JP2004214969A - Portable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable electronic device wherein a cap such as an ear phone cap, or a connecter cap is easily mounted and attached fixedly to a housing without fail, and further to form the cap in a comparatively simple shape. <P>SOLUTION: There is provided the portable electronic device equipped with a terminal space 13 provided with a connection terminal 13A for connecting with external devices, an elastic cap 3 for closing the terminal space 13 in an openable and closeable manner, an attaching portion 14 for attaching detachably an attachable portion 3A that is provided at the cap 3, and a battery room 11 for containing detachably a battery pack for supplying electric power to various built-in electronic components. In the portable electronic device, the attaching portion 14 is formed at a prescribed position near a peripheral surface in the vicinity of the battery room 11 of a downside housing 1. A battery cover 12 fixes the attachable portion 3A of the cap 3 after being mounted on the attaching portion 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone having a terminal room accommodating a connection terminal for signal input / output such as a connector and an earphone jack for connecting to various external electronic devices and a battery room for accommodating a battery. It concerns equipment.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A portable terminal device such as a mobile phone usually has a charging connector or an earphone jack (or an earphone jack that is electrically connected to the earphone microphone by inserting a plug connected to the earphone microphone in order to respond to a user request such as hands-free). HSJ (head set jack) and the like.
[0003]
When such connectors and earphone jacks are not normally used, they are covered with caps to protect these connectors and jacks from the outside (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
Hereinafter, an example of a mobile phone provided with the earphone cap will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the earphone cap 200 is attached to the mobile phone 100. An earphone jack 110 (or a connector or the like) is provided inside the housing 101 and the earphone jack 110 is provided. The opening 101A is opened in the housing 101 corresponding to the housing 101 so as to be exposed to the outside of the housing 101.
[0005]
On the other hand, the earphone cap 200 is usually formed of an elastic material having flexibility. The earphone cap 200 includes a lid 201 for closing the opening 101A of the housing 101, a neck 202 extending from one end of the inner surface of the lid 201 and being sandwiched in the opening groove 101B, and a neck 202. And an engagement portion 203 which is formed larger than that and is connected to the lid portion 201 via the neck portion 202. The engagement portion 203 is attached to the housing 101 side by the engagement portion 203 so as to be freely opened and closed.
[0006]
By the way, since the engaging portion 203 is locked in the housing 101 while the neck portion 202 is sandwiched and fitted in the opening groove 101B, the earphone cap 200 is used when opening and closing the earphone cap 200. In FIG. 6, the earphone cap 200 does not come off the housing 101 in FIG.
[0007]
Therefore, for example, when an external device such as an earphone microphone (not shown) is connected to the earphone jack 110 of the mobile phone 100, (1) the earphone cap of the mobile phone is first opened and the earphone jack 110 is opened through the opening 101A. To the outside. {Circle around (2)} Next, a plug 300 (or connector) provided in an external device such as an earphone microphone is inserted into the inside from the opening 101A, and is inserted into the earphone jack 110 in the opening 101A. Thereby, an external device such as an earphone microphone can be electrically connected to the mobile phone 100 side.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-9911 (page 2, FIG. 5)
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such an earphone cap, for example, the engaging portion of the cap is pushed into the mounting hole to insert the earphone cap into the mounting hole on the housing side so that the cap does not easily come off. Thereafter, a cumbersome mounting operation such as pushing the cap around the engaging portion and rotating it by 90 degrees was required.
[0010]
Moreover, since mobile phones are small, caps that are originally small in size are often complicated in shape in order to perform such complicated mounting operations. In order to form a slab with an elastic material, the cost is increased by the complexity of the shape.
[0011]
By the way, in recent years, in such portable terminal devices as mobile phones, not only the above-mentioned hands-free, but also in order to respond to a wide range of demands of users, for example, to receive music distribution and other various functions and services, etc. In addition, a data communication connector which can be used by appropriately connecting various dedicated devices and external devices such as a PDA, a mobile tool, a pocket game device, a camera device, and a navigation device has been developed. For this reason, the frequency of opening and closing the cap when connecting these dedicated devices and the like via a jack or a connector tends to increase.
