Information processing apparatus having speakers

Abstract: An information processing apparatus has a pair of speakers (2). A body (1) has a reference surface thereof and provided with a keyboard section, the keyboard having a shaft to which a display section (4) is pivotably connected. The display section (4) is constituted as a lid portion for said body. Each speaker (2) has a sound radiation surface (2') and the pair of speakers are arranged at the left and right sides, respectively, in such a manner that the sound radiation surface (2') is oblique with respect to said referenced surface of the body (1).

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer or a word processor. More specifically, this invention relates to a thin light-weight information processing apparatus having speakers. As the information processing apparatuses have become wide spread in recent years, the improvement in portability of these apparatuses has been required. Therefore, an information processing apparatus which is small in size and thickness and light in weight must be provided. On the other hand, to satisfy the compatibility of these apparatuses with multimedia, speakers must be provided to them and the sound quality of the speakers must be improved, as well. This means that a small and thin information processing apparatus having high sound quality must be provided. 2. Description of the Related Art An example of conventionally known information processing apparatuses according to the prior art with built-in type speakers includes a pair of speakers provided to both side surfaces of the main body of the apparatus. The speakers of this apparatus are fitted in such a fashion that their sound radiation surfaces (or their fitting surfaces) are parallel to the side surfaces of the main body of the information processing apparatus. Since the speakers are fitted so that their sound radiation surfaces are parallel to the side surface of the apparatus main body according to this prior art example, the thickness of the information processing apparatus is limited by the length of the sound radiation surfaces of the speakers, and the thickness cannot be reduced so easily. In another prior art example, a pair of speakers are disposed on both sides of the rear part of the upper surface (the surface on which an operation surface is positioned) of the apparatus main body. In this example, the speakers are disposed in such a manner that their sound radiation surfaces are parallel to the upper surface, i.e., the operation surface, of the apparatus main body. That is, the sound radiation surface of the speakers exist on the projection surface of the information processing apparatus. However, because the sound radiation surfaces of the speakers exists on the projection surface of the information processing apparatus main body, the speaker surfaces cannot be securedin relation with the area of the operation surface, and speakers having sufficient sizes cannot be mounted. In still another prior art example, the speakers are allowed to swell out from both side surfaces of the main body of the information processing apparatus when they are used. The speakers are fitted so that their sound radiation surfaces are situated on the upper surface of the swelling portions. Because the speakers 2 are allowed to swell out from the apparatus main body 1 during use, however, the swelling portions are cumbersome, and remarkably impede portability of the information processing apparatus. Incidentally, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 8-76885 describes an example wherein the speakers are disposed on a peripheral processing substrate, disposed separately from a main substrate, in order to reduce the thickness of the apparatus main body in an information processing apparatus having speakers. Though the prior art reference described above contemplates to reduce the thickness of the apparatus main body by disposing the speakers on the peripheral processing substrate separate from the main substrate, the size of the speakers and their disposition are limited because they are disposed on the peripheral processing substrate, and there is an inherent limit to the improvement of sound quality of the speakers. European Patent Application 0 564 092 A2 discloses an information processing apparatus with a main body having a generally horizontal surface and an operating panel on that horizontal surface. In addition it has a display section having a display, connected to said main body and constituting a lid of said main body. The main body comprises a speaker which is arranged on a side surface of the main body. Thereby, the radiation surface of the speaker is parallel to the side surface of the main body of the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus disclosed in EP 0 564 092 A2 has the disadvantage, that the radiation surface of the speaker is limited by the thickness of the main body. EP 0 575 895 A1 discloses a television apparatus, whereby the main body of the television apparatus comprises a speaker, which speaker is provided on a notch portion of the main body. Thereby, the speaker has a sound radiation surface which is oblique with respect to the front surface of the main body of the television apparatus. The arrangement disclosed in EP 0 575 895 A1 has the disadvantage, that the front surface is decreased, thereby decreasing the useable surface for the display. Patent Abstracts of Japan of JP-A-817 14 77 discloses an information processing apparatus comprising a main body having a horizontal surface and an operating part on the horizontal surface. The main body has a recess in which the speaker is arranged. To turn the sound radiation surface of the speaker to the direction of the user the speaker is rotated and pulled up after opening a display section. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus which has an improved sound quality of at least one speaker of the information processing apparatus, even if the thickness of the apparatus is reduced. This object is solved by an information processing apparatus with the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the present invention are given by the features of claims 2 and 3. According to the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus having at least one speaker, said apparatus comprising: a body of said information processing apparatus, said body having a reference surface thereof; and said speaker having a sound radiation surface which is oblique with respect to said reference surface of the body. In another aspect, there is provided an information processing apparatus having at least a pair of speakers, said apparatus comprising: a body of said information processing apparatus, said body having a reference surface and respective left and right sides thereof; and said pair of speakers arranged at said left and right sides, respectively, each of said speaker having a sound radiation surface which is oblique with respect to said reference surface of the body. According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus having at least a pair of speakers, said apparatus comprising: a body of said information processing apparatus, said body having a reference surface thereof and provided with a keyboard section; a display section; said body having a shaft to which said display section is pivotably connected; said display section being constituted as a lid portion for said body; said pair of speakers arranged at said left and right sides, respectively, each of said speaker having a sound radiation surface, in such a manner that said sound radiation surface is oblique with respect to said reference surface of the body; and each of said speaker having a sound radiation surface which is oblique with respect to said reference surface of the body. When the speakers are fitted obliquely so that their sound radiation surfaces are oblique with respect to the reference surface (for example, an operation surface or side surfaces) of the main body of the information processing apparatus, the height can be remarkably reduced and the apparatus main body can be made by far thinner than when the speakers are fitted to the side surfaces of the information processing apparatus. Further, the installation area of the speakers on the projection plane can be reduced in comparison with the case where the speakers are disposed so that their sound radiation surfaces exist on the projection plane of the information processing apparatus main body, and the areas of the sound radiation surfaces of the speakers can be sufficiently secured. A gap is defined at the front part of each of the sound radiation surfaces of the speakers. According to this arrangement, the gap portions at the front surface portions of the speakers serve as the sound diffusion areas and sound quality by the speakers can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1(a) is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus having speakers of this invention according to the first embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 1(b) is an enlarged sectional view of a portion A in Fig. 1(a); Fig. 2(a) is a perspective view of an information processing apparatus having speakers of this invention according to the second embodiment, and Figs. 2(b) and 2(c) are enlarged sectional views of a portion B in Fig. 2(a); Fig. 3 is an explanatory view showing the change of each size when the speaker is inclined from the state where it is disposed on the side surface of the main body; Fig. 4(a) is an explanatory view showing the change of the size when the outer peripheral portion of the speaker comes into contact with the main body, and Fig. 4(b) is an explanatory view showing the change of the size when the center portion of the speaker comes into contact with the main body; Fig. 5 is an explanatory view showing the change of each size when the speaker is inclined from the state where it is disposed on an operation surface of the main body; DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, some preferred embodiments of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1(a) shows an embodiment wherein a pair of speakers 2 are obliquely disposed at both right and left in front of the upper surface where an operation panel of the main body 1 of the information apparatus is situated. Fig. 1(b) is a detailed sectional view of a portion A in Fig. 1(a). A pair of notch portions 3 at both right and left front end positions of the upper surface of the main body 1 in such a manner that they incline progressively downward towards the right and left ends and their tops are open, respectively, and the speakers 2 are fitted to these notch portions 3, respectively. Therefore, the sound radiation surface 2' of each speaker 2 inclines progressively downward towards the side edge with respect to the operation panel which is a horizontal surface. In this connection, reference numeral 4 in Fig. 1 denotes a liquid crystal display portion. Referring to Fig. 2(a), notch portions 5 are defined at both right and left front edge walls of the main body 1 in such a manner that they open towards the edge walls and their upper part is closed, respectively. The lower surface of each notch portion 5, that is, the fitting surface of the speaker 2, inclines progressively downward towards the right or left end. Figs. 2(b) and 2(c) are detailed sectional views of portion B in Fig. 2(a). As shown in these drawings, the speaker 2 is fitted to the slope surface of this notch portion 5. Therefore, the speaker 2 is fitted on the lower surface of, and inside, this notch portion 5 in such a manner as to incline progressively downward towards the side edge of the main body 1. In this embodiment, therefore, the gap (notch portion) 5 exists in front of the sound radiation surface 2' of the speaker 2, and this gap 5 has the sectional area which progressively increases towards the side edge of the main body 1 of the information processing apparatus, and defines