Dynamic information storage or retrieval – With particular cabinet structure – With mechanism to place disc on a turntable
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-14
2003-11-25
Ro, Bentsu (Department: 2837)
Dynamic information storage or retrieval
With particular cabinet structure
With mechanism to place disc on a turntable
C369S191100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06654333
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a case body with a front panel having a panel on a front side of a case body.
2. Related Background Art
Known conventional acoustic apparatuses for vehicle use of this type generally use case bodies with front panels as shown in
FIGS. 10
to
12
.
FIGS. 10
to
12
are side views, partially in perspective, of the case body with a front panel.
This case body with a front panel comprises a box-like case body
201
and an operation panel
202
located on a front side of the case body
201
as shown in FIG.
10
. An attitude of the operation panel
202
is successively changed from an operation state of being substantially parallel to a front surface of the case body
201
as shown in
FIG. 10
, to an EJECT state of substantially horizontally projecting forward from the lower other end of the front surface of the case body
201
as shown in
FIG. 11
, and to an OFF state where top and bottom as well as inside and outside of the operation panel
202
are reversed to the operation state as shown in FIG.
12
. The operation panel
202
is provided, at its top, with a shaft member
203
, which is guided by a groove
204
formed to vertically extend in a straight line on the case body
201
.
The shaft member
203
is formed into a gear shape, and the operation panel
202
vertically moves while pivoting together with the shaft member
203
. In the case body
201
, a driving mechanism
205
is provided that transmits a driving force of a motor (not shown) to the operation panel
202
.
The driving mechanism
205
comprises a first chassis
206
that is movable forward and backward with respect to the case body
201
, a movable part
207
moving forward and backward together with the first chassis
206
, and an arm
208
that is pivotably provided on the movable part
207
and pivoted by driving the motor. The first chassis
206
has two shafts
206
a
,
206
b
extending laterally, which are respectively inserted in grooves
209
a,
209
b
of a second chassis
209
. The movable part
207
has a shaft
207
a
coupled to the shaft
206
a
of the first chassis, and a substantially arc-shaped groove
207
b
in which the shaft
206
b
is inserted. The grooves
209
a
,
209
b
are formed to extend forward and backward, and the driving mechanism
205
(first chassis
206
, movable part
207
, arm
208
, or the like) is movable forward and backward with respect to the case body
201
. The arm
208
is rotatably provided with a gear
210
, which meshes with the shaft member
203
and also meshes with an arc-shaped gear portion
207
c
formed on the movable part
207
.
In the case body with a front panel, as the arm
208
pivots, the driving mechanism
205
(first chassis
206
, movable part
207
, arm
208
, or the like) moves forward and backward, and the shaft member
203
moves downward in the groove
204
while pivoting, so that the operation panel
202
can be moved from the operation state to the EJECT state, and further moved from the EJECT state to the OFF state.
However, in the above described case body with a front panel, the operation panel is pivoted by means of the gear in the driving mechanism in the case body, which causes problems that the apparatus requires a complex structure such as where the driving mechanism has to be moved forward and backward to thereby result in an increase in manufacturing cost. There is also a problem that a space in the case body cannot be effectively used since a space where the driving mechanism can be moved forward and backward have to be secured in the case body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is achieved in view of the above described circumstances and has the object to provide a case body with a front panel that achieves a simplified structure and thus reduction in manufacturing cost, and allows a space in the case body to be effectively used.
In order to attain the above described object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a case body with a front panel including: a box-like case body
1
; a panel (such as an operation panel
2
) provided on a front side of the case body; a shaft member
3
provided on the panel; a groove
4
provided on the case body and guiding the shaft member; and driving means (such as a DC motor
5
and a driving mechanism
6
) provided in the case body, the driving means being actuated to thereby cause an attitude of the panel to be successively changed from a first state where the panel is substantially parallel to a front surface of the case body, to a second state where one end of the panel moves to the other end of the case body in a vertical direction to cause the panel to substantially horizontally project forward from the other end of the case body, and to a third state where top and bottom as well as inside and outside of the panel are reversed to the first state, wherein the driving means has a panel driving member (such as an oscillation lever
68
) pivotably coupled to the panel via a drive shaft (such as a third shaft
68
b
) in a position remote from the shaft member, driving the panel driving member causes the drive shaft to move and also causes the shaft member to move in the groove to pivot the panel, and the groove is continuously formed with a first guide passage
4
a
guiding the shaft member so as to move the panel from the first state to the second state, and a second guide passage
4
b
guiding the shaft member so as to move the panel from the second state to the third state.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the panel is moved from the first state to the second state, and from the second state to the third state, the shaft member moves in the respective guide passages, and the drive shaft also moves by operation of the panel driving member, causing positions of the shaft member and the drive shaft to be changed with respect to the case body to pivot the panel. The panel moves differently between when the shaft member moves in the first guide passage and when the shaft member moves in the second passage, but the first guide passage and the second guide passage are continuously formed, so that continuous movement of the shaft member from the first guide passage to the second guide passage allows the panel to be continuously moved from the first state to the third state.
Therefore, there is no need for providing a gear that pivots a panel as is conventional, and no need for moving a driving mechanism having the gear forward and backward, thereby achieving an especially simplified structure and thus reduction in manufacturing cost. Further, there is no need for securing a space for forward and backward movement of the driving mechanism in the case body to thereby allow a space in the case body to be effectively used.
A second aspect of the present invention provides the case body with a front panel in the first aspect, wherein a guide passage switching mechanism
7
is provided that controls entrance of the shaft member into the second guide passage when the panel moves from the first state to the second state, and that controls entrance of the shaft member into the first guide passage when the panel moves from the second state to the third state.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to an operation in the first aspect, the shaft member does not enter into the second guide passage when the panel is moved from the first state to the second state. Also, the shaft member does not enter into the first guide passage when the panel is moved from the second state to the third state. Thus, the panel can be surely moved from the first state to the second state, and from the second state to the third state.
A third aspect of the present invention provides the case body with a front panel in the second aspect, wherein the guide passage switching mechanism has a control member (such as a second lever
71
, a third lever
72
) that controls movement of the shaft member, and the control member is driven by the driving means and controls the en
Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
Ro Bentsu
Robinson Eric J.
Robinson Intellectual Property Law Office P.C.
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