U.S. patent number 9,271,062 [Application Number 14/321,788] was granted by the patent office on 2016-02-23 for fixing structure and electronic device therewith.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Wistron Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Wistron Corporation. Invention is credited to Min-Hsiung Huang, Wei-Yi Lee, Po-Jen Wu.
United States Patent |
9,271,062 |
Wu , et al. |
February 23, 2016 |
Fixing structure and electronic device therewith
Abstract
An electronic device includes an electronic component and a
fixing structure. The electronic component includes a fixing
portion, and a fixing hole is formed on the fixing portion. The
fixing structure is for fixing the electronic component on a base
plate. The fixing structure includes a main body, a fastening
portion, a fixing pillar and an engaging component. A supporting
plane is formed on an end of the main body. The fastening portion
is connected to the other end of the main body and for fastening
the main body on the base plate. The fixing pillar is disposed on
the supporting plane. The fixing pillar is inserted into the fixing
hole for constraining the electronic component. The engaging
component is connected to a side of the main body, and the engaging
component presses the electronic component so as to engage the
electronic component on the supporting plane.
Inventors: |
Wu; Po-Jen (New Taipei,
TW), Huang; Min-Hsiung (New Taipei, TW),
Lee; Wei-Yi (New Taipei, TW) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wistron Corporation |
New Taipei |
N/A |
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
Wistron Corporation (Hsichih,
New Taipei, TW)
|
Family
ID: |
53776117 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/321,788 |
Filed: |
July 1, 2014 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20150230013 A1 |
Aug 13, 2015 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Feb 13, 2014 [TW] |
|
|
103104774 A |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R
1/025 (20130101); H05K 7/12 (20130101); H05K
7/20172 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
1/16 (20060101); H05K 5/00 (20060101); H04R
1/02 (20060101); H05K 7/00 (20060101); H05K
7/20 (20060101); H05K 7/12 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;361/807,679.48,679.49,679.51,679.46,679.01,679.02,679.26,679.3,679.55,679.56
;418/101 ;454/237 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
Office action mailed on Jun. 22, 2015 for the Taiwan application
No. 103104774, filing date: Feb. 13, 2014, p. 1 line 1-14, p. 2-3
and p. 4 line 1-14. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Haughton; Anthony
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hsu; Winston Margo; Scott
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A fixing structure for fixing an electronic component on a base
plate, the electronic component having a fixing hole, and the
fixing structure comprising: a main body, a supporting plane being
formed on an end of the main body; a fastening portion connected to
the other end of the main body and for fixing the main body on the
base plate; a fixing pillar disposed on the supporting plane of the
main body and for inserting into the fixing hole of the electronic
component, so as to constrain the electronic component from moving
in a direction parallel to the supporting plane; and an engaging
component connected to a side of the main body, the engaging
component pressing apart of the electronic component in a first
direction perpendicular to the supporting plane as the fixing
pillar is inserted into the fixing hole of the electronic
component, so as to engage the electronic component on the
supporting plane.
2. The fixing structure of claim 1, wherein the electronic
component further comprises a fixing portion, the fixing portion
comprises the fixing hole, and the engaging component presses the
fixing portion of the electronic component so as to engage the
fixing portion on the supporting plane.
3. The fixing structure of claim 1, further comprising a resilient
supporting portion connected to another side of the main body
different from the side connected to the engaging component, the
resilient supporting portion supporting the electronic component in
a second direction opposite to the first direction with the
supporting plane of the main body, the engaging component pressing
the resilient supporting portion as the engaging component engages
the electronic component on the supporting plane so that the
resilient supporting portion resiliently deforms and provides
resilient restoring force to the electronic component, and the
resilient supporting portion driving the electronic component to
move in the second direction to separate the electronic component
from the supporting plane as the engaging component is not engaged
with the electronic component.
4. The fixing structure of claim 3, wherein the main body, the
fastening portion, the fixing pillar, the engaging component and
the resilient supporting portion are integrally formed.
5. The fixing structure of claim 1, wherein the fastening portion
is a thread hole, the fixing structure further comprises a
fastening component, a through hole is formed on the base plate,
and the fastening component is inserted into the through hole to
fasten on the fastening portion so as to fix the main body on the
base plate.
