Abstract:
An object is to provide an electronic equipment satisfying both compactness and resistance to a shock and a shake in spite of being equipped with a memory device such as an HDD or the like vulnerable to a shock. The electronic equipment  100  includes a memory device  13  that stores data and is vulnerable to a shock, and a circuit board  1  that has a control circuit for controlling the electronic equipment  100  and an opening portion  9.  The memory device  13  is held at the opening portion  9  through a holding member  11.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/336,929, filed Jan. 23, 2006, now pending, which further claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-015969 filed on Jan. 24, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a compact electronic equipment such as a digital camera, a digital audio equipment, or the like equipped with a mass storage vulnerable to a shock. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Recently, a compact electronic equipment such as a digital camera, a digital audio equipment, or the like equipped with a high-capacity hard disk drive (hereinafter called an “HDD”) as a mass storage has been put on the market. Since a high-capacity hard disk drive is vulnerable to a shock and a shake, upon being installed in an electronic equipment the HDD is protected from a shock and a shake by packing it up with a shock absorber or a vibration absorber (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-242764). 
         [0006]    Nowadays, a digital camera or a portable audio equipment equipped with an HDD is being expected to become further compact. However, in the embodiment of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-242764, an HDD packed with a shock absorber or a vibration absorber is disposed in the vicinity of a circuit board including a controller circuit of an electronic equipment through an insulator, so that it causes a problem that the dimension of the electronic equipment becomes thick. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention is made in view of the aforementioned problems and has an object to provide an electronic equipment satisfying both compactness and resistance to a shock and a shake in spite of being equipped with a memory device such as an HDD vulnerable to a shock. 
         [0008]    According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic equipment including a memory device that stores data thereon, a circuit board that has an opening portion and a control circuit for controlling the electronic equipment, and a holding member that holds the memory device at the opening portion. 
         [0009]    In the aspect of the present invention, it is characterized in that the memory device is vulnerable to a shock. 
         [0010]    In the aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the opening portion is formed by cutting out at least one side of the circuit board. 
         [0011]    In the aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that at least one side of the holding member makes contact with a casing. 
         [0012]    In the aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the electronic equipment further comprises a flexible printed circuit board that electrically connects the memory device to the circuit board. 
         [0013]    In the aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the holding member is made of an impact-absorbing material. 
         [0014]    Other features and advantages according to the invention will be readily understood from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a cross sectional view of an electronic equipment according to a first embodiment of the present invention sectioned along an A-A line in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of the electronic equipment sectioned along a B-B line in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the electronic equipment sectioned along a C-C line in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of an electronic equipment according to a variation of the present invention sectioned along an A-A line in  FIG. 5 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the electronic equipment sectioned along a B-B line in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the electronic equipment sectioned along a C-C line in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]    Embodiments according to the present invention are explained below with reference to accompanying drawings. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a cross sectional view of an electronic equipment according to a first embodiment of the present invention sectioned along an A-A line in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of the electronic equipment sectioned along a B-B line in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of the electronic equipment sectioned along a C-C line in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of an electronic equipment according to a variation of the present invention sectioned along an A-A line in  FIG. 5 .  FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of the electronic equipment sectioned along a B-B line in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view of the electronic equipment sectioned along a C-C line in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0023]    In  FIGS. 1 to 3 , reference number  1  denotes a circuit board that is fixed to a casing  3 , with being separated from inner walls thereof, through holder portions  5  disposed at four corners of the casing  3  of an electronic equipment  100 . In order to fix the circuit board  1  to the holder portions  5 , a fixing means such as a screw  5   a  or the like is used. The fixing means is not limited to the screw  5   a  and a clip or the like may be used. Each of electronic parts  7  for controlling the electronic equipment  100  is mounted and wired on the circuit board  1 . An opening portion  9  having a square shape is provided at the center of the circuit board  1  and a hard disk drive  13  (hereinafter abbreviated as an “HDD”) is held in the space of the casing  3  through a holding member  11 . 
         [0024]    The holding member  11  is formed approximately into a loop having a square shape with a cutout area where a flexible printed circuit board  17  (hereinafter abbreviated as an “FPC”) for electrically connecting a connector  15  on the circuit board  1  to the HDD  13  is disposed. Since the FPC  17  connects the HDD  13  to the connector  15  with an allowance so that the FPC  17  may be deformed, even if the HDD  13  is displaced due to a shock or a shake, the electrical connection between the HDD  13  and the connector  15  can be secured. 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cross sectional shape of the holding member  11  along the B-B line is a rectangle. In an inner circumference of the holding member  11 , there is formed a groove  11   a  almost all the way around for holding the HDD  13  by fitting therein. In the groove  11   a,  the HDD  13  is fitted almost all the way around to be held on the outer circumference thereof by the holding member  11 . In an outer circumference of the holding member  11 , there is formed a groove  11   b  almost all the way around in which edges of the opening portion  9  of the circuit board  1  are fitted to hold the holding member  11 . Accordingly, it becomes possible to hold the HDD  13  at the opening portion  9  of the circuit board  1  through the holding member  11  without touching inner wall of the casing  3 . 
