Patent Publication Number: US-2011075346-A1

Title: Information Processing Apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-228899 filed on Sep. 30, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a built-in storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Various notebook type PCs (Personal Computers) that are easily portable and high in performance have been provided in recent years. This type of computer has a housing having a box shape, and a flat-screen display unit attached to a rear portion of the housing so that the display unit can be opened and closed. A storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SDD (Solid State Drive) or a floppy (registered trademark) disk drive is housed inside the housing. 
     As for an improvement of a slot for inserting a medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk into an electronic information apparatus, there has been proposed an electronic information apparatus having an insertion slot for mounting/unmounting a medium into/from an external storage device in its side surface, wherein the insertion slot is formed so that a length direction of the insertion slot descends frontward obliquely with respect to a front-rear direction of the electronic information apparatus, as disclosed in JP-A-9-052715. 
     A notebook type PC has a main circuit board and a storage device such as an HDD or an SDD which are provided inside a housing. The main circuit board is generally provided as a rectangular flat board having a board thickness not larger than 2 mm. When, for example, a 2.5 inch-size HDD is used, the HDD is substantially shaped like a shaped in a box-shape 69.85 mm wide, 100 mm deep and 9.5 mm thick and has a rear portion in which a power supply and a signal connector are disposed. The main circuit board and the storage device such as an HDD or an SSD are connected to each other by connectors directly or by connectors through a flexible cable. 
     A board surface of the main circuit board and an installation surface of the storage device (a surface defined based on a width direction and a depth direction of the storage device) are heretofore disposed in parallel with each other. If a module etc. for performing communication etc. is disposed on a top surface of the storage device, the thickness of a resulting product increased. If the product thickness is intended to be reduced, it is impossible to dispose the module etc. for performing communication etc. on the top surface of the storage device. As a result, the size of the resulting product increased. 
     As for the latest notebook type PC, reduction in thickness of a housing of the PC has been promoted to make it easy to handle the PC at carrying the PC. The storage device might be disposed on a front surface side of the PC. If the board surface of the main circuit board and the installation surface of the storage device are parallel with each other, there is a barrier to reduction in thickness of the PC. 
     Moreover, because there is a problem that increasing in thickness of the housing disfigures the electronic apparatus, ingenuity to make the outer shape look thin is required from this point of view. In addition, formation of the periphery of the outer shape of the PC as a thin shape is required so that it could be easy to take the PC in and out when the PC is put in a casing or bag. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A general configuration that implements the various feature of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of the invention and not to limit the scope of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an information processing apparatus according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a view showing an example of a shape of a main circuit board; 
         FIG. 3  is a view showing a positional relation and connection state between the main circuit board and a storage device; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic sectional view showing a side surface of the information processing apparatus; 
         FIG. 5  is a view showing a method of fixing the storage device; and 
         FIG. 6  is a view showing another example of the positional relation between the main circuit board and the storage device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an information processing apparatus  1  according to the invention. The information processing apparatus  1  includes a base unit  2  substantially shaped like a flat rectangular box, and a flat-screen display unit  3 . The base unit  2  has a housing  4  which forms a contour of the base unit  2 . The housing  4  has bottom and top surfaces  5   a  and  5   b  opposite to each other, and front, left, right and rear surfaces  5   c ,  5   d ,  5   e  and  5   f  continuing to the bottom and top surfaces  5   a  and  5   b.    
     A keyboard device  6  as an information input unit, a touch pad  8  for moving a pointer on a display, left and right buttons  9  and  10  for issuing operation instructions and a power switch  11  are disposed on the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . The keyboard device  6  has a large number of keys  7  which are arranged substantially on the same plane with the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . Protrusions  12   a  and  12   b  for supporting the display unit  3  are provided in a rear end portion of the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . 