6. The fixing structure of claim 2, wherein the engaging component
comprises an engaging portion, a resilient arm portion and an
operation portion, the engaging portion is for engaging with the
fixing portion, an end of the resilient arm portion is connected to
the main body and the other end is connected to the engaging
portion, the operation portion is connected to the engaging
portion, and the operation portion drives the engaging portion to
move as the operation portion is pressed so that the engaging
portion separates from the fixing portion.
7. The fixing structure of claim 3, further comprising a resilient
component disposed on the main body and contacting with the main
body and the fixing portion, the resilient component absorbing
vibration generated by the electronic component during
operation.
8. The fixing structure of claim 2, further comprising a resilient
component disposed on the main body and contacting with the main
body and the fixing portion, the resilient component providing
resilient restoring force to the electronic component as the
engaging component is engaged with the electronic component, and
the resilient component absorbing vibration generated by the
electronic component during operation.
9. The fixing component of claim 1, wherein the base plate is a
circuit board or a casing.
10. An electronic device comprising: a base plate; an electronic
component comprising a fixing portion, and a fixing hole being
formed on the fixing portion; and a fixing structure for fixing the
electronic component on the base plate, the fixing structure
comprising: a main body, a supporting plane being formed on an end
of the main body; a fastening portion connected to the other end of
the main body and for fixing the main body on the base plate; a
fixing pillar disposed on the supporting plane of the main body and
for inserting into the fixing hole of the electronic component, so
as to constrain the electronic component from moving in a direction
parallel to the supporting plane; and an engaging component
connected to a side of the main body, the engaging component
pressing a part of the electronic component in a first direction
perpendicular to the supporting plane as the fixing pillar is
inserted into the fixing hole of the electronic component, so as to
engage the electronic component on the supporting plane.
11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the fixing structure
further comprises a resilient supporting portion connected to
another side of the main body different from the side connected to
the engaging component, the resilient supporting portion supports
the electronic component in a second direction opposite to the
first direction with the supporting plane of the main body, the
engaging component presses the resilient supporting portion as the
engaging component engage the electronic component on the
supporting plane so that the resilient supporting portion
resiliently deforms and provides resilient restoring force to the
electronic component, and the resilient supporting portion drives
the electronic component to move in the second direction to
separate the electronic component from the supporting plane as the
engaging component is not engaged with the electronic
component.
12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the main body, the
fastening portion, the fixing pillar, the engaging component and
the resilient supporting portion are integrally formed.
13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the fastening
portion is a thread hole, the fixing structure further comprises a
fastening component, a through hole is formed on the base plate,
and the fastening component is inserted into the through hole to
fasten on the fastening portion so as to fix the main body on the
base plate.
14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the engaging
component comprises an engaging portion, a resilient arm portion
and an operation portion, the engaging portion is for engaging with
the fixing portion, an end of the resilient arm portion is
connected to the main body and the other end is connected to the
engaging portion, the operation portion is connected to the
engaging portion, and the operation portion drives the engaging
portion to move as the operation portion is pressed so that the
engaging portion separates from the fixing portion.
15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the fixing structure
further comprises a resilient component disposed on the main body
and contacting with the main body and the fixing portion, and the
resilient component absorbs vibration generated by the electronic
component during operation.
16. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the fixing structure
further comprises a resilient component disposed on the main body
and contacting with the main body and the fixing portion, the
resilient component provides resilient restoring force to the
electronic component as the engaging component is engaged with the
electronic component, and the resilient component absorbs vibration
generated by the electronic component during operation.
17. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the base plate is a
circuit board or a casing.
18. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the electronic
component is a cooling fan module or a speaker component.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing structure and an
electronic device therewith for fixing an electronic component, and
more specifically, to a fixing structure and an electronic device
therewith for convenient assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the progress of technology, consumer electronic products have
various functions. A common electronic product, such as a personal
computer or a notebook computer, includes variety of internal
electronic components so as to fit different requirements. However,
the heat generated by the internal electronic components affects
the stability and efficiency of the electronic product during
operation. Hence, it is necessary to install a cooling device on a
circuit board or on a casing of the electronic product, such as a
conventional fan device, to reduce the temperature of the internal
electronic components during operation, so that the electronic
product can operate normally. The fan device is preferably to be
assembled and disassembled easily and rapidly without tools, so
that a user can conveniently maintain the fan device. However, the
conventional fan device is often assembled with screws, and it
results in inconvenience in disassembly and increase of cost.
Therefore, it is an important issue to design a fixing structure of
the fan device for easy assembly and disassembly with low cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is to provide a fixing structure and an
electronic device therewith for fixing an electronic component to
solve the above drawbacks.
