Patent Publication Number: US-2012031665-A1

Title: Electronic device housing

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to electronic device housings and, more particularly, to an electronic device housing formed by welding. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , a typical electronic device housing  10  includes a bottom housing  11  and a top cover  11 . The periphery of the top cover  12  is welded to the bottom housing  11 . The top cover  12  and the bottom housing  11  are held together by a clamping member (not shown) during welding. 
     However, the top cover  11  easily deviates from the clamped welding position because the top cover  11  is smooth and can drift during welding. As a result, the electronic device housing  10  can present a poor appearance after welding. In addition, the top cover  12  is only welded to the bottom housing  11  along the periphery thereof, such that mechanical strength of the electronic device housing  10  is relatively low. 
     Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a first embodiment of an electronic device housing. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial cross-section of the electronic device housing of  FIG. 1 , taken along the line II-II. 
         FIG. 3  an exploded, isometric view of the electronic device housing of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a partial cross-section of a second embodiment of an electronic device housing. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the electronic device housing of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is an isometric view of a commonly used electronic device housing. 
         FIG. 7  is a partial cross-section of the electronic device housing of  FIG. 6 , taken along the line VII-VII. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 through 3 , a first embodiment of an electronic device housing  30  includes a first housing  31  and a second housing  32 . In the illustrated embodiment, the first housing  31  is a bottom housing, and the second housing  32  is a top cover. The second housing  32  defines an assembly hole  320  for receiving the display panel (not shown). 
     The first housing  31  forms a welding portion  311 . A cross-section of the welding portion  311  is substantially rectangular. In the illustrated embodiment, the first housing  31  includes a rectangular bottom plate  312  and a side plate  313  extending from an edge of the bottom plate  312 . The welding portion  311  is formed at the top end of the side plate  313 . The welding portion  311  is a substantially rectangular frame. 
     The second housing  32  defines a receiving groove  321  in the periphery for receiving the welding portion  311 . An inner wall of the receiving groove  321  is defined by a first welding surface  3211  and a second welding surface  3212  welded to the welding portion  311 . In the illustrated embodiment, the first welding surface  3211  and the second welding surface  3212  are planes. The first welding surface  3211  is substantially perpendicular to the second welding surface  3212 . 
     In welding the electronic device housing  30 , the first housing  31  and the second housing  32  can be held together by a clamping member (not shown). The clamping member with the first housing  31  and the second housing  32  is placed in a welding device (not shown). The welding portion  311  of the first housing  31  is positioned in the receiving groove  321  of the second housing  31 , and the welding portion  311  is attached to the first welding surface  3211  and the second welding surface  3212 . By design, the first housing  31  cannot slide relative to the second housing  32 , that is, the first housing  31  and the second housing  32  will not deviate from the predetermined position. Therefore, the electronic device housing  30  can be welded by the welding device accurately, and thus the electronic device housing  30  has a good appearance. In addition, the first welding surface  3211  and the second welding surface  3212  effectively increase the welding area between the first housing  31  and the second housing  32 , thus the electronic device housing  30  has high mechanical strength. Furthermore, the second surface  3212  prevents burn through inside the electronic device housing  30  from the welding process such as electron beam welding. 
     It should be appreciated that the first housing  31  can be the top cover, and the second housing can be the bottom housing welded to the top cover. The welding portion  311  may be other shapes, such as a circular frame. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a second embodiment of an electronic device housing  50  is similar in principle to the electronic device housing  30 , except that a welding portion  511  of a first housing  51  has a curved cross-section. An inner wall of a receiving groove  521  is defined by a first welding surface  5211  and a second welding surface  5212  of the second housing  52 . The first welding surface  5211  is planar, and the second welding surface  5212  is curved. The receiving groove  521  conforms to the shape of the welding portion  511 . Because the second welding surface  5212  is curved, a welding area between the first housing  51  and the second housing  52  further increases. As a result, the mechanical strength of the electronic device housing  50  is enhanced. In an alternative embodiment, the first welding surface  5211  is also curved. 
     It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure or sacrificing all of its material advantages.