[0012]
In addition, the cap itself is made of an elastic material such as rubber, so the durability is not so high, and the neck where stress is concentrated during opening and closing operation is thin and brittle. However, there is often a problem that cracks occur due to fatigue with use over a long period of time, and they are easily cut or torn.
[0013]
Under these circumstances, there is a strong demand for the development of a cap structure that can be easily replaced in case the cap is damaged, but on the other hand, when the cap is opened and closed, the cap easily falls off. There is also an increasing demand for developing a cap structure that does not cause any slippage. In other words, there is a strong demand for the development of a cap structure that can be easily replaced and that can be securely fixed.
[0014]
In view of the circumstances described above, the present invention makes it easy to attach a cap such as an earphone cap or a connector cap, and can securely fix the cap to the housing, and furthermore, the cap has a relatively simple shape. It is an object to provide a portable electronic device that can be formed.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A portable electronic device according to the present invention includes a terminal chamber formed on an outer surface of a housing and containing a connection terminal for connecting to an external device, an elastic cap for opening and closing the terminal chamber, and a cap formed near the terminal chamber. A portable electronic device comprising: a mounting portion for removably mounting a mounting portion provided on the cap; and a battery chamber for detachably storing a battery for supplying power to various electronic components provided in the housing,
The mounting portion is formed at a predetermined portion facing the outer peripheral surface of the housing near the battery chamber,
The mounting portion of the cap after being mounted on the mounting portion is configured to be fixed by a battery lid detachably fixed to the battery chamber.
[0016]
As a result, the cap can be fixed using the mounting force of the battery lid, so that the structure of the cap does not have to be complicated and the structure for preventing the cap from coming off is eliminated, so that the shape of the cap can be simplified. As a result, the attachment of the cap becomes easy. In addition, since the mounting force of the battery lid can be used, the cap can be more securely fastened using this fixing force.
[0017]
In the portable electronic device of the present invention, the attached portion of the cap has a constricted neck portion and a retaining portion that is connected to the neck portion and is larger than the neck portion,
The mounting portion on the housing side has a communication hole into which the neck portion and the retaining portion on the cap side are dropped and fitted, and a retaining hole.
[0018]
As a result, the cap mounting operation can be performed in a single action by simply dropping the cap onto the mounting part of the housing from above, eliminating the need for complicated operations as in the past and easily mounting even users who are unfamiliar with the operation it can.
[0019]
Further, the portable electronic device of the present invention has a hook portion which is slidably attached to the battery lid along a back surface of the housing provided with the battery chamber, and the hook portion is engaged with the housing. The rear surface to be stopped is characterized by having a substantially parallel locking hole.
[0020]
When the battery cover is slid in a direction substantially parallel to the rear surface of the housing and fixed to the housing, the protrusion of the battery cover enters the locking hole and is fitted or locked, so it is simple with a simple mechanism. Easy fastening operation and secure fastening force can be exhibited.
[0021]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. This mobile phone includes a lower housing 1, an upper housing (not shown), and a hinge 2 connecting these housings. And a battery (not shown) on the outer surface (rear surface) 1B of the lower housing 1 opposite to the inner surface (front surface) 1A (facing the upper housing). A battery compartment 11 having a substantially rectangular shape and a substantially concave cross section is formed for removably storing the pack, and a battery cover 12 is detachably attached to the battery compartment 11.
[0022]
Further, the lower housing 1 has a terminal chamber 13 provided on one side surface 1C, a mounting section 14 for mounting the earphone cap 3 for closing the terminal chamber 13, and one side on which the hinge section 2 is mounted. The connector room (not shown) provided on the other end surface (lower end surface) 1E opposite to the end surface (upper end surface) 1D, and a mounting portion 15 for mounting the connector cap 4 in the connector chamber are provided.
