Electronic device and locking mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10025348-B2
Application number	US-201515128757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2015
Priority date	Apr 1, 2014
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

There is provided an electronic device including: a supporting body; a movable body provided in a movable manner with respect to the supporting body; and a locking mechanism configured to lock the movable body to the supporting body. The locking mechanism includes a locking member provided on the supporting body and configured to lock the movable body, a manipulating member connected to the locking member and provided such that the manipulating member is able to be moved between a locking position at which the movable body is locked by the locking member and a releasing position at which the locking of the movable body by the locking member is released, and a holding member configured to hold the manipulating member at the locking position or at the releasing position in accordance with a position of the movable body with respect to the supporting body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a supporting body;
a movable body configured to move with respect to the supporting body; and
a locking mechanism configured to lock the movable body to the supporting body, wherein the locking mechanism includes:
a claw configured to lock the movable body, wherein the claw is on the supporting body;
a lever connected to the claw, wherein the lever is configured to move between a locking position at which the movable body is locked by the claw and a releasing position at which locked movable body is released; and
a holding member comprising:
a spring configured to hold the lever at the locking position; and
a releasing hold member comprising:
a leaf spring configured to hold the lever at the releasing position; and
a disengaging member configured to release the lever held by the leaf spring based on a position of the movable body with respect to the supporting body,
wherein the disengaging member includes a pedal configured to move between an allowable position and a disengaging position,
wherein at the allowable position the pedal is configured to engage the lever at the releasing position with the leaf spring, and
wherein at the disengaging position the pedal is configured to disengage the lever at the releasing position from the leaf spring based on a contact of the pedal with the movable body.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the spring comprises an elastic member configured to bias the lever to the locking position.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein based on a first position of the movable body at which the claw is configured to lock the movable body, the releasing hold member is configured to hold the lever moved to the releasing position at the releasing position, and
based on a second position of the movable body at which the claw is unable to lock the movable body, the releasing hold member is further configured to release the lever moved to the releasing position from the releasing position, and the lever is further configured to move to the locking position by the spring.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
based on the lever moved to the releasing position, the leaf spring is further configured to hold the lever at the releasing position based on an engagement of the leaf spring with the lever, and
the disengaging member is further configured to disengage the engagement between the leaf spring and the lever based on the position of the movable body with respect to the supporting body.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
based on a first position of the movable body at which the claw is configured to lock the movable body, the disengaging member is further configured to engage the lever moved to the releasing position with the leaf spring, and
based on a second position of the movable body at which the claw is unable to lock the movable body, the disengaging member is further configured to disengage the engagement between the lever moved to the releasing position and the leaf spring.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the disengaging member further includes
an elastic member configured to bias the pedal to the disengaging position,
wherein based on a first position of the movable body at which the claw is configured to lock the movable body, the pedal is configured to contact the movable body and is positioned at the allowable position, and
based on a second position of the movable body at which the claw is unable to lock the movable body, the pedal is configured to disconnect from the movable body and move to the disengaging position by the elastic member to disengage the engagement between the lever moved to the releasing position and the leaf spring.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
the claw has an inclined surface formed on a portion corresponding to a locked portion of the movable body, and
based on movement of the movable body from a second position at which the claw is unable to lock the movable body to a first position at which the claw is configured to lock the movable body, the inclined surface of the claw is configured to contact the locked portion of the movable body and the lever is configured to move from the locking position toward the releasing position together with the claw, and based on movement of the locked portion over a position of the inclined surface, the holding member is configured to move the lever to the locking position and the claw is configured to engaged with the locked portion, thereby the movable body is locked to the supporting body.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a main-body-side case body including a manipulating input unit, wherein
the supporting body is configured to rotate with respect to the main-body-side case body,
the movable body is a display-side case body including a display,
the movable body is further configured to rotate from a first position to a second position with respect to the supporting body,
the claw is configured to lock the movable body at the first position,
the electronic device is configured to serve as a clamshell type terminal based on the movable body locked at the first position, and
the electronic device is configured to serve as a tablet type terminal based on rotation of the movable body to the second position.

9. A locking mechanism, comprising:
a claw configured to lock a movable body, wherein the movable body is configured to move with respect to a supporting body, and wherein the claw is on the supporting body;
a lever connected to the claw, wherein the lever is configured to move between a locking position at which the movable body is locked by the claw and a releasing position at which the locked movable body is released; and
a holding member comprising:
a spring configured to hold the lever at the locking position; and
a releasing hold member comprising:
a leaf spring configured to hold the lever at the releasing position; and
a disengaging member configured to release the lever held by the leaf spring based on a position of the movable body with respect to the supporting body,
wherein the disengaging member includes a pedal configured to move between an allowable position and a disengaging position,
wherein at the allowable position the pedal is configured to engage the lever at the releasing position with the leaf spring, and
wherein at the disengaging position the pedal is configured to disengage the lever at the releasing position from the leaf spring based on a contact of the pedal with the movable body.

10. An electronic device, comprising:
a first body;
a second body configured to move with respect to the first body; and
a locking mechanism configured to lock the second body to the first body, wherein the locking mechanism includes:
a claw configured to lock the second body, wherein the claw is on the first body;
a lever connected to the claw, wherein the lever is configured to move between a locking position at which the second body is locked by the claw and a releasing position at which the locked second body is released; and
a holding member comprising:
a spring configured to hold the lever at the locking position; and
a releasing hold member comprising:
a leaf spring configured to hold the lever at the releasing position; and
a disengaging member configured to release the lever held by the leaf spring based on a position of the second body with respect to the first body,
wherein the disengaging member comprises:
 a pedal configured to move between an allowable position and a disengaging position,
 wherein at the allo

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Arima Kiyokuni

Classifications

• G06F1/1679

  for locking or maintaining the movable parts of the enclosure in a fixed position, e.g. latching mechanism at the edge of the display in a laptop or for the screen protective cover of a PDA (G06F1/1681 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E05B65/0067

  for portable computers, e.g. for locking the screen panel to the keyboard panel · CPC title

• G06F1/1616 Primary

  with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position · CPC title

• G06F1/1669

  Detachable keyboards · CPC title

• G06F1/1637

  Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing · CPC title