Electronic appliance

Abstract

An electronic appliance, in particular a car radio, has a housing (1) which has, in front of a front side (2), a front flap (3) which has a display (7) and/or operating elements (8) and can be pivoted by means of a single drive (11) from a vertical position closing the housing (1) into an obliquely inclined position lying with its lower edge in front of the housing (1) and with its upper edge below the upper edge of the housing (1) and thereby releasing an upper region (4) of the front side (2) of the housing (1). For this purpose, the upper edge of the front flap (3) can be hinged to a vertical guide (12), while the lower edge is held such that it can be moved linearly in the horizontal direction by means of a sliding-out means (9) which can be moved by the drive (11).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an electronic appliance, in particular a car radio, having a housing which has, in front of a front side, a front flap which has a display and/or operating elements and can be pivoted by motor from a vertical position closing the housing into an obliquely inclined position lying with its lower edge in front of the housing and with its upper edge below the upper edge of the housing and thereby releasing an upper region of the front side of the housing.

[0002] The front side of electronic appliances is often not of a sufficient size in order to be able to accommodate the devices to be provided there. If, for example, a car radio has a cavity for cassettes and a cavity for compact discs, then the space for a sufficiently large display below the cavities is frequently no longer sufficient. In such cases, it has turned out to be expedient if the front flap is of moveable design, so that it can be moved by motor into a position in which an upper region of the front side is released by it. It is then possible, for example, to arrange the two required cavities in this region which becomes free.

[0003] In the case of the previously known electronic appliances having a moveable front flap of this type, the upper edge of the front flap is hinged to a slide which can be moved by motor in a vertical guide, and the lower edge of the front flap is hinged to a sliding-out means which can be moved by motor into the housing of the appliance or can be moved out of it. Two drives are therefore always required in order to move the front flap and these drives have to be coordinated with each other in terms of control so that the front flap is able to pass from a precisely vertical position into the desired release position. The known electronic appliances are of relatively complicated design because of this.

[0004] The invention is based on the problem of designing an electronic appliance of the type mentioned at the beginning in such a manner that the means for moving its front flap by motor between a vertical end position and an operating position releasing an upper region of the front side are of the simplest possible design.

[0005] According to the invention, this problem is solved by the front flap being linked to a single drive for bringing about the pivoting movement releasing the upper region of the front side of the housing.

[0006] Since, according to the invention, only a single drive is provided for moving the front flap, the necessity of mutually coordinating two drives is inapplicable, with the result that the control of the front flap is substantially simplified. Said control just needs to be designed in such a manner that the drive, once switched on, is switched off when the particular end position is reached, for which purpose limit switches, for example, can be used.

[0007] One embodiment, which can be realized in a simple manner, of the invention consists in that the upper edge of the front flap is hinged to a vertical guide and the lower edge is held such that it can be moved linearly in the horizontal direction, and in that the drive is provided for moving the lower edge of the front flap.

[0008] The ability of the lower edge of the front flap to move linearly can be realized in a simple manner structurally by the lower edge being hinged to a sliding-out means which can be moved rectilinearly into the housing, and by the drive being designed for displacing the sliding-out means relative to a drawer-type guide arranged within the housing.

[0009] A single straight-line guide is sufficient for guiding the front flap if one edge of the front flap is held such that it can be moved linearly by means of the drive, and if for further guiding of the front plate a connecting rod is provided which is mounted pivotably about a swivel joint fixed on the housing and is hinged by its other end to the front plate at a distance from the linearly moveable edge of the front plate. An embodiment of this type requires just one straight-line guide instead of two.

[0010] The vertical guide for the front flap can be entirely omitted if, according to another advantageous development of the invention, the lower edge of the front flap is arranged in a linearly displaceable manner along a straight line and if the swivel joint is arranged level with the straight line along which the lower edge of the front flap is able to move.

[0011] Alternatively, however, it is also possible for the upper edge of the front flap to be arranged displaceably on a vertical guide and for the swivel joint of the connecting rod to be arranged on the lower side of the front side.

[0012] For operating purposes the front flap passes into a virtually horizontal position if provision is made for the swivel joint to be arranged in the housing behind the vertical guide at a spatial distance from the vertical guide.

[0013] It is particularly cost-effective if the drive is a rotary drive for driving the swivel joint of the connecting rod.

[0014] Straight-line guides can be entirely omitted if, according to a particularly advantageous development of the invention, provision is made for a linkage rod to be connected rotatably by one end to a pivot bearing and to be hinged by its other end to the front flap, for both ends of the linkage rod each to have a pulley which cannot be rotated relative to the linkage rod, the pulley at the front-flap end having a smaller diameter than the pulley at the pivot-bearing end, and for the two pulleys to be connected to each other by a belt. A mechanism of this type only requires space in the front region of the electronic appliance.

