Coupling mechanism for coupling electronic device
10667415 ยท 2020-05-26
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
G06F1/1607
PHYSICS
H05K5/0208
ELECTRICITY
H02B1/00
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H02B1/00
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
A coupling mechanism for coupling an electronic device to an outer casing includes a plurality of hook-shaped brackets interposed between a front cover and a rear cover of the electronic device, where the plurality of hook-shaped brackets pass through an accommodation hole of the outer casing and are held to hook the outer casing while the front cover and the rear cover are coupled to each other; a plurality of main bracket-mounted portions defined in the front cover, where each of the plurality of hook-shaped brackets is mounted into each of the plurality of main bracket-mounted portions; and a plurality of auxiliary bracket-mounted portions disposed on the rear cover, where each of the plurality of auxiliary bracket-mounted portions is engaged with each of the plurality of hook-shaped brackets when the front cover and the rear cover are coupled to each other.
Claims
1. A coupling mechanism for coupling an electronic device to an outer casing, wherein the outer casing has an accommodation hole defined therein sized to correspond to a size of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device includes a front cover exposed out of the outer casing, and a rear cover coupled to a rear of the front cover, the coupling mechanism comprising: a plurality of hook-shaped brackets interposed between the front and rear covers and, wherein the plurality of hook-shaped brackets pass through the accommodation hole and are held to hook the outer casing while the front cover and the rear cover are coupled to each other; a plurality of main bracket-mounted portions defined in the front cover, wherein each of the plurality of hook-shaped brackets is mounted into each of the plurality of main bracket-mounted portions; and a plurality of auxiliary bracket-mounted portions disposed on the rear cover, wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary bracket-mounted portions is engaged with each of the plurality of hook-shaped brackets when the front cover and the rear cover are coupled to each other, wherein each of the plurality of hook-shaped brackets includes: a hooking portion held to hook the outer casing; a bracket body having a width that is same as a width of the hooking portion and extending horizontally from one end of the hooking portion; first stoppers integrally formed with the bracket body at both opposing sides of the bracket body; and a second stopper vertically extending and then horizontally extending from one end of the bracket body and such that the second stopper faces away from the bracket body, wherein the plurality of hook-shaped brackets are made of rigid metal, wherein when the electronic device is inserted into the accommodation hole, the hooking portion and the bracket body are pressed and elastically deformed, wherein after the electronic device has been inserted into the accommodation hole, the hooking portion and the bracket body are elastically restored such that the hooking portion is held to hook the outer casing, wherein each of the plurality of main bracket-mounted portions includes: a bracket-mounted groove defined in a second frame, wherein the second frame is coupled to a first frame along an edge thereof, wherein the first frame is coupled to a front face of the front cover, wherein the bracket-mounted groove is open toward the outer casing; and a pair of first ribs and a pair of second ribs integrally formed with the second frame, wherein a receiving space for receiving the plurality of hook-shaped brackets is defined between the pair of first ribs and the pair of second ribs.
2. The coupling mechanism of claim 1, wherein the bracket-mounted groove has a width corresponding to the width of the hooking portion, wherein each of the pair of first ribs includes an elongate bar, wherein the elongate bar of each of the pair of first ribs protrudes from an inner face of the second frame, wherein the bracket body is disposed between the bars of the pair of first ribs, wherein each of the pair of second ribs includes an elongate bar, wherein the elongate bar of each of the pair of second ribs protrudes from the inner face of the second frame, wherein the first stoppers and the second stopper are disposed between each of the pair of first ribs and each of the pair of second ribs, wherein each of the pair of second ribs is disposed below each of the pair of first ribs.
3. The coupling mechanism of claim 2, wherein each of the first stoppers vertically downwardly extends and then horizontally outwardly extends from the bracket body, wherein the first stopper each of the first stoppers has a horizontal dimension equal to a horizontal dimension of each of the pair of first ribs, wherein each of the first stoppers is in close contact with each of the pair of first ribs, wherein the second stopper is in close contact with the pair of second ribs.
4. The coupling mechanism of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of hook-shaped brackets includes a third stopper extending vertically downwardly from a distal end of the second stopper, wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary bracket-mounted portions protrudes in a plate form from an inner face of the rear cover and at a position corresponding to a position of each of the plurality of main bracket-mounted portions, wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary bracket-mounted portions contacts and presses against the third stopper when the front cover and the rear cover are coupled to each other.
5. The coupling mechanism of claim 4, wherein the second stopper has a horizontal portion branching into a U shape, wherein the third stopper comprises a pair of third stoppers and each of the pair of third stoppers is formed at a distal end of each of prongs of the U shape.
6. The coupling mechanism of claim 4, wherein the second stopper has a horizontal portion having a width greater than the width of the bracket body, wherein the third stopper is formed at a distal end of the second stopper.
7. The coupling mechanism of claim 3, wherein each of the first stoppers has a 90-degree rotated U shaped cross section such that each of the first stoppers wraps each of the pair of first ribs.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(12) Hereinafter, a coupling mechanism for coupling an electronic device in accordance with the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(13) For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numbers in different figures denote the same or similar elements, and as such perform similar functionality. Also, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. Furthermore, in the following detailed description of the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present disclosure.
