US-20260129132-A1 - ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND IMAGE READING APPARATUS

US20260129132A1US 20260129132 A1US20260129132 A1US 20260129132A1US-20260129132-A1

Abstract

A movable body is movable inside a housing in first and second directions along a bottom surface. A flexible flat cable has one end attached to the movable body and an other end attached to a controller. The flexible flat cable has one flat surface and an other flat surface opposite to each other. A facing member is disposed at the movable body. The facing member includes a facing surface that faces the other flat surface of the flexible flat cable in a state where the one flat surface of the flexible flat cable faces a side surface. The facing member assists movement of the one flat surface of the flexible flat cable toward the side surface when the movable body moves toward the first direction. The facing surface extends toward the first direction from an end of the movable body in the first direction.

Inventors

Yasuo Nishikawa

Assignees

BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250521
Priority Date: 20241105

Claims (20)

1 . An electronic device comprising: a housing including a side surface and a bottom surface; a controller; a movable body movable inside the housing in a first direction and in a second direction along the bottom surface, the first direction and the second direction being opposite to each other, the first direction and the second direction being parallel to the side surface; a flexible flat cable having one end attached to the movable body and an other end attached to the controller, the flexible flat cable having one flat surface and an other flat surface opposite to each other; and a facing member disposed at the movable body, the facing member including a facing surface that faces the other flat surface of the flexible flat cable in a state where the one flat surface of the flexible flat cable faces the side surface, the facing member being configured to assist movement of the one flat surface of the flexible flat cable toward the side surface when the movable body moves toward the first direction, the facing surface extending toward the first direction from an end of the movable body in the first direction.
2 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the facing surface includes an inclined surface configured to be away from the side surface toward a third direction perpendicular to the first direction; wherein a first end of the inclined surface away from the movable body is separated from the side surface by a first distance; wherein a second end of the inclined surface close to the movable body is separated from the side surface by a second distance; and wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.
3 . The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the facing member includes a bent shape portion at an end of the facing surface in the first direction, the bent shape portion being bent from the end of the facing surface to be away from the side surface.
4 . The electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein the second distance is equal to or greater than a distance between the movable body and the side surface.
5 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible flat cable includes an attached portion that is attached to the side surface between the one end and the other end; and wherein the electronic device further comprises a first support member extending in the first direction inside the housing, the first support member being configured to support a lower end of a portion of the flexible flat cable between the one end and the other end.
6 . The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the attached portion is bonded to the side surface by an adhesive.
7 . The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the flexible flat cable includes a curved portion between the attached portion and the one end, the curved portion being configured to move while being curved due to movement of the movable body; and wherein the electronic device further comprises a second support member extending in the first direction in the housing, the second support member extending to be continuous with the first support member, the second support member being configured to guide a lower end of the curved portion of the flexible flat cable so as to be separated from the bottom surface.
8 . The electronic device according to claim 7 , wherein the second support member is inclined upward toward the side surface such that a height from the bottom surface increases toward the side surface.
9 . The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible flat cable includes: an attached portion attached to the side surface between the one end and the other end; and a curved portion between the attached portion and the one end, the curved portion being configured to move while being curved due to movement of the movable body; and wherein the electronic device further comprises a support member disposed at the bottom surface and configured to support a lower end of the curved portion of the flexible flat cable.
10 . The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the support member extends in a direction crossing the first direction.
11 . An image reading apparatus comprising: a housing including a side surface and a bottom surface; a reading unit movable inside the housing; a flexible flat cable attached to the reading unit; and a guide disposed at a corner of the reading unit near the side surface, the guide being configured to assist movement of the flexible flat cable toward the side surface when the reading unit moves toward a particular direction.
12 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the guide includes an inclined surface configured to be away from the side surface toward the particular direction; wherein an inclination start point of the inclined surface away from the reading unit in the particular direction is separated from the side surface by a first distance; wherein an inclination end point of the inclined surface close to the reading unit in the particular direction is separated from the side surface by a second distance; and wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.
13 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the guide includes a bent shape portion at the inclination start point of the guide, the bent shape portion being bent from the inclination start point to be away from the side surface.
14 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the second distance is equal to or greater than a distance between the reading unit and the side surface.