[0015] The front plate can be pivoted without any problem from its vertical position into a completely horizontal position if provision is made for the pulley at the front-flap end to be half the diameter of the pulley at the pivot-bearing end.

[0016] Instead of using two pulleys in order to avoid straight-line guides, provision may alternatively be made for two swivel joints to be provided for guiding the front flap, a lower swivel joint of which being arranged level with the lower edge of the front side and an upper swivel joint of which being arranged set back within the housing of the appliance, and for the upper swivel joint to be hinged to a connecting rod in the vicinity of the upper edge of the front flap and the lower swivel joint to be hinged by a further connecting rod to the front flap in the central region thereof. A four-membered linkage of this type permits freedom with regard to the position of the opened front flap.

[0017] The invention permits various embodiments. To further clarify its basic principle a number of these are illustrated in the drawing and are described below. In the drawing

[0018] FIG. 1 shows a schematic longitudinal section through an electronic appliance according to the invention,

[0019] FIGS. 2-8 show different schematic diagrams of a mechanism for moving a front flap of the appliance.

[0020] The electronic appliance illustrated in FIG. 1, which is intended to concern a car radio, has a housing 1 having a front side 2 against which a front flap 3 bears. This front flap 3 can be moved by a mechanism (to be described later) from the position which is illustrated by solid lines and which completely covers the front side 2 into an obliquely oriented operating position which is illustrated by dash-dotted lines and in which it releases an upper region 4 of the front side 2. In this upper region 4 two cavities 5, 6 are provided within the housing 1, the upper one of which can be designed to play compact discs and the other one of which can be designed to play cassettes. On its front side, the front flap 3 has a large display 7 and a plurality of operating elements 8 below it for the car radio.

[0021] In the lower region of the housing 1, a sliding-out means 9 is arranged displaceably in a drawer-type guide 10. The front side of this sliding-out means 9 is connected to the front flap 3 in the vicinity of the lower edge thereof. A drive 11 is able to move the sliding-out means 9 out of the housing 1 to the right, as seen in FIG. 1, into the dash-dotted position. In the vicinity of the upper edge the front flap 3 is guided in a vertical guide 12.

[0022] If the drive 11 is activated, the sliding-out means 9 is moved out of the housing 1. By this means, the lower edge of the front flap 3 is moved away from the front side 2, while its upper edge is moved downward in the vertical guide 12. In the end position of the front flap 3 (illustrated by dash-dotted lines) the upper region 4 of the front side 2 is exposed, with the result that a CD or a cassette can be respectively inserted into the corresponding cavity 5 or 6.

[0023] FIG. 2 serves to additionally clarify the sequence of movement of the front flap 3. The latter is illustrated in this figure by a thick, solid line in the operating position and by dash-dotted lines in various intermediate positions. The sliding-out means 9 is designed in FIG. 2 as a rack which can be displaced linearly by a pinion 13 of the drive 11 in the drawer-type guide 10. In the vicinity of its upper edge, the front flap 3 is hinged to a slide 14 which can be displaced on a vertical guide 12. In order to be able to pass from the illustrated operating position of the front flap 3 back into the vertical position solely using the drive 11, the angle &agr; between the front flap 3 and the sliding-out means 9 may not be smaller than approximately 30°.

[0024] In the embodiment according to FIG. 3 a vertical straight-line guide has been omitted. The lower edge of the front flap 3 is hinged to a moveable sliding-out means 9, precisely as in the above-described exemplary embodiment. In order to dispense with the vertical guide, use is made of a swivel joint 15 from which a connecting rod 16 leads to a central region of the front flap 3, where it is hinged to the latter. In this embodiment, instead of displacing the sliding-out means 9, the drive 11 could also be provided on the swivel joint 15 or, for example, at the point where the connecting rod 16 is hinged to the front flap 3, for the purpose of pivoting the connecting rod 16.

[0025] FIG. 4 shows a kinematic reverse arrangement of the mechanism according to FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the sliding-out means 9 has been dispensed with and in its place a vertical guide 12 as in FIGS. 1 and 2 has again been provided. In the same manner as in FIG. 3, the connecting rod 16 leads from the swivel joint 15 to the front flap 3 whose lower edge now, however, ends completely freely. The upper edge of the front flap 3 is in turn connected to the slide 14 which is able to be displaced on the vertical guide 12. Of course, it is possible in all of the embodiments to dispense with a slide and instead, for example, to allow pins to engage in a slotted guide.