     The display unit  3  has a housing  13  shaped like a thin box, and a liquid crystal display  14  housed in the inside of the housing  13 . The liquid crystal display  14  is exposed to the outside through a display opening portion  15  formed on the housing  13 . The housing  13  is connected to the protrusions  12   a  and  12   b  of the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4  through hinge devices that are not shown, respectively. Accordingly, the display unit  3  can rotate between a closed position where the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4  is hidden under the display unit  3  and an opened position where the liquid crystal display  14  is raised at a rear part of the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . 
     A main circuit board  16  is fixed inside the housing  4  so as to be substantially parallel with the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . The main circuit board  16  is a circuit board in which an integrated circuit for a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like and a large number of electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, etc. are surface-mounted on a printed wiring board having a board thickness not larger than 2 mm. The main circuit board  16  has a notch portion  17  as a part thereof. 
     A storage device  19  is disposed in a region of the notch portion  17  of the main circuit board  16 . The storage device  19  is substantially shaped like a box. For example, the storage device  19  is configured as an HDD or an SSD. At least one part of a body  20  of the storage device  19  is disposed in the region of the notch portion  17 . The storage device  19  is provided so that an installation surface of the body  20  is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the board surface of the main circuit board  16 . The predetermined angle is in a range of from 1 degree to 30 degrees. With respect to a direction of the inclination, the installation surface of the body  20  is inclined in such a direction that a side surface of the body  20  near the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4  comes close to the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . 
       FIG. 2  is a view showing an example of the shape of the main circuit board  16 . Although  FIG. 2  shows the case where the main circuit board  16  is substantially shaped like a rectangle, the shape of the main circuit board  16  is not limited thereto. The main circuit board  16  has a notch portion  17  as a part thereof. A region  18  of the notch portion  17  is hatched in  FIG. 2 . Although  FIG. 2  shows the case where the region  18  of the notch portion  17  is shaped like a rectangle, the shape of the region  18  is not limited thereto. Because the storage device  19  is disposed in a position near the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4  as shown in  FIG. 1 , the region  18  of the notch portion  17  is also disposed in a position near the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4 . 
       FIG. 3  is a view showing the positional relation and connection state between the main circuit board  16  and the storage device  19 . At least one part of the body  20  of the storage device  19  is disposed in the region  18  of the notch portion  17 . The storage device  19  is provided so that the installation surface of the body  20  is inclined at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the board surface of the main circuit board  16 . A connector  23  of the main circuit board  16  and a connector  24  of the storage device  19  are connected to each other by FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits) or by a flexible cable  25  such as an FTC (Flexible Flat Cable). 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic sectional view showing a side surface of the information processing apparatus  1 . The sectional view is taken along the line A-A in  FIG. 1 . An additional line  21  is a line which indicates the inclination of the board surface of the main circuit board  16  and which is substantially parallel with the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . An additional line  22  is a line which indicates the inclination of the installation surface  26  of the body  20  of the storage device  19 . The additional line  21  is at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the additional line  22 . Accordingly, the body  20  of the storage device  19  is inclined at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the board surface of the main circuit board  16 . The size of the inclination angle θ is in a range of from 1 degree to 30 degrees. The body  20  of the storage device  19  is inclined in such a direction that a side surface  27  of the body  20  near the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4  comes close to the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the storage device  19  is disposed in a position near the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4 . Incidentally, the cable  25  is not shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     The main circuit board  16  is disposed between a region  28  where the body  20  of the storage device  19  is nearest to the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4  and a region  29  where the body  20  of the storage device  19  is farthest from the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . Because the body  20  of the storage device  19  is substantially shaped like a box, the nearest region  28  in  FIG. 4  is equivalent to a ridgeline of the side surface  27  near the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . 
     The bottom surface  5   a  of the housing  4  is formed so that at least one part of the bottom surface  5   a  of the housing  4  opposite to the body  20  of the storage device  19  is substantially parallel with the installation surface  26  of the body  20  of the storage device  19 . The bottom surface  5   a  of the housing  4  is formed so that a region of the bottom surface  5   a  of the housing  4  near the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4  is substantially parallel with the installation surface  26  of the body  20  of the storage device  19 . Alternatively, the portion or region may be not substantially parallel with the installation surface  26  of the body  20  of the storage device  19  but set at an angle different from the inclination angle of the installation surface  26  of the body  20  of the storage device  19 . For example, the portion or region may be set at an angle different by a value of from 1 degree to 5 degrees. In this manner, the height of the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4  of the information processing apparatus  1  can be lowered, so that the leading end portion of the housing  4  can be made thin. While the aesthetic aspect of the housing  4  can be improved because the leading end portion of the housing  4  looks thin when viewed from the front surface  5   c , the information processing apparatus  1  can be taken in and out easily when the information processing apparatus  1  is put in a PC casing or bag. In addition, the total size of the information processing apparatus  1  can be reduced. 
     Because the storage device  19  is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the board surface of the main circuit board  16 , a wedge-like space is formed between the body  20  of the storage device  19  and the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4  so that the wedge-like space is formed as a large space particularly in a region far from the front surface  5   c . This space can be used so that a module  30  for performing communication etc. can be disposed in this space. For example, the module  30  for performing communication etc. is a communication module such as Felica (registered trademark), TransferJet (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. 
     Because the module  30  for performing communication etc. can be disposed just under an inner wall of the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 , it is possible to improve the function and performance of communication with the outside through the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4 . The bad influence of the main circuit board  16  on communication interception or communication interference can be avoided, so that good communication performance can be ensured. Incidentally, the module  30  for performing communication etc. may be replaced by a small board etc. in which a storage media slot for bridge media, a mini-SD card slot or the like is mounted. 
       FIG. 5  is a view showing a method of fixing the storage device  19 . The body  20  of the storage device  19  is substantially shaped like a box. Elastic support members  31  are disposed on four corners of the installation surface  26  and four corners of a surface opposite to the installation surface  26 . The elastic support members  31  are supported by support member fixing portions  32  which are disposed on the inner wall side of the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4  and the inner wall side of the bottom surface  5   a  thereof. Accordingly, the storage device  19  is supported so elastically that external impulsive force applied on the housing  4  can be prevented from being transmitted to the storage device  19 . 
     As described above, the bottom surface  5   a  of the housing  4  is formed so that a region of the bottom surface  5   a  of the housing  4  near the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4  is substantially parallel with the installation surface  26  of the body  20  of the storage device  19  or not substantially parallel but inclined at an angle slightly different from the inclination angle of the installation surface  26  of the body  20  of the storage device  19 . Accordingly, the height of the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4  of the information processing apparatus  1  can be lowered so that the leading end portion of the housing  4  can be made thin. 
     Moreover, because the storage device  19  is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the board surface of the main circuit board  16 , a wedge-like space can be formed between the body  20  of the storage device  19  and the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4  so that the module  30  for performing communication etc. can be disposed between the inner wall of the top surface  5   b  of the housing  4  and the storage device  19 . Accordingly, both reduction in footprints of the main circuit board  16  and reduction in thickness of the housing  4  can be achieved. 
       FIG. 6  is a view showing another example of the positional relation between a main circuit board  33  and the storage device  19 . At least one part of the body  20  of the storage device  19  is disposed in a region of a notch portion  34 . The storage device  19  is inclined so that the installation surface of the body  20  is at a predetermined angle with respect to the board surface of the main circuit board  33 . The point of difference from the arrangement shown in  FIG. 3  is that the main circuit board  33  is disposed so as to partially overlap with the storage device  19 . Even in this arrangement, the height of the front surface  5   c  of the housing  4  of the information processing apparatus  1  can be lowered so that the leading end portion of the housing  4  can be made thin. 
     Incidentally, the invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment directly and constituent members can be modified to embody the invention without departing from the gist of the invention in a practical stage. Constituent members disclosed in the aforementioned embodiment may be combined suitably to form various inventions. For example, some constituent members may be removed from all constituent members disclosed in one embodiment. In addition, constituent members disclosed in different embodiments may be combined suitably.