15 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the flexible flat cable includes an attached portion that is attached to a part of the side surface in the housing; and wherein the image reading apparatus further comprises a first support member disposed along an inside corner in the particular direction, the inside corner being formed by the side surface and the bottom surface inside the housing, the first support member being configured to support a lower end of the flexible flat cable.
16 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the attached portion is bonded to the side surface by an adhesive.
17 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the flexible flat cable includes a curved portion between the attached portion and a connection portion connected to the reading unit, the curved portion being configured to move while being curved due to movement of the reading unit; and wherein the image reading apparatus further comprises a second support member disposed in the particular direction in the housing, the second support member disposed to be continuous with the first support member, the second support member being configured to guide a lower end of the curved portion of the flexible flat cable so as to be separated from the bottom surface.
18 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the second support member is inclined upward toward the side surface such that a height from the bottom surface increases toward the side surface.
19 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the flexible flat cable includes: an attached portion attached to the side surface; a connection portion connected to the reading unit; and a curved portion between the attached portion and the connection portion, the curved portion being configured to move while being curved due to movement of the reading unit; and wherein the image reading apparatus further comprises a support member disposed at the bottom surface and configured to support a lower end of the curved portion of the flexible flat cable.
20 . The image reading apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the support member extends in a direction crossing the particular direction.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-193964 filed on Nov. 5, 2024. The entire content of the priority application is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND ART An electronic device including a flexible flat cable connected to a movable body is known. SUMMARY For example, an elastic member may be disposed at a carriage of a reading unit (scanner head) of an image scanner. In the image scanner, a flat cable attached to the reading unit includes a portion extending along the main body of the image scanner and a portion folded back in an arc shape so as to be separated from the main body. Providing the elastic member at the carriage reduces damage to the flat cable due to repeated contact between the folded portion of the flat cable and the reading unit. However, the behavior of a portion of the flat cable extending along the main body of the image scanner is not particularly considered. When the reading unit moves between one side and the other side in the sub-scanning direction, if the portion of the flat cable extending along the main body is curved and repeatedly contacts the reading unit, the flat cable may be damaged as described above. In view of the foregoing, an example of an object of this disclosure is to provide an electronic device configured to reduce contact of a flexible flat cable with a movable body due to curving of the flexible flat cable when the movable body moves. According to one aspect, this specification discloses an electronic device. The electronic device includes a housing, a controller, a movable body, a flexible flat cable, and a facing member. The housing includes a side surface and a bottom surface. The movable body is movable inside the housing in a first direction and in a second direction along the bottom surface. The first direction and the second direction are opposite to each other. The first direction and the second direction are parallel to the side surface. The flexible flat cable has one end attached to the movable body and an other end attached to the controller. The flexible flat cable has one flat surface and an other flat surface opposite to each other. The facing member is disposed at the movable body. The facing member includes a facing surface that faces the other flat surface of the flexible flat cable in a state where the one flat surface of the flexible flat cable faces the side surface. The facing member is configured to assist movement of the one flat surface of the flexible flat cable toward the side surface when the movable body moves toward the first direction. The facing surface extends toward the first direction from an end of the movable body in the first direction. The facing surface contributes to assisting movement of the flexible flat cable toward the side surface when the movable body moves toward the first direction. According to another aspect, this specification also discloses an image reading apparatus. The image reading apparatus includes a housing, a reading unit, a flexible flat cable, and a guide. The housing includes a side surface and a bottom surface. The reading unit is movable inside the housing. The flexible flat cable is attached to the reading unit. The guide is disposed at a corner of the reading unit near the side surface. The guide is configured to assist movement of the flexible flat cable toward the side surface when the reading unit moves toward a particular direction. In the electronic device of the present disclosure, the movable body moves in the first direction along the bottom surface of the housing and the second direction opposite to the first direction. The one end of the flexible flat cable is attached to a particular portion of the movable body that moves as described above, and the other end of the flexible flat cable is attached to the controller disposed outside the housing, for example. The flexible flat cable extends from the other end along the side surface inside the housing, and then is folded back in an arc shape so as to be separated from the side surface, and the one end is attached to the movable body. Since the one end of the flexible flat cable also moves due to the movement of the movable body, the flexible flat cable is curved and deformed such that the arc shape of the folded portion expands and contracts, and the range in which the one flat surface and the side surface face each other changes in size, thereby following the movement. At this time, since the one flat surface of the flexible flat cable and the side surface face each other and the portion of which the range changes in size is not attached to the side surface of the housing, the portion may be curved without closely following the side surface and may contact the movable body, and when such contact is repeated, the flexible flat cable may be damaged. In the present disclosure, in order to cope with this, a facing member that moves together with the movable bod