According to the disclosure, a fixing structure is for fixing an
electronic component on a base plate. The electronic component has
a fixing hole, and the fixing structure includes a main body, a
fastening portion, a fixing pillar and an engaging component. The
supporting plane is formed on an end of the main body. The
fastening portion is connected to the other end of the main body
and for fixing the main body on the base plate. The fixing pillar
is disposed on the supporting plane of the main body and for
inserting into the fixing hole of the electronic component, so as
to constrain the electronic component from moving in a direction
parallel to the supporting plane. The engaging component is
connected to a side of the main body. The engaging component
presses a part of the electronic component in a first direction
perpendicular to the supporting plane as the fixing pillar is
inserted into the fixing hole of the electronic component, so as to
engage the electronic component on the supporting plane.
According to the disclosure, the electronic component further
includes a fixing portion, the fixing portion includes the fixing
hole, and the engaging component presses the fixing portion of the
electronic component so as to engage the fixing portion on the
supporting plane.
According to the disclosure, the fixing structure further includes
a resilient supporting portion connected to another side of the
main body different from the side connected to the engaging
component, the resilient supporting portion supports the electronic
component in a second direction opposite to the first direction
with the supporting plane of the main body, and the engaging
component presses the resilient supporting portion as the engaging
component engages the electronic component on the supporting plane
so that the resilient supporting portion resiliently deforms and
provides resilient restoring force to the electronic component. The
resilient supporting portion drives the electronic component to
move in the first direction to separate the electronic component
from the supporting plane as the engaging component is not engaged
with the electronic component.
According to the disclosure, the main body, the fastening portion,
the fixing pillar, the engaging component and the resilient
supporting portion are integrally formed.
According to the disclosure, the fastening portion is a thread
hole, the fixing structure further includes a fastening component,
a through hole is formed on the base plate, and the fastening
component is inserted into the through hole to fasten on the
fastening portion so as to fix the main body on the base plate.
According to the disclosure, the engaging component includes an
engaging portion, an resilient arm portion and an operation
portion, the engaging portion is for engaging with the fixing
portion, an end of the resilient arm portion is connected to the
main body and the other end is connected to the engaging portion,
the operation portion is connected to the engaging portion, and the
operation portion drives the engaging portion to move as the
operation portion is pressed so that the engaging portion separates
from the fixing portion.
According to the disclosure, the fixing structure further includes
a resilient component disposed on the main body and contacting with
the main body and the fixing portion, and the resilient component
absorbs vibration generated by the electronic component during
operation.
According to the disclosure, the fixing structure further includes
a resilient component disposed on the main body and contacting with
the main body and the fixing portion, the resilient component
provides resilient restoring force to the electronic component as
the engaging component is engaged with the electronic component,
and the resilient component absorbs vibration generated by the
electronic component during operation.
According to the disclosure, an electronic device includes a base
plate, an electronic component and a fixing structure. The
electronic component includes a fixing portion, and a fixing hole
is formed on the fixing portion. The fixing structure is for fixing
the electronic component on the base plate. The fixing structure
includes a main body, a fastening portion, a fixing pillar and an
engaging component. The supporting plane is formed on an end of the
main body. The fastening portion is connected to the other end of
the main body and for fixing the main body on the base plate. The
fixing pillar is disposed on the supporting plane of the main body
and for inserting into the fixing hole of the electronic component,
so as to constrain the electronic component from moving in a
direction parallel to the supporting plane. The engaging component
is connected to a side of the main body. The engaging component
presses a part of the electronic component in a first direction
perpendicular to the supporting plane as the fixing pillar is
inserted into the fixing hole of the electronic component, so as to
engage the electronic component on the supporting plane.
According to the disclosure, the electronic component is a cooling
fan module or a speaker component.
Therefore, the electronic component, such as a cooling fan module,
can be installed on the fixing structure directly. The main body
and the fixing pillar can engage with the electronic component so
as to constrain the electronic component from moving in the three
axial directions perpendicular to one another, so that the
electronic component can be firmly fixed on the fixing structure.
Because the electronic component is directly installed on the
fixing structure, it is unnecessary to fix the electronic component
with any tools or screws, and the assembly of the electronic device
becomes more convenient. In addition, the resilient supporting
component and the resilient component can provide resilient
recovering force to drive the electronic component to separate from
the fixing structure more easily during disassembly. Furthermore,
the main body, the fasting potion, the fixing pillar, the engaging
component and the resilient supporting component portion can be
integrally formed so as to reduce the cost of mold manufacture and
assembly. In conclusion, the present invention provides the fixing
structure and the electronic device therewith capable of easy
assembly and disassembly with low cost.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt
become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading
the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that
is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to
the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial exploded diagram of the electronic device
according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a fixing structure according to the
embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an exploded diagram of the fixing structure according to
the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are partial enlarged diagrams of the electronic
device in different statuses according to the embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram of a fixing structure according to another
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of
an electronic device 5 according to the embodiment of the present
invention. FIG. 2 is a partial exploded diagram of the electronic
device 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The
electronic device 5 includes abase plate 30, an electronic
component 40, and at least one fixing structure 50 for fixing the
electronic component 40 on the base plate 30. In this embodiment,
the electronic component 40 can be a cooling fan module. The
electronic component 40 includes a body 41 and at least one fixing
portion 42, the fixing portion 42 protrudes from the body 41, and a
fixing hole 44 is formed on the fixing portion 42. In this
embodiment, the electronic component 40 includes two fixing
portions 42, and each fixing portion 42 can be a protruding ear.
The electronic component 40 is not limited to a cooling fan module,
and the electronic component 40 can be a speaker component, a
storage device or an internal electronic component for computer
operation. The fixing structure 50 is for fixing the electronic
component 40, and the fixing structure 50 includes a main body 54,
a fastening portion 56, a fixing pillar 58 and an engaging
component 60. In this embodiment, the electronic component 40
includes two fixing portions 42, and the electronic device 5
includes two fixing structures 50 correspondingly. The numbers and
positions of the above-mentioned components are not limited to this
embodiment, and it depends on the practical requirement.
Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram of the
fixing structure 50 according to the embodiment of the present
invention. A supporting plane 541 is formed on an end of the main
body 54. A fastening portion 56 is connected to the other end of
the main body 54 and is for fixing the main body 54 on the base
plate 30. The engaging component 60 is connected to a side of the
main body 54, and the engaging component 60 includes a resilient
arm portion 601 and an engaging portion 603. An end of the
resilient arm portion 601 is connected to the main body 54, and a
free end of the resilient arm portion 601 is connected to the
engaging portion 601. The engaging portion 603 presses the fixing
portion 42 of the electronic component 40 in a first direction D1
perpendicular to the supporting plane 541 as the fixing pillar 58
is inserted into the fixing hole 44 of the electronic component 40,
so as to engage the fixing portion 42 of the electronic component
40 on the supporting plane 541 to constrain the electronic
component 40 from moving perpendicularly to the supporting plane
541. Simultaneously, the supporting surface 541 supports the fixing
portion 42 in a second direction D2 opposite to the first direction
D1.
The engaging portion 603 can be a plate structure, a hook structure
or a collar structure. The fixing pillar 58 is disposed on the
supporting plane 541 of the main body 54 and for inserting into the
fixing hole 44 of the electronic component 42, so as to constrain
the electronic component 40 from moving in a third direction D3
parallel to the supporting plane 541 and a fourth direction D4
perpendicular to the third direction D3, so that a parallel
movement of the electronic component 40 can be constrained. The
first direction D1, the third direction D3 and the fourth direction
D4 are perpendicular to one another, so that the main body 54, the
fixing pillar 58 and the engaging portion 603 constrain the
electronic component 40 from moving in three directions of the
first direction D1, the second direction D2 and the third direction
D3, that is the perpendicular direction and the parallel direction.
Hence, the electronic component 40 can be constrained in three
axial directions, and the electronic component 40 can be firmly
fixed on the fixing structure 50.
Furthermore, the fixing structure 50 includes a resilient
supporting portion 62 connected to another side of the main body 54
different from the side connected to the engaging component 60. In
this embodiment, the main body 54, the fastening portion 56, the
fixing pillar 58, the engaging component 60 and the resilient
supporting portion 62 can be integrally formed so as to reduce the
cost of mold manufacture and assembly, and the above-mentioned
components can be made of resilient plastic material. The resilient
supporting portion 62 supports the electronic component 40 in the
second direction D2 with the supporting plane 541 of the main body
54. The electronic component 40 presses the resilient supporting
portion 62 as the engaging portion 603 engages the fixing portion
42 of the electronic component 40 on the supporting plane 541, so
that the resilient supporting portion 62 resiliently deforms and
provides resilient restoring force to the electronic component 40
in the second direction D2 so as to support the electronic
component 40. In addition, the resilient supporting portion 62
drives the electronic component 40 to move in the second direction
D2 to separate the electronic component 40 from the supporting
plane 541 as the engaging portion 603 is not engaged with the
electronic component 40, so that the electronic component 40 can be
disassembled more easily.
Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is an exploded diagram of the fixing
structure 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The fixing structure 50 further includes a fastening component 64,
a through hole 301 is formed on the base plate 30, and the
fastening component 64 is inserted into the through hole 301 to
fasten on the fastening portion 56 so as to fix the main body 54 on
the base plate 30. In this embodiment, the fastening portion 56 can
be a thread hole, and the fastening component 64 can be
correspondingly a screw for screwing in the thread hole. The
present invention is not limited to this embodiment, the fastening
portion 56 can be a tenon or a hook structure, and the fastening
component 64 can be a C-shaped ring. The fastening component 64 can
be omitted, and the fastening portion 56 can be directly fixed on
the base plate 30. Besides, the base plate 30 can be a circuit
board or a casing such as a computer casing, and it depends on the
practical requirements.
Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are partial
enlarged diagrams of the electronic device 5 in different statuses
according to the embodiment of the present invention. The engaging
component 60 further includes an operation portion 605 connected to
the engaging portion 603. The operation portion 605 can be operated
to drive the engaging portion 603 to move so that the engaging
portion 603 can engage with or separate from the fixing portion 42
of the electronic component 40. For example, the operation portion
605 can be pressed downward in the first direction D1, and the
operation portion 605 drives the engaging portion 603 to rotate in
a direction of an arrow shown in FIG. 5 so as to separate the
engaging portion 603 from the fixing portion 42. That is, the
status of the engaging portion 603 shown in FIG. 5 is switched to
another status in FIG. 6. Simultaneously, the resilient supporting
portion 62 provides resilient restoring force to the electronic
component 40 so as to drive the electronic component 40 to move in
the second direction D2. That is, the electronic component 40 pops
up to separate from the supporting plane 541 and the engaging
portion 603, so that the electronic component 40 can be
disassembled and taken away much easier.
Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram of a fixing structure
50' according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Components with same structure of the fixing structure 50' as ones
in the fixing structure 50 of the aforesaid embodiment are not
reiterated here. The difference between the fixing structure 50' in
this embodiment and the fixing structure 50 of the aforesaid
embodiment is that the fixing structure 50' further includes a
resilient component 68 sheathing on the main body 54. Two ends of
the resilient component 68 respectively contact with a protruding
structure of the man body 54, such as a root portion of the
resilient arm portion 601 or somewhere appropriate, and the fixing
portion 42. The resilient component 68 absorbs vibration generated
by the electronic component 40 during operation, as the electronic
component 40 is pressed by the engaging portion 603 in the first
direction D1. The resilient component 68 further provides resilient
restoring force to the electronic component 40 as the operation
portion 605 drives the engaging portion 603 to rotate to separate
the engaging portion 603 from the fixing portion 42, so that the
electronic component 40 can be disassembled and taken away much
easier. The resilient component 68 can be a spring or an elastic
rubber. In another embodiment, the resilient component 68 can be
disposed inside the main body 54. Besides, in another embodiment,
the fixing structure 50 can include no resilient supporting portion
62 and only include the resilient component 68.
In contrast to the prior art, the electronic component, such as a
cooling fan module, can be installed on the fixing structure
directly. The main body and the fixing pillar can engage with the
electronic component so as to constrain the electronic component
from moving in the three axial directions perpendicular to one
another, so that the electronic component can be firmly fixed on
the fixing structure. Because the electronic component is directly
installed on the fixing structure, it is unnecessary to fix the
electronic component with any tools or screws, and the assembly of
the electronic device becomes more convenient. In addition, the
resilient supporting component and the resilient component can
provide resilient recovering force to drive the electronic
component to separate from the fixing structure more easily during
disassembly. Furthermore, the main body, the fasting portion, the
fixing pillar, the engaging component and the resilient supporting
component portion can be integrally formed so as to reduce the cost
of mold manufacture and assembly. In conclusion, the present
invention provides the fixing structure and the electronic device
therewith capable of easy assembly and disassembly with low
cost.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made
while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the
above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes
and bounds of the appended claims.
* * * * *