DAMPING MEMBER, SHOCK DAMPING STRUCTURE IN ELECTRONIC DEVICE, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING THE SHOCK DAMPING STRUCTURE

• US 20110096481A1
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Ueno, Masato
• Granted Patent: US 8,708,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/04 Mounting of electronic components
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/08 Housings

Abstract

A damping member includes a body provided between a device case and a module encased within the case and damping an external shock applied on the case. The body includes a holding member having upper and side surfaces and disposed between an inner peripheral surface of the case and an outer peripheral surface of the module, a first shock absorbing member covering a predetermined part of the upper and side surfaces of the holding member, deformed elastically when the shock is applied on the case, and elastically absorbing the shock, and a second shock absorbing member covering the other part of the holding member, getting the shock earlier than the first shock absorbing member when the shock is applied on the case, each changing its volume in accordance with the shock, and absorbing and escaping the shock. A damping structure used for an electronic device uses the damping member.

Claims

1. A shock damping structure for an electronic device, in which a damping member provided between a device case and a module encased within the device case damps an external shock applied on the device case by a shock absorbing operation of the damping member,

the damping member comprising:

a holding member having an upper surface portion and an outer peripheral surface portion, and disposed between an inner peripheral surface of the device case and an outer peripheral surface of the module;

a first shock absorbing member disposed to cover a predetermined part of the upper and outer peripheral surface portions of the holding member, deformed elastically when the external shock is applied on the device case, and absorbing the shock elastically; and

a second shock absorbing member disposed to cover the other part of the upper and outer peripheral surface portions of the holding member, the other part excluding the predetermined part, getting the external shock earlier than the first shock absorbing member when the external shock is applied on the device case, changing its volume in accordance with the shock force, and absorbing and escaping the external shock.

3. The shock damping structure of claim 1, wherein the first shock absorbing member includes a plurality of side leg portions spaced at predetermined intervals to cover a part of the outer peripheral surface portion of the holding member, and a plurality of second shock absorbing members is provided and includes a plurality of side leg portions arranged alternately with the plurality of side leg portions of the first shock absorbing member on the outer peripheral surface portion of the holding member.

4. The shock damping structure of claim 3, wherein the first shock absorbing member includes a plurality of bending portions, each of which is bent radially inward of the holding member from an upper end of each side leg portion thereof, and the second shock absorbing members include a plurality of bending portions, each of which is on an upper end of each side leg portion thereof and bent radially inward of the holding member, these bending portions being disposed alternately with the bending portions of the first shock absorbing member on an upper surface of the holding member.

5. The shock damping structure of claim 3, wherein the first shock absorbing member includes a plurality of side leg portions at predetermined spaced positions on the outer peripheral surface portion of the holding member, and the second shock absorbing members include a plurality of shock absorbing members having bending portions arranged alternately with the plurality of side leg portions of the first shock absorbing member.

6. The shock damping structure of claim 1, wherein each second shock absorbing member is formed to be thicker than the first shock absorbing member and in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the device case.

7. The shock damping structure of claim 1, wherein the upper surface portion of the first shock absorbing member includes a thin corrugated auxiliary damping portion whose whole thickness is substantially equal to that of the second shock absorbing member.

8. The shock damping structure of claim 1, wherein an auxiliary damping protruding portion for separating the side leg portion of the first shock absorbing member from an inner surface of the device case is formed on the side leg portion, the auxiliary damping protruding portion having a height substantially equal to a height of an outer surface of the second shock absorbing member.

2. A shock damping structure for an electronic device, in which a damping member provided between a device case and a module encased within the device case damps an external shock applied on the device case by a shock absorbing operation of the damping member,

the damping member comprising:

a first shock absorbing member disposed between an inner peripheral surface of the device case and an outer peripheral surface of the module, deformed elastically when the external shock is applied on the device case, and absorbing elastically the shock; and

a second shock absorbing member disposed at a part between the inner peripheral surface of the device case and the outer peripheral surface of the module, the part excluding the part in which the first shock absorbing member is disposed, getting the external shock earlier than the first shock absorbing member when the external shock is applied on the device case, changing its volume in accordance with the shock force, and absorbing and escaping the external shock.

9. An electronic device comprising a device case, a module encased within the device case and provided with electronic parts, and a damping member provided between the device case and the module and damping an external shock applied on the device case,

the damping member including:

a holding member disposed between an inner peripheral surface of the device case and an outer peripheral surface of the module;

a first shock absorbing member disposed at a predetermined position on the holding member, deformed elastically when the external shock is applied on the device case, and elastically absorbing the shock; and

a second shock absorbing member disposed side by side with the first shock absorbing member on the holding member, getting the external shock earlier than the first shock absorbing member when the external shock is applied on the device case, changing its volume in accordance with the shock force, and absorbing and escaping the external shock.

10. A damping member comprising a damping member body provided between a device case and a module encased within the device case and damping an external shock applied on the device case,

the damping member body including:

a holding member having an upper surface and a side surface and disposed between an inner peripheral surface of the device case and an outer peripheral surface of the module;

a first shock absorbing member disposed to cover a predetermined part of the upper and side surfaces of the holding member, deformed elastically when the external shock is applied on the device case, and elastically absorbing the external shock; and

a second shock absorbing member disposed to cover the other part of the holding member, the other part excluding the predetermined part, getting the external shock earlier than the first shock absorbing member when the external shock is applied on the device case, changing its volume in accordance with the shock force, and absorbing and escaping the external shock.