[0023]
In the vicinity of the battery chamber 11, step surfaces 11A to 11D surrounding four sides of the battery chamber 11, vertical walls 11E and 11F surrounding the step surfaces 11A and 11B, and a lock formed on the vertical walls 11E and 11F. Stop holes 11G and 11H are provided. Further, in the vicinity of the battery chamber 11, hook grooves 11K and 11L are provided on the vertical walls 11I and 11J that have fallen into the battery chamber 11 from the step surfaces 11C and 11D.
[0024]
The battery cover 12 not only closes the battery compartment 11 so as to prevent the battery pack from dropping off when attached to the battery compartment 11, as shown in FIG. It also has a function of pressing and fixing the portion 3A from above, and in FIG. 1, it is slid along the step surfaces 11C and 11D from the left (B) direction in a state substantially parallel to the outer surface 1B. To be attached.
[0025]
In addition, the battery cover 12 of this embodiment has a function of fixing the attached portion 3A of the connector cap 4 described later, in addition to the function of fixing the attached portion 3A of the earphone cap 3 as described above. I have.
[0026]
For this reason, the battery lid 12 is provided with hook-shaped substantially L-shaped main hooks 12A and 12B on the back surface along both side edges in the longitudinal direction, and a vertical wall surrounding the battery chamber 11 described above. The locking holes 11G and 11H (see FIG. 5) provided in the walls 11F and 11F are securely engaged. Further, the battery lid 12 is provided with auxiliary hook portions 12C and 12D each having a hook-like substantially L-shape and having a narrow width in the vicinity of both lateral edges in the short direction, and hooks formed on the vertical walls 11I and 11J. The grooves 11K and 11L are securely locked.
Although the present embodiment is applied to the horizontally slidable battery cover 12, the sliding direction of the battery cover 12 is not limited to this. For example, even in the case of vertical sliding, the same effect can be obtained. Needless to say, it can be obtained.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 1, the terminal chamber 13 is formed in a substantially round shape and has a substantially concave cross-section, so that a plug of an earphone (not shown) is inserted into the chamber of the terminal chamber 13 for electrical connection. The connection terminal (earphone jack) 13A is exposed so as to be exposed to the outside.
[0028]
The attachment portion 14 is for detachably attaching a later-described attached portion 3A provided on the earphone cap 3, and is formed near the battery chamber 11 as shown in FIGS. That is, the mounting portion 14 of the present embodiment is formed over two surfaces of the step surface 11A and the one side surface (outer peripheral surface) 1C formed one step lower than the outer surface 1B, and the side groove 14A and the side concave portion 14B are formed. And a communication hole 14C and a retaining hole 14D.
[0029]
The connector room (not shown) not only connects to a household commercial power supply and charges a battery pack (not shown), but also responds to a wide range of users' demands with various external devices such as PDA and mobile. Tools, pocket-type game devices, camera devices, navigation devices, and the like can be appropriately connected and used. For this purpose, a signal input / output connector (not shown) is provided.
[0030]
The mounting portion 15 is for fixing and holding the connector in the connector chamber, and is a substantially rectangular recess for accommodating and fixing two thin plate-like base portions (mounting portions) 4A extending from both sides of the connector cap 4. 15A and the like. In this recess 15A, a round hole formed in the center of the base 4A of the connector cap 4 is engaged with a pin-shaped projection projecting low from the central floor surface. The cover 12 is pressed from above to prevent the lid 12 from coming off.
[0031]
The earphone cap 3 is for closing the terminal chamber 13 so as to be openable and closable, and is formed of an elastic material such as rubber and an appropriate material having a relatively high friction coefficient.
As shown in FIG. 3, the earphone cap 3 according to the present embodiment includes a substantially round plug-shaped closing portion 31, a substantially thin plate-shaped curved portion 32 connected to the closing portion 31, and a curved portion 32. It has a relatively simple shape having a substantially box-shaped stopper portion 34 connected by a neck portion 33 extending from the back surface. The earphone cap 3 is made of a material having a high coefficient of friction, so that the closing portion 31 attached to the terminal chamber 13 and the curved portion 32 attached to the side groove 14A and the side recess 14B do not easily come off. be able to.
