direction. When it rotates, it comes into contact with the engaging projection 62.

Since the contact surfaces 56a and 62a in contact with each other are formed to be inclined, when the lid 31 is pushed in the closed direction, a force acts on the lid 31 in the direction of the arrow C. In other words, the contact surface 62a of the engagement protrusion 62 is inclined away from the lid 31 toward the rotary shaft 51, and the contact surface 56a of the protrusion 56 is in contact with the contact surface 62a during contact therewith. Incline to be parallel. Thus, when the lid 31 is closed in the state shown in Fig. 5C, the force acts in the direction of the arrow C to move the lid to the release position shown in Fig. 5B.

The rotary shaft 51 described above is inserted into the torsion spring 52. One end 53a of the torsion spring 53 is in contact with the inner surface 31a of the lid 31, and the other end 53b is adjacent to the opposing surface 32c. By the torsion spring 53, the lid 31 is biased towards the open position shown in FIG.

This slides the lid 31 from the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A) to the unlocked position (shown in FIG. 4B) so that the lid 31 moves from the position shown in FIG. 6A to the position shown in FIG. 6B. Is moved. Thereafter, the lid 31 is rotated by the biasing force of the torsion spring 53 to the position shown in Fig. 6C.

On the other hand, while the rotary shaft 51 is moved relative to the extension hole 52 between the positions shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, the other end 53b of the torsion spring 53 slides on the opposite surface 32c. The region of the opposing surface 32c in which the other end portion 32c is slid is formed by the slope 32e inclined away from the lid 31 toward the inner wall 32b. The upper part of the other end 53b is arc-shaped as shown in FIG. 3 to prevent the other end 53b from being caught by the slope 32e when the other end 53b slides on the slope 32e. Is curved.

If the surface on which the other end 53b of the torsion spring 53 slides is flat, move the lid 31 to the locked position (shown in Fig. 4A) when the lid 31 rotates in the closed direction. Force is at work In this case, the user needs to perform two operations, one of which is done to close the lid 31 and the other of which is done to move the lid 31 to the release position (shown in FIG. 4B). . However, when the area where the other end portion 53b slides is formed of the slope 32e as described above, when the lid 31 is rotated in the closing direction, the slope 32e shows that the lid 31 is shown in Fig. 6C. As shown, the force is prevented from acting in the direction moved to the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A). Thus, the lid 31 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 6B without the force that the lid 31 moves toward the locked position.

Subsequently, the click mechanism is described below. As will be described later, the click mechanism consists of a click protrusion 57 and a click plate 66 considered as a click member.

The opening 65 is formed in the opposing surface 32c. The click plate 66 is disposed to protrude through the opening 65 on the opposite surface 32c side. The click plate 66 is a leaf spring. A curved portion 66a curved arc toward the lead side is formed at the front end of the click plate 66 as shown in Figs. 7A to 7C. In addition, the rear end of the click plate 66 is bent and fixed to the back side of the opposing face 32c at a position closer to the rotary shaft 51 than the opening 65. In addition, the click projection 57 is formed on the inner surface 31a of the lid 31.

When the lid 31 is held in the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A), the click protrusion 57 is positioned adjacent to the front end of the curved portion 66a as shown in FIG. 7A. At this point, the click projection 57 is held by the curved portion 66a. Thereby, resistance is generated when sliding the lid 31 toward the unlocked position (shown in FIG. 4B). As the slide operation overcomes the resistance, the click plate 66 is elastically deformed and the curved portion 66a is moved upwards (toward the opening 65) to release the hold. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7B, the curved portion 66a is in contact with the upper portion of the click projection 57 (located on the opening 65 side). At this point, the lid 31 is forcibly rotated toward the open position shown in FIG. 7C by the restoring force of the click plate 66.

Next, the operation of the container unit 30 having the above structure will be described below. When the user mounts the battery 41 and the memory card 44 as the camera body 11, the lid 31 of the container unit 30 is opened. Also, when the user withdraws the battery 41 and the memory card 44 from the camera body 11, the lid 31 is opened.