         [0026]    Incidentally, in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the HDD  13  may be held such that both of the upper surface  11   c  (upper side in  FIG. 2 ) and the lower surface  11   d  (lower side in  FIG. 2 ) of the holding member  11  are separated from the inner wall of the casing  3  or such that at least one surface of the upper surface  11   c  and the lower surface  11   d  of the holding member  11  makes contact with the inner wall of the casing  3 . In this manner, the electronic equipment equipped with a memory device which is vulnerable to a shock and a shake is constructed. 
         [0027]    In the first embodiment of the present invention, the holding member  11  is made of an elastic body (a gel-type material such as rubber, urethane resin, silicone resin, or the like) to absorb a shock and a shake from outside of the casing  3  in order to protect the HDD  13  from a malfunction or a breakdown. Moreover, since the HDD  13  is held at the opening portion  9  of the circuit board  1  through the holding member  11 , the whole thickness of the electronic equipment  100  including the circuit board  1  and the HDD  13  can be thinner than that of a conventional construction that the circuit board  1  is disposed in the vicinity of one side of the HDD  13 . 
         [0028]    Then, a variation of the present invention is explained with reference to  FIGS. 4 through 6 . 
         [0029]    The variation is different from the first embodiment in that the opening portion is formed by cutting out at least one side of the circuit board, so that it is explained with attaching the same reference numbers to the similar constructions to the first embodiment. 
         [0030]    In  FIGS. 4 to 6 , reference number  201  denotes a circuit board that is fixed to a casing  3 , with being separated from inner walls thereof, through holder portions  5  disposed at four corners of the casing  3  of an electronic equipment  200 . In order to fix the circuit board  201  to the holder portions  5 , a fixing means such as a screw  5   a  or the like is used. The fixing means is not limited to the screw  5   a  and a clip or the like may be used. Each of electronic parts  7  for controlling the electronic equipment  200  is mounted and wired on the circuit board  201 . An opening portion  209  having a square shape is provided at the lower side portion (lower side in  FIG. 4 ) of the circuit board  201  and a hard disk drive  13  (hereinafter abbreviated as an “HDD”) is held in the space of the casing  3  through a holding member  11 . 
         [0031]    The holding member  11  is formed approximately into a loop having a square shape with a cutout area where a flexible printed circuit board  17  (hereinafter abbreviated as an “FPC”) for electrically connecting a connector  15  on the circuit board  201  to the HDD  13  is disposed. Since the FPC  17  connects the HDD  13  to the connector  15  with an allowance so that the FPC  17  may be deformed, even if the HDD  13  is displaced due to a shock or a shake, the electrical connection between the HDD  13  and the connector  15  can be secured. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the cross sectional shape of the holding member  11  along the B-B line is substantially rectangular. In an inner circumference of the holding member  11 , there is formed a groove  11   a  almost all the way around for holding the HDD  13  by fitting therein. In the groove  11   a,  the HDD  13  is fitted almost all the way around to be held on the outer circumference by the holding member  11 . In an outer circumference of the holding member  11 , there is formed a groove  11   b  in which edges of the opening portion  209  of the circuit board  201  are fitted to hold the holding member  11  on three sides except one side  11   e  where the holing member  11  makes contact with the inner wall of the casing  3 . Moreover, the side wall portion  11   e  of the outer circumference of the holding member  11  makes contact with the inner wall of the casing  3 . Accordingly, it becomes possible to hold the HDD  13  at the opening portion  209  of the circuit board  201  by means of the holding member  11  and by making the side wall portion  11   e  of the outer circumference of the holding member  11  contact with the inner wall of the casing  3 . In this manner, the electronic equipment equipped with a memory device which is vulnerable to a shock and a shake is constructed. Incidentally, the opening portion  209  formed on the circuit board  201  may be formed on any other side of the circuit board  201 . In addition, the cutout length L (see  FIG. 4 ) may be suitably changed in accordance with the corresponding side length of the HDD  13 . 
         [0033]    Incidentally, in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , similar to the first embodiment, the HDD  13  may be held such that both of the upper surface  11   c  (upper side in  FIG. 5 ) and the lower surface  11   d  (lower side in  FIG. 5 ) of the holding member  11  are separated from the inner wall of the casing  3  or such that at least one surface of the upper surface  11   c  and the lower surface  11   d  of the holding member  11  makes contact with the inner wall of the casing  3 . 
         [0034]    In the variation of the present invention, the holding member  11  is made of an elastic body (a gel-type material such as rubber, urethane resin, silicone resin, or the like) to absorb a shock and a shake from outside of the casing  3  in order to protect the HDD  13  from a malfunction or a breakdown. Moreover, since the HDD  13  is held at the opening portion  209  of the circuit board  201  through the holding member  11 , the whole thickness of the electronic equipment  200  including the circuit board  201  and the HDD  13  can be thinner than that of a conventional construction that the circuit board  201  is disposed in the vicinity of one side of the HDD  13 . 
         [0035]    In the first embodiment and the variation of the present invention, although the explanation is made in a case that the memory device to be protected is an HDD  13 , it is not limited to the HDD  13 . The present invention can be applied to hold a memory device vulnerable to a shock and a shake, such as an optical disk drive, and the like. 
         [0036]    An electronic equipment equipped with the memory device according to the first embodiment or the variation of the present invention makes it possible to construct a portion or the whole of an equipment such as a digital camera, a digital video camera, a portable digital audio equipment, a portable MP3 equipment, a PDA equipment, a portable measuring instrument, and the like. 
         [0037]    Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.