[0032]
Of these, the neck portion 33 and the retaining portion 34 constitute the attached portion 3A, and are configured so that they can be directly dropped from the upper side where the attaching portion 14 of the lower housing 1 is opened and fitted. Have been. The curved portion 32 is fitted in the side groove 14A and the side concave portion 14B of the mounting portion 14 shown in FIG. Thus, the earphone cap 3 is completely embedded in the side surface of the lower housing 1, and a part of the closing portion 31 (for example, when removing the closing portion 31 to open the terminal chamber 13, , Etc.), so as not to protrude outside.
[0033]
Next, when the earphone cap 3 according to the present embodiment is damaged or broken, a replacement operation when replacing the earphone cap will be described.
(1) First, in FIG. 5, when the battery cover 12 provided on the outer surface (rear surface) 1B of the lower housing 1 is pushed out in a direction opposite to the mounting (B) direction, the battery cover 12 shown in FIG. The main hook portions 12A and 12B provided on the back surface escape from the locking holes 11G and 11H, respectively. In addition, since the auxiliary hook portions 12C and 12D also escape from the hook grooves 11K and 11L, the battery lid 12 can be removed from the lower housing 1.
[0034]
(2) Then, in the lower housing 1 with the battery lid 12 removed and opened, the attached portion 3A of the earphone cap 3 dropped into the attachment portion 14 of the step surface 11A is pulled out and taken out. When performing this removal operation, if the neck portion 33 or the like is torn or cut off to separate the curved portion 32 side and the retaining portion 34 side, for example, first, the closing portion 31 and the curved portion 32 After pulling out the side from the side, the stopper 33 is pulled up while piercing the neck 33 with an appropriate thin needle-shaped jig or the like, so that it can be easily removed.
[0035]
(3) Then, next, a new earphone cap 3 is prepared, and the attached part 3A is formed on the step surface 11A of the lower housing 1 while, for example, holding the closing part 31 with the finger of one hand. While being applied to the opening portion of the mounting portion 14, the mounting portion 3A is dropped as it is, or the mounted portion 3A is pressed in the A direction (see FIGS. 1 and 4) from above with the fingertip of the other hand. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, the neck 33 and the retaining portion 34, which are the attached portions 3A of the cap 3, are completely fitted into the communication holes 14C and the retaining holes 14D (see FIG. 2) which are the attaching portions 14. Attach so that it fits.
In addition, the closing portion 31 of the earphone cap 3 is attached to the terminal chamber 13, and the curved portion 32 is fitted into the side groove 14A and the side recess 14B.
[0036]
(4) Finally, the battery cover 12 is placed in the open battery compartment 11 of the lower housing 1 in the direction B substantially parallel to the back surface 1B of the lower housing 1 (see FIG. 1), and the step surfaces 11C and 11D. Slide up. When the battery cover 12 is fixed to the lower housing 1 in this manner, the main hook portions 12A and 12B of the battery cover 12 enter and engage with the locking holes 11G and 11H, and the auxiliary hook portions 12C and 12D. Also engage with the hook grooves 11K and 11L, so that they are firmly fixed.
[0037]
(5) As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the side edge 12E of the battery cover 11 hits one surface (the upper surface in FIG. 5) of the neck 33 and the retaining portion 34 of the attached portion 3A, and the one side ( Since the earphone cap 3 is securely fixed and held from the upper side in FIG. 5, the earphone cap 3 can be easily prevented from coming off.
[0038]
Thus, according to the present embodiment, earphone cap 3 having a small size can be formed with a relatively simple shape. For example, the earphone cap 3 of the present embodiment has a simple structure having a retaining portion 34 connected by a neck 33 constricted from the curved portion 32, but is fixed and held by using the fixing force of the battery lid 12. As a result, a secure retaining force and a simple attaching / detaching operation can be realized at the same time, and since the structure is simple, it is easy to mold the earphone cap 3, and as a result, the manufacturing cost is reduced. Reduction can also be achieved.
[0039]
In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to the openable / closable mobile phone 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a rod-shaped (straight) mobile phone may be used. Further, the present invention is not limited to such various types of mobile phones, but can be applied to various types of mobile electronic devices. Further, in the present embodiment, the battery cover 12 and the battery pack are configured separately, but a configuration in which the battery is integrally fixed to the back surface of the battery cover 12 may be employed.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention provides a terminal chamber that is provided in a concave shape on a housing and exposes a connection terminal for electrical connection with the outside, a cap that has elasticity and closes the terminal chamber in an openable and closable manner, A portable electronic device comprising: a mounting portion formed on a body and removably mounting a mounting portion provided on a cap; and a battery chamber provided in a housing in a concave shape and removably containing a battery and closed by a battery lid, The mounting portion is formed at a portion facing the outer peripheral surface in the vicinity of the battery chamber, and the mounted portion of the cap after being mounted on the mounting portion is fixed by a part of the battery lid mounted on the battery chamber.
[0041]
Therefore, according to the present invention, a cap such as an earphone cap or a connector cap can be easily mounted, and can be securely fixed to the housing portion, and the cap can be formed in a relatively simple shape. Become like
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which a battery cover is removed from a lower housing of a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention and opened.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the lower housing of the mobile phone of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, showing the vicinity of a mounting portion where an earphone cap is mounted.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing an earphone cap attached to the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part showing a state when an earphone cap is attached to a mounting portion of the lower housing of the mobile phone of the present invention shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part taken along line VV in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part showing a state in which a cap is attached to a housing of a conventional mobile phone.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Lower housing 1A Inner surface (surface)
1B Outside (back)
1C One side (outer surface)
1D One end face (top face)
1E End face on the other side (bottom face)
1F Narrow width step 11 Battery compartment 11F, 11F
Vertical wall 11G, 11H
Lock holes 11I, 11J
Vertical wall 11K, 11L
Hook 12 Battery cover 12A, 12B
Main hook parts 12C, 12D
Auxiliary hook 12E Side edge 13 Terminal (earphone jack) room 13A Connection terminal (earphone jack)
14 Mounting part 14A Side groove 14B Side recess 14C Communication hole (mounting part)
14D retaining hole (mounting part)
15 Mounting portion 15A Recess 2 Hinge 3 Earphone cap 3A Mounted portion 31 Closed portion 32 Curved portion 33 Neck (Mounted portion)
34 Detachable part (attached part)
4 Connector cap 4A Base (attached part)
A Mounting direction (of earphone cap) B Mounting direction (of battery cover)

Claims (3)

A terminal chamber formed on the outer surface of the housing and containing a connection terminal for connecting to an external device; an elastic cap for closing the terminal chamber so that the terminal chamber can be opened and closed; and a mounting member formed near the terminal chamber and provided on the cap. A portable electronic device comprising: a mounting portion for detachably mounting the unit; and a battery chamber for detachably storing a battery for supplying power to various electronic components provided in the housing,
The mounting portion is formed at a predetermined portion facing the outer peripheral surface of the housing near the battery chamber,
A portable electronic device, wherein a portion to which the cap is attached after being attached to the attachment portion is fixed by a battery lid detachably fixed to the battery chamber. The attached portion of the cap has a constricted neck portion and a retaining portion that is connected at the neck portion and is larger than the neck portion,
2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the attachment portion on the housing side has a communication hole into which the neck and the retaining portion on the cap side are dropped and fitted, and a retaining hole. 3. The battery lid has a hook portion that is slid along the back surface of the housing provided with the battery compartment, and the housing has a hole for fixing the hook portion in a direction substantially parallel to the back surface. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

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