When the lid 31 is held in the locked position (shown in Fig. 4A), the above-described locking mechanism prevents the lid 31 from rotating. Therefore, the lid 31 slides from the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A) to the unlocked position (shown in FIG. 4B).

In addition, when the lid 31 is held in the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A), the click protrusion 57 is held by the curved portion 66a of the click plate 66 as shown in FIG. 7A. The lid 31 slides by overcoming the resistance of the click plate 66. The lid 31 is moved to the release position (shown in FIG. 4B) so that the click plate 66 is elastically deformed and the curved portion 66a is upwards by the click protrusion 57 as shown in FIG. 7B. (Toward the opening 65) is moved.

When the curved portion 66a is moved upward, the restoring force of the click plate 66 forces the lid 31 toward the open position (shown in Fig. 7C). At this point, the lid 31 is forced as a wall facing the open position by the torsion spring 53. The lid 31 is rotated to the open position shown in FIG. 3 by the force of the click plate 66 and the torsion spring 53 to expose the battery slot 43 and the card slot 45.

Thereafter, the battery 41 and the memory card 44 are mounted or retracted. By the way, when mounting the battery 41, the engagement claw 46 is moved out of the battery slot 43. Similarly, upon removal of battery 41, engagement claw 46 is moved out of battery slot 43. Incidentally, the engagement claw 46 is disposed on the side (of the rotary shaft 51) to which the lid 31 is moved when opened. Since the operation directions coincide, good operability is achieved.

When the lid 31 is closed, a force acting in the closed direction is applied to the lid 31 held in the open position (shown in FIGS. 6C and 7C). At this point, the end 53b of the torsion spring 53 is in contact with the slope 32e to prevent the force from acting toward the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A). Thereafter, only by applying a force to the lid 31 in the direction of the arrow C, the lid 31 is moved to the release position (shown in Fig. 4B). As a result, it is unnecessary to apply a force for moving the lid 31 toward the release position so that the lid 31 is moved to the release position in one-step operation.

When the force in the closed direction is applied to the lid 31 with the rotary shaft 51 located closer to the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A) than the unlocked position (shown in FIG. 4B), the force in the closed direction When the protrusion 56 and the engagement protrusion 62 contact each other, they are further applied to the lid 31. As a result, a force is applied to the lid 31 in the direction of the arrow C for moving the lid 31 to the release position. In this way, it is possible to move the lid 31 to the release position only by applying a force in the closed direction.

The lid 31 is then moved from the unlocked position (shown in FIG. 4B) to the locked position (shown in FIG. 4A). The locking mechanism of the holder 32 then holds the lid 31 to prohibit rotation of the lid 31. As described above, when closing the lid 31, it is possible to move the lid 31 to the release position (shown in Fig. 4B) only by applying a force to the lid 31 in the closed direction. Thereafter, the operability to close the lid 31 is improved.

In addition, as described above, the lid 31 is moved in the holder 32 disposed in the lower surface of the camera body 11. As a result, the lid 31 is moved in the side adjacent to the lower surface, thereby preventing the locking mechanism of the lid 31 from being placed at the corner of the camera body 11. Thereby, even if an impact occurs in the corner of the camera body 11 due to falling or the like, the locking mechanism is prevented from being damaged.

On the other hand, when the lid 31 slides outward of the side surface, lead opening lines are formed on the lower surface and the side surface. However, in the case where the lid 31 moves into the side adjacent to the lower surface as described in the present invention, the lead opening line is formed only on the lower surface. Therefore, the cover member constituting the camera body 11 can be easily processed and the product cost can be reduced. In addition, the appearance is improved.

In this embodiment, the rotation mechanism consists of a rotary shaft attached to the lid and an extension hole formed in the holder. However, this rotation mechanism is not unique. The shaft can be attached to the holder and an extension hole engaged with the shaft is formed in the lid to constitute another rotation mechanism. In this case, when the lid is moved between the locked position and the released position, the end of the torsion spring slides onto the inner surface of the lid. Thereby, it is preferable that a slide surface is formed in a slope.

