ELECTRIC DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE SYSTEM

• US 20170344059A1
• Filed: 08/23/2016
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shibayama, Yoshiyuki, Tsuganezawa, Yuta, Shinohara, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 10,444,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1679 for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA G06F1/1681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/201 Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20272 Accessories for moving fluid, for expanding fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid, for removing gas or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/2039 characterised by the heat transfer by conduction from the heat generating element to a dissipating body arrangements for increasing/decreasing heat-transfer, e.g. fins details, F28F13/00

Abstract

There is provided an electric device having such a structure that members are moved by a driving force of an electric motor. The electric device comprises: an electric motor; a driving member which receives a driving force from the electric motor to advance and retreat; a moving member pressed by the driving member to move; a stopper which restricts a moving range of the moving member; and a cushioning mechanism located on a pressing part of the driving member against the moving member or a pressure-receiving part of the moving member pressed by the pressing part configured to transmit a pressing force of the driving member to move the moving member before the movement of the moving member is restricted by the stopper, and to absorb the pressing force of the driving member after the movement of the moving member is restricted by the stopper.

Claims

1. An electric device comprising:

an electric motor;

a driving member configured to receive a driving force from the electric motor to advance and retreat;

a moving member configured to move when pressed by the driving member;

a stopper configured to restrict a moving range of the moving member; and

a cushioning mechanism located on a pressing part of the driving member against the moving member or a pressure-receiving part of the moving member pressed by the pressing part, configured to transmit a pressing force of the driving member to move the moving member before movement of the moving member is restricted by the stopper, and to absorb the pressing force of the driving member after the movement of the moving member is restricted by the stopper.

2. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the driving member is a rack gear meshed with a pinion gear rotatably driven by the electric motor.

3. The electric device according to claim 2, wherein the cushioning mechanism comprises a contact part, and

wherein the contact part comes into contact with the pressure-receiving part of the moving member in an elastically supported state to be movable relative to the driving member, or comes into contact with the pressing part of the driving member in an elastically supported state to be movable relative to the moving member.

4. The electric device according to claim 3, further comprising:

a load member configured to be moved by the moving member,

wherein the moving member is configured to move by the pressing force of the driving member.

5. The electric device according to claim 4, wherein:

an elastic force of a spring configured to elastically support the contact part of the driving member or the moving member is set at a force larger than required so as to cause the driving member to move the moving member and to move the load member, and a force smaller than a transmission force between the pinion gear and the rack gear.

6. The electric device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect the moving range of the moving member; and

a control unit configured to receive a detection signal from the sensor and to stop operation of the electric motor.

7. The electric device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an engaging lever capable of being engaged with an engaging hole located in a portable computing device so that the portable computing device can be docked and undocked.

8. The electric device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a lever spring which biases the engaging lever in a direction of being engaged with the engaging hole,

wherein when the moving member moves, the engaging lever moves against a biasing force of the lever spring to release a state of being engaged with the engaging hole.

9. The electric device according to claim 8, wherein:

the driving member is a rack gear meshed with a pinion gear rotatably driven by the electric motor,

the cushioning mechanism comprises a contact part, and the contact part comes into contact with the pressure-receiving part of the moving member in an elastically supported state to be movable relative to the driving member, or comes into contact with the pressing part of the driving member in an elastically supported state to be movable relative to the moving member, and

an elastic force of a spring configured to elastically support the contact part of the driving member or the moving member is set at a force larger than required so as to cause the driving member to move the moving member and to move the engaging lever, and a force smaller than a transmission force between the pinion gear and the rack gear.

10. The electric device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a heat-receiving side heat sink—

thermally connected to a heat-radiating side heat sink with a heating element located internally in a portable computing device to absorb heat of the heating element.

11. The electric device according to claim 10, further comprising:

a water-cooling unit connected to a radiator, the heat-receiving side heat sink, and a circulation pump through piping to circulate cooling water.

12. An electronic device system comprising:

a portable computing device; and

an electric device to which the portable computing device is removably attached,

wherein the electric device comprises

an electric motor;

a driving member configured to receive a driving force from the electric motor to advance and retreat;

a moving member configured to move when pressed by the driving member;

a stopper configured to restrict a moving range of the moving member; and

a cushioning mechanism located on a pressing part of the driving member against the moving member or a pressure-receiving part of the moving member pressed by the pressing part, configured to transmit a pressing force of the driving member to move the moving member before movement of the moving member is restricted by the stopper, and to absorb the pressing force of the driving member after the movement of the moving member is restricted by the stopper.

13. The electronic device system according to claim 12, wherein:

the portable computing device comprises a heating element, a heat-radiating side heat sink thermally connected to the heating element, and

the electric device comprises a heat-receiving side heat sink thermally connected to the heat-radiating side heat sink to absorb heat of the heating element.