(14) The above objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art in the art to easily practice the technical idea of the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations may be omitted in order not to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements.
(15) Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. When the terms used herein are in conflict with a general meaning of the term, the meaning of the term is in accordance with a definition used herein.
(16) Examples of various embodiments are illustrated and described further below. It will be understood that the description herein is not intended to limit the claims to the specific embodiments described. On the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
(17) The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms a and an are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms comprises, comprising, includes, and including when used in this specification, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, operations, elements, components, and/or portions thereof. As used herein, the term and/or includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expression such as at least one of when preceding a list of elements may modify the entire list of elements and may not modify the individual elements of the list.
(18) It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, and so on may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section described below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
(19) In addition, it will also be understood that when a first element or layer is referred to as being present on a second element or layer, the first element may be disposed directly on the second element or may be disposed indirectly on the second element with a third element or layer being disposed between the first and second elements or layers. It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being connected to, or coupled to another element or layer, it can be directly on, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or one or more intervening elements or layers may be present. In addition, it will also be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being between two elements or layers, it can be the only element or layer between the two elements or layers, or one or more intervening elements or layers may also be present.
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(21) As shown in
(22) The electronic device 30 has a front portion exposed to an outside from a front of the outer casing 10 and a rear portion corresponding to a rear of the outer casing 10. The electronic device 30 may include a front cover 100 that covers a portion of the front portion and a rear cover 300 that covers partially or entirely the rear portion.
(23) The front cover 100 covers and supports an edge of the front portion of the electronic device 30. The front portion may be composed of, for example, a display on which an image is displayed. The front cover 100 has a shape that surrounds an edge of the display. A portion of the front cover exposed out of the outer casing 10 may be defined as a front portion of the front cover. A face of the front cover 100 facing forwardly may be defined as a front face thereof. A portion of the front cover facing rearwardly may be defined as a rear portion of the front cover. A face of the front cover 100 facing rearwardly may be defined as a rear face thereof. In this connection,
(24) The front cover 100 may include a first frame 110 covering the front portion of the electronic device 30 and a second frame 130 covering a top, bottom, left and right edges of the device 30. A coupling device 500 for coupling the electronic device 30 to the outer casing 10 is disposed on the second frame 130 of the front cover 100.
(25) The rear cover 300 is detachably coupled to the rear portion of the front cover 100. The rear cover 300 covers various components of the electronic device 30 to prevent exposure thereof to the outside. The rear cover 300 is coupled with the front cover 100 to prevent the coupling device 500, which will be described later, from moving.
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(27) As shown in
(28) As shown in
(29) The hooking portion 512 is formed by bending a metal material having a predetermined width into a hook shape. A distal end of the hooking portion 512 is spaced apart from the bracket body 514 by a predetermined distance. Accordingly, when the hooking portion 512 passes through the accommodation hole 12 of the outer casing 10, the hooking portion 512 is deformed against a portion defining the accommodation hole 12 and is then inserted into the accommodation hole 12. After the hooking portion 512 has passed through the accommodation hole 12 of the outer casing 10, the hooking portion 512 is restored via an elasticity and caught on the rear face of the outer casing 10. This will be described later. For this purpose, the hooking portion 512 is oriented so that a small height side of the inclined portion is directed in the insertion direction of the hook-shaped bracket 510 into the outer casing.
(30) The bracket body 514 has the same width as the hooking portion 512. The bracket body 514 extends in a direction away from the small height side of the hooking portion 512. Both first stoppers 514a extend vertically from both longitudinal-directional sides of the bracket body 514 respectively. The first stoppers 514s may stop a vertical movement of the main bracket-mounted portion 530 to be described later.
(31) Each first stopper 514a is bent at a right angle toward the second stopper 516 by a width corresponding to a thickness of the main bracket-mounted portion 530 and then extends in a direction parallel to the bracket body 514. That is, the first stopper 514a is bent from the bracket body 514 at a right angle in an opposite direction to the hooking portion 512 and then is bent at a right angle to extend in a direction parallel to the bracket body 514. The first stopper 514a should not affect the insertion and resilient deformation of the hooking portion 512. Thus, the first stopper 514a is disposed in a region other than a region where the hooking portion 512 is formed.
(32) The two second stoppers 516 extends from the bracket body 514, and are bent at a right angle downwardly and then bent at a right angle such that the two second stoppers 516 are parallel to the bracket body 514. The second stopper 516 should not affect the insertion and resilient deformation of the hooking portion 512. Accordingly, a pair of the second stoppers 516 may be formed into a U-shape by cutting and removing a middle portion of the plate by a width of the hooking portion 512. A distal end of each of the second stoppers 516 may be bent in the direction opposite to the hooking portion 512 to form each third stopper 516a.
(33) The front cover 100 has the main bracket-mounted portion 530 defined therein corresponding to the shape of the hooking portion 512 of the hook-shaped bracket 510 and the shape of the first stopper 514a. The auxiliary bracket-mounted portion 550 corresponding to the shape of the third stopper 516a may be defined in the rear cover 300.
(34) As shown in
(35) Each main bracket-mounted portion 530 defines a substantially 90 degree-rotated U shaped receiving space. The hook-shaped bracket 510 is inserted into the receiving space. The main bracket-mounted portion 530 includes an bracket-mounted groove 532 cut into the outer casing 10 and a first rib 534 and a second rib 536 defined integrally with the second frame 130 and defining a receiving space. The main bracket-mounted portion 530 includes a bracket-mounted groove 532 opening toward the outer casing 10, first ribs 534 and second ribs 536, both ribs being integral with the second frame 130. Each first rib 534 is spaced form each second rib 536.
(36) The bracket-mounted groove 532 may receive the hooking portion 512 which is exposed outwardly. The bracket-mounted groove 532 is cut away by a width corresponding to the width of the hooking portion 512.
(37) The first rib 534 is projected from the inner face of the second frame 130. The first ribs 534 may correspond to the two first stopper 514a respectively. The bracket body 514 may be disposed between the two first ribs 534. The above-mentioned first stopper 514a is vertically bent from the bracket body 514 by a vertical dimension of the first rib 534. Each first stopper 514a closely contacts each first rib 534. A horizontal portion of the first stopper 514a is in close contact with a bottom face of the first rib 534 as shown in
(38) The second rib 536 is projected from the inner face of the second frame 130. The second ribs 536 may correspond to the two second stopper 516 respectively. Both each first rib and each second rib are disposed between each second rib and each first rib. Each second rib may be formed in an elongate bar. Each second stopper 516 closely contacts each second rib 536. A horizontal portion of the second stopper 516 is in close contact with a top face of the second rib 536 as shown in
(39) In the above-described embodiment, the first rib 534 and the second rib 536 are formed in a bar shape, and the accommodation space in which the first and second stoppers of the hook-shaped bracket 510 are inserted is defined between the first rib 534 and the second rib 536. The present disclosure is not limited thereto. The main bracket-mounted portion may be constructed into a partially opened box shape such that a portion into which the hook-shaped bracket 510 is inserted and a portion through which the hooking portion 512 is exposed are opened and a remaining portion is blocked.
(40) Referring to
(41) As described above, the hook-shaped bracket 510 is prevented from moving upward and downward with reference to
(42) As described above, manufacturing the coupling mechanism for coupling the electronic device with the rigid material, the durability of the mechanism is improved, and the product cost is reduced. Further, this may prevent breakage of the coupling mechanism when coupling the device to the outer casing. Further, since the coupling mechanism may be simply inserted and installed, the installation convenience and workability are improved.
(43) A process of installing the electronic device to the outer casing using the coupling mechanism for coupling the electronic device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure having the above-described configuration will be described as follows.
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(45) While the hook-shaped bracket 510 is coupled to the front cover 100, the rear cover 300 is coupled to the front cover 100 for subsequent installation of the electronic device 30. Then, the electronic device 30 is roughly coupled to the outer casing 10 via the process as described referring to
(46) As shown in
(47) The hooking portion 512 of the hook-shaped bracket 510 is upwardly inclined in a direction toward the front cover 100. Therefore, the hooking portion 512 has a small height portion which is first inserted into the accommodation hole 12. The inclined portion is pressed while the rear cover 300 of the electronic device 30 passes through the accommodation hole 12.
(48) The hooking portion 512 is pressed and is elastically deformed and thus a distal end of the hooking portion 512 approaches the bracket body 514 and passes through the accommodation hole 12. The hooking portion 512 is restored after passing through the accommodation hole 12. When the hooking portion 512 is restored, the hooking portion 512 is located out of the accommodation hole 12 on
(49) In this connection, the coupling state in which the electronic device 30 is roughly pre-coupled to the outer casing 10 before the electronic device 30 is completely fixed to the outer casing using additional coupling means may be referred to as pre-coupling state or roughly coupling state. While the electronic device 30 is roughly pre-coupled to the outer casing 10, the electronic device 30 is fully secured to the outer casing 10 using additional coupling means. The coupling state in which the electronic device 30 is fixedly coupled to the outer casing 10 may be referred to as post-coupling state or completely coupling state. In this process, the electronic device 30 can be installed to the outer casing only by a single operator.
(50) Hereinafter, a coupling mechanism for coupling an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.
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(52) As shown in
(53) Although not shown in the drawing, instead of forming the third stoppers by bending the distal end of the second stoppers, the second stoppers may be formed in the same manner as the second stoppers as described in
(54) Alternatively, as shown in
(55) Although the auxiliary bracket-mounted portion is described as being provided on the rear cover in the above embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The auxiliary bracket-mounted portion may be formed as a separate component and may be coupled with the hook-shaped bracket. The auxiliary bracket-mounted portion is not limited to a specific shape as long as it can prevent the forward-backward movement of the hook-shaped bracket by securing the second stopper or the third stopper of the hook-shaped bracket.
(56) It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. The technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the contents described in the embodiments but should be determined by the claims and equivalents thereof