In this embodiment, the click mechanism consists of a click plate attached to the holder and a click protrusion formed on the inner surface of the lid. However, this click mechanism is not unique. The click plate may be attached to the inner surface of the lid and the click protrusion may be formed in the holder.

In this embodiment, the inclusion portion of the container unit is disposed on the bottom surface of the camera body. However, it is not limited to this. The inclusion part may be integrally formed with the bottom surface of the camera body.

In this embodiment, the lid is disposed on the bottom surface of the camera body. However, it is not limited to this. The lid may be placed on any surface, such as top surface, side surface, or the like. In addition, the sliding direction and the rotation direction of the lid are not limited to the above embodiment and can be changed as appropriate.

The embodiment relates to an electronic camera. However, it is not limited to this. The present invention can be used in any device requiring a lead.

Although the present invention has been fully described by the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it should be understood that such changes and modifications are included if they do not depart from the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention has the effect of having a brake proof structure against an impact applied due to a drop or the like.

Claims (12)

In the lid opening and closing device covering the inlet formed on one side of the case: A locking mechanism that prevents the lid from rotating in the open position where the inlet is exposed when the lid is held in the locked position; A holding portion slidably holding the lid between the locked position and the unlocked position, the lid being closed to the inside of a side adjacent to the one surface when the lid is held in the locked position, the lid held in the unlocked position A retaining portion away from the inner side of the side when it is; And And a rotation mechanism to cause the lid to rotate to the open position around an end portion of the lid positioned in the slide direction when the lid is held in the unlocked position. The method of claim 1, And the end portion is a front end defined when the lid slides from the locked position to the unlocked position. The method of claim 2, The rotating mechanism includes a shaft disposed at either one of the front end of the lid and the case to be perpendicular to the slide direction of the lid; And And a pair of extension holes formed in the front end of the lid and the other side of the case and fitted to both ends of the shaft to extend in the sliding direction. The method of claim 3, wherein An engaging claw disposed on the shaft side and a position adjacent to the inlet to hold an object mounted inside the inlet; And And an elastic member capable of retaining the engagement claw and bending in a direction retracting towards the shaft at the inlet. The method of claim 4, wherein And the mounting object is a battery for driving each component included in the case, and the engaging claw is retracted from the inlet when the battery is mounted and removed. The method of claim 3, wherein A torsion spring in which the shaft is inserted to bias the lead toward the open position, the torsion spring having one end of the torsion spring contacting the inner surface of the lead and the other end of the torsion spring contacting the case; And When the lead moves between the locked position and the unlocked position, a slide surface on which one end of the torsion spring slides, the slide surface inclined to widen the lead and the holding portion toward the shaft. A lid opening and closing device further comprising. The method of claim 6, And an end portion of the torsion spring sliding on the slide surface is curved in an arc shape to prevent the end portion of the torsion spring from being caught by the slide surface. The method of claim 3, wherein The locking mechanism may include a protrusion formed at an inner side of the lid; An engaging protrusion formed in the case and holding the protrusion when the lid is held in the locked position, the engaging protrusion being separated from the protrusion when the lid is moved to the unlocked position; And A contact surface formed in the protrusion and the engagement protrusion, the lid being moved from the open position to the unlocked position where the inlet is covered with the lid positioned closer to the locking position than the unlocking position And a contact surface in contact with each other and inclined such that the lead is away from the shaft. The method of claim 1, A click protrusion formed on an inner side of the lead and on one side of the case; And Disposed on the inner side of the lid and on the other side of the case, and holding the click protrusion to resist the slide movement of the lid when the lid is held in the locked position, and performing a slide operation to overcome the resistance And a click member that immediately exits the click protrusion and biases the lead towards the open position. The method of claim 9, And wherein the click member is a leaf spring and is released from the click protrusion by an elastic deformation of the leaf spring. The method of claim 10, And the upper portion of the leaf spring is convexly curved with respect to the click protrusion, and the curved upper portion contacts the click protrusion to apply the resistance. The method of claim 1, And the inlet is formed on the bottom surface of the case, and the lid covering the inlet is rotated down by the rotation mechanism after sliding.

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