the sound diffusion area from the speaker 2. In this way, the tone quality of the speaker 2 can be improved. Figs. 3 to 5 show the change of the dimension when the speakers are disposed obliquely. Fig. 3 shows the case where the speaker 2 is fitted in parallel to the side surface of the main body 1 of the information processing apparatus on the right side (prior art example) and the speaker 2 is fitted obliquely at an angle  with reference to the reference surface (operation surface as the horizontal plane) of the main body 1 on the left side (this invention). In this case, symbol Δh represents the decrement in the direction of thickness. In Fig. 4, the speaker has an outer diameter r 1 , a thickness D 1 at the center and a thickness D 2 at an outer peripheral portion. Fig. 4(a) shows the case where the speaker 2 is brought into contact with the main body portion 1 of the information processing apparatus at its thickness portion (D 2 ) when it is disposed obliquely with the sound radiation surface thereof facing up, and Fig. 4(b) shows the case where it is brought into contact with the main body portion (1) of the information processing apparatus at the thickness portion (D 1 ) at the center when the speaker 2 is disposed obliquely with the sound radiation surface thereof facing up. In Fig. 4(a), the decrement of thickness Δh in the direction of height shown on the left side, which represents the embodiment of the invention, becomes as follows in comparison with the case (prior art example) where the speaker 2 is fitted in parallel to the side surface of the information apparatus main body 1 shown on the right side: Δh = r 1 - (r 1 sin  + D 2 cos ) In Fig. 4(b), the decrement of thickness Δh in the direction of height, shown on the left side, is given by the following equation in comparison with the case (prior art example) where the speaker 2 is fitted in parallel to the side surface of the information processing apparatus main body 1 shown on the right side: Δh = r 1 - (resin  + D 1 cos  - r 2 sin ) Here, symbol r 2 represents the half of the difference between the outer diameter r 1 of the speaker 2 at its outer peripheral portion and the outer diameter r 3 at its center portion, that is, r 2 = (r 1 - r 3 )/2. As described above, the Δh value is different depending on the shape of the speaker 2, that is, the outer diameter r 1 of the speaker, the thickness D 1 at the center portion, the thickness D 2 at the peripheral portion, the diameter at the center portion etc., but in all the embodiments, the size in the direction of height can be reduced by maximum Δh. Fig. 5 shows the case where the speaker 2 is fitted to the upper surface, at which the operation surface of the information processing apparatus main body 1 exists (prior art example) and the speaker 2 is fitted obliquely at an angle  with respect to the reference surface of the information processing apparatus main body 1 on the up side (this invention). In this case, symbol Δw represents the decrement in the direction of the plane, and this Δw is given by the following equation: Δw = r 1 - r 1 cos  In this case, the installation area of the speaker 2 can be reduced by maximum Δw in the planar direction without being much affected by the shape of the speaker 2. Therefore, the dimension of the information processing apparatus main body 1 itself can be reduced by maximum Δw on the right and left sides, too. As described above, according to the present invention, the speakers are fitted in such a manner that their sound radiation surfaces are inclined with respect to the reference surface of the main body of the information processing apparatus. Therefore, in comparison with the case where the speakers are merely fitted to the side surfaces of the information processing apparatus, the height can be reduced, and the thickness of the apparatus main body can be reduced. Further, the installation area of the speakers on the projection surface can be reduced and the area for the speaker surface can be sufficiently secured in comparison with the case where the speakers are disposed so that their sound radiation surface exists on the projection surface of the information processing apparatus main body. Since the gap is formed in front of the sound radiation surface of each speaker, the gap portion of the front surface of each speaker serves as a sound diffusion area, and tone quality of the speaker can be improved. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description relates to only some preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention, and that various changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the scope thereof.

Claims: An information processing apparatus comprising: a main body (1) of said information processing apparatus having a generally horizontal surface and an operating panel on said horizontal surface; a display section (4) having a display, connected to said main body and constituting a lid of said main body (1); and at least one speaker (2), characterized in that said speaker (2) is provided on a notch portion (3, 5) provided on said main body (1), said notch portion (3, 5) is provided on said main body and has a surface which is oblique with respect to said horizontal surface in a downward direction towards a side wall of said main body and forms a gap, said gap having an open end on said side wall; and said speaker (2) having a sound radiation surface (2') which is oblique with respect to said horizontal surface of the main body (1) in the same direction as the oblique surface of said notch portion. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that said operating panel is a keyboard. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said sectional area of said gap (5) progressively increases towards said wall of said main body (1).

Inventors: OHNISHI MASUO, SHIN TAKAHIRO, OHNISHI, MASUO, SHIN, TAKAHIRO
Applicants: FUJITSU LTD, FUJITSU LIMITED
Application year: 1997
Main classification: G06F1
IPC codes: G06F1