[0026] In the embodiment according to FIG. 5, the swivel joint 15 has been offset away from the vertical guide 12 toward the inside of the appliance. This enables the front flap 3 to assume a virtually horizontal position in the open position.

[0027] The embodiment according to FIG. 6 is distinguished in that straight-line guides have been entirely dispensed with. For this purpose, a pivot bearing 17 has been provided with a linkage rod 18 leading from it to the front flap 3 to which it is hinged. In the pivot bearing 17 the linkage rod 18 can be rotated synchronously by a pulley 19, while it can be pivoted relative to the front flap 3 synchronously by a further pulley 20 which is half the diameter of the pulley 19. The two pulleys 19, 20 are connected to each other by a belt 21 which may, for example, be a toothed belt or a wire connected fixedly to the two pulleys 19, 20. The belt 21 ensures that the front flap 3 is increasingly pivoted into the horizontal as the linkage rod 18 is being pivoted downward.

[0028] In the embodiment according to FIGS. 7 and 8, a connecting rod 16 leads from the swivel joint 15 to a central region of the front flap 3 precisely as in the embodiments according to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. However, in addition a further swivel joint 22 is provided with a connecting rod 23 leading from it to the upper edge of the front flap 3 where it is hinged to the latter. This produces a four-membered linkage which manages entirely without straight-line guides and whose movements require a single drive, for example in the swivel joint 15.

Claims

1. An electronic appliance, in particular a car radio, having a housing which has, in front of a front side, a front flap which has a display and/or operating elements and can be pivoted by motor from a vertical position closing the housing into an obliquely inclined operating position lying with its lower edge in front of the housing and with its upper edge below the upper edge of the housing and thereby releasing an upper region of the front side of the housing, wherein the front flap (3) is linked to a single drive (11) for bringing about the pivoting movement releasing the upper region of the front side (2) of the housing (1).

2. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 1, wherein the upper edge of the front flap (3) is hinged to a vertical guide (12) and the lower edge is held such that it can be moved linearly in the horizontal direction, and wherein the drive (11) is provided for moving the lower edge of the front flap (3).

3. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 2, wherein the lower edge is hinged to a sliding-out means (9) which can be moved rectilinearly into the housing (1), and the drive (11) is designed for displacing the sliding-out means (9) relative to a drawer-type guide (10) arranged within the house (1).

4. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 1, wherein one edge of the front flap (3) is held such that it can be moved linearly by means of the drive (11), and wherein for further guiding of the front plate (3) a connecting rod (16) is provided which is mounted pivotably about a swivel joint (15) fixed on the housing and is hinged by its other end to the front flap (3) at a distance from the linearly moveable edge of the front flap (3).

5. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 4, wherein the lower edge of the front flap (3) is arranged in a linearly displaceable manner along a straight line (sliding-out means 9) and the swivel joint (15) is arranged level with the straight line (sliding-out means 9) along which the lower edge of the front flap (3) is able to move.

6. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 4, wherein the upper edge of the front flap (3) is arranged displaceably on a vertical guide (12) and the swivel joint (15) of the connecting rod (16) is arranged on the lower side of the front side (2).

7. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 6, wherein the swivel joint (15) is arranged in the housing (1) behind the vertical guide (12) at a spatial distance from the vertical guide (12).

8. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 6, wherein the drive (11) is a rotary drive for driving the swivel joint (15) of the connecting rod (16).

9. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 1, wherein a linkage rod (18) is connected rotatably by one end to a pivot bearing (17) and is hinged by its other end to the front flap (3), wherein both ends of the linkage rod (18) each have a pulley (19, 20) which cannot be rotated relative to the linkage rod (18), the pulley (20) at the front-flap end having a smaller diameter than the pulley (19) at the pivot-bearing end, and wherein the two pulleys (19, 20) are connected to each other by a belt (21).

10. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 9, wherein the pulley (20) at the front-flap end is half the diameter of the pulley (19) at the pivot-bearing end.

11. The electronic appliance as claimed in

claim 1, wherein two swivel joints (15, 22) are provided for guiding the front flap (3), a lower swivel joint (15) of which being arranged level with the lower edge of the front side (2) and an upper swivel joint (22) of which being arranged set back within the housing (1) of the appliance, and wherein the upper swivel joint (22) is hinged to a connecting rod (23) in the vicinity of the upper edge of the front flap (3) and the lower swivel joint (15) is hinged by a further connecting rod (16) to the front flap (3) in the central region thereof.