JP2008111984A - Portable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin portable electronic device. <P>SOLUTION: A main aperture 41 is formed on the outer surface of a display section side casing 3 of a portable telephone 1. A main liquid crystal display device 60 is inserted into the main aperture 41. A main transparent substrate 61 constituting the display section of the main liquid crystal display device 60 comprises a transparent substrate composed of any one of tempered glass, sapphire, and light-transmissive ceramics. The transparent substrate constitutes a part of the outer surface of the display section side casing 3. Thus, a light transmissive window for display conventionally arranged on liquid crystal surface glass, and a cushioning material conventionally arranged between the light-transmissive window for display and the liquid crystal surface glass can be eliminated, and the portable electronic device can be made thinner. Also, since the main transparent substrate 61 is composed of any one of tempered glass, sapphire, and light-transmissive ceramics, the rigidity of the casing can be maintained even when the portable electronic device is made thin. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone, a digital camera, and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) equipped with a display device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, display devices are mounted on portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the display unit side body 203 in a foldable mobile phone 201 including a display unit side body 203 and an operation unit side body (not shown) as an example of the mobile electronic device. As shown in the drawing, the display unit side body 203 includes a front side case 240a located on the front surface side 225 facing the operation unit side body in a folded state, and a rear side case 240b located on the rear surface side 229 thereof. And they are assembled and integrated. The front side case 240a is provided with a substantially rectangular main opening 241 and the rear side case 240b is provided with a substantially rectangular sub-opening 242 smaller than the main opening 241. The main opening 241 and the sub-opening 242 have step portions 247 and 253 at the inner edges, respectively.

  In these openings 241 and 242, display devices 260 and 266 each having display surfaces 226 and 232 are accommodated with the display surfaces 226 and 232 facing outside the openings 241 and 242. Further, on the outside of the display surfaces 226 and 232, a display translucent window called a cover plate or a trim plate, which constitutes a part of the outer surface of the display unit side body 203 and protects the display surfaces 226 and 232, is provided. 205 and 206 are respectively arranged. The display translucent windows 205 and 206 are placed on the step portions 247 and 253 of the openings 241 and 242, and the double-sided adhesive tapes 274 and 275 are provided over the entire periphery of the outer edge of the step portions 247 and 253. The dust is prevented from entering the display unit side body 203 from between the display translucent windows 205 and 206 and the stepped portions 247 and 253. Further, cushioning materials 207 and 208 such as sponges and rubbers are arranged between the display translucent windows 205 and 206 and the display surfaces 226 and 232, and the display translucent windows 205 and 206 and the display surfaces 226 and 232 This prevents the dust inside the display unit side body 203 from entering the gap.

Further, although not shown in the figure, in the configuration substantially the same as FIG. 5, it further extends downward from the inner edge of the stepped portion of the display unit side housing toward the inside of the display unit side housing, and is opposed to sandwich the display device, In addition, by providing a pair of rib members provided with slits, a claw portion is provided on the side surface of the display device, and the claw of the display device is fitted into the slit, thereby making the display device more stable with respect to the display unit side housing. Some are fixed (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-186171 A

  In recent years, portable electronic devices are required to be thin. However, in the conventional portable electronic device, the display translucent window is arranged on the display surface, and thus the size of the casing in the thickness direction is large. In order to reduce the thickness, it is also possible to reduce the thickness of the display transparent window, the double-sided adhesive tape between the display transparent window and the stepped portion, the buffer material between the display transparent window and the display surface, and the like. However, from the viewpoint of maintaining the rigidity of the housing and protecting the display surface, the display transparent window cannot be made too thin. Further, if the double-sided adhesive tape between the display transparent window and the stepped portion is thinned, the display transparent window may fall off due to the impact when the portable electronic device is dropped. Furthermore, if the buffer material between the display light transmission window and the display surface is thinned, the gap between the display light transmission window and the display surface is reduced, and the display light transmission window is deformed and strengthened. There is a risk of damaging the display surface when it collides with an unillustrated glass display surface.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to achieve a reduction in thickness while maintaining the rigidity of a casing constituting a portable electronic device.

  In order to solve the above object, according to the present invention, a part of the outer surface of the casing is made of a transparent substrate made of any one of tempered glass, sapphire, and translucent ceramic, and the transparent substrate is provided in the casing. The problem is solved by providing a portable electronic device that constitutes the display surface of the display device.

  The housing includes an opening having a stepped portion at an inner edge, and the display device includes one transparent substrate constituting the display surface, another transparent substrate disposed opposite to the one transparent substrate, A liquid crystal layer disposed between two transparent substrates, and an outer edge of the display device may be accommodated in the opening in a state of being placed on the stepped portion.

  The housing includes an opening having a stepped portion at an inner edge, and the display device is arranged so as to face the one transparent substrate, and to be wider than the one transparent substrate. The other transparent substrate and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the two transparent substrates, and the outer edge of one transparent substrate constituting the display surface is placed on the stepped portion. It may be stored in the opening.

  According to the present invention, since the transparent substrate that constitutes the display surface of the display device constitutes a part of the outer surface of the housing, the light transmitting window for display is not required, and the portable electronic device is thinned. be able to. In addition, since the transparent substrate is made of any one of tempered glass, sapphire, and translucent ceramic and has high rigidity, the rigidity of the casing can be maintained even if the portable electronic device is thinned by eliminating the translucent window for display. Can do.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below. 1 and 2 are external perspective views of the foldable mobile phone 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an opened state, and FIG. 2 shows a closed state.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 1 includes an operation unit side body 2 and a display unit side body 3. The operation unit side body 2 includes an operation button group 7 and a voice input unit 8 to which a voice uttered by a user of the mobile phone 1 is inputted on the front side 4. The operation button group 7 includes a function setting operation button 9 for operating various functions such as various settings, a phone book function, and a mail function, and an input operation button 10 for inputting a telephone number and characters such as mail. And a determination operation button 11 for performing determination and scrolling in various operations.

  An earphone connection portion 14 and an external connection portion 15 are provided on one side surface 13 of the operation unit side body 2 shown in FIG. 1, and these connection portions 14 and 15 are respectively provided with caps 16 and 17 that can be opened and closed. Covered. Further, the other side surface 19 of the operation unit side body 2 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with a side key 20 to which a predetermined function is assigned and an external memory insertion unit 21. Similar to the earphone connector 14 and the external connector 15 provided on the side surface 13, the cap 22 is covered with an openable / closable cap 22.

  Returning to FIG. 1, when the display unit side body 3 is closed, the display unit side body 3 has a main display surface 26 for displaying various information on the surface side 25 facing the front surface side 4 of the operation unit side body 2, and a call partner. And an audio output unit 27 that outputs the side audio. In addition, on the back side 29, which is the opposite side of the front side 25 shown in FIG. 2, a camera 30 for imaging the subject, a light 31 for irradiating the subject with light, and auxiliary information on the main display surface 26 are displayed. A sub display surface 32 is arranged.

  The operation unit side body 2 and the display unit side body 3 are coupled via a hinge mechanism 35 as shown in FIG. Then, the mobile phone 1 moves the operation unit side body 2 and the display unit side body 3 relatively connected to each other via the hinge mechanism 35, so that the operation unit side body 2 and the display unit side body are moved. 3 can be opened or folded with respect to each other.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the display unit side body 3 taken along line III-III shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the display unit side body 3 includes a main liquid crystal display device 60, a circuit board 58, a sub liquid crystal display device 66, and a case 40 for housing them.

  The main liquid crystal display device 60 includes a main transparent substrate 61 and a main transparent substrate 62 constituting the main display surface 26, and transparent electrodes (see FIG. 5) are provided on opposing surfaces of the main transparent substrate 61 and the main transparent substrate 62, respectively. (Not shown) is formed. The main transparent substrate 61 and the main transparent substrate 62 are joined by a main liquid crystal sealing portion 63 and liquid crystal (not shown) is sealed to form a liquid crystal layer. A main liquid crystal light guide plate 59 is disposed on the side not facing the reference numeral 61. In addition, a decorative layer 70 formed by, for example, metal vapor deposition is provided on the edge of the main transparent substrate 61 on the surface side 25.

  Similarly to the main liquid crystal display device 60, the sub liquid crystal display device 66 also includes a sub transparent substrate 67 and a sub transparent substrate 68 that constitute the sub display surface 32. Transparent electrodes (not shown) are also formed on opposing surfaces of the sub transparent substrate 67 and the sub transparent substrate 68 facing each other, and a sub liquid crystal is sealed between the sub transparent substrate 67 and the sub transparent substrate 68. A liquid crystal layer is formed by being joined by the portion 69 and enclosing a liquid crystal (not shown). A sub liquid crystal light guide plate 65 is disposed on the side of the sub transparent substrate 68 not facing the sub transparent substrate 67. In addition, a decoration layer 71 is provided on the edge of the back surface side 29 in the sub transparent substrate 67.

  The case 40 has a main opening 41 on the surface side 25 for housing the main liquid crystal display device 60 and the circuit board 58. The surface of the case 40 bends downward in the thickness direction at both ends of the main opening 41 and extends a predetermined length to form a first wall portion 46, and the width direction at the end portion of the first wall portion 46. The main step portion 47 is formed at the inner edge of the main opening 41 by bending inwardly. The main liquid crystal display device 60 is accommodated in the main opening 41 in a state where the outer edge of the main transparent substrate 62 is placed on the main stepped portion 47 via the double-sided adhesive tape 74.

  The case 40 also has a sub-opening 42 on the back side 29 for housing the sub-liquid crystal display device 66. The surface of the case 40 bends upward in the thickness direction at both ends of the sub opening 42 and extends a predetermined length to form a second wall portion 43, and at the end of the second wall portion 43, the width direction By bending inward, a sub step portion 53 is formed at the inner edge of the sub opening 42. The sub liquid crystal display device 66 is accommodated in the sub opening 42 in a state where the outer edge of the sub transparent substrate 68 is placed on the sub step portion 53 via the double-sided adhesive tape 75.

Here, the main transparent substrate 61 and the sub transparent substrate 67 are made of tempered glass. The tempered glass is obtained, for example, by heating a plate glass to about 700 ° C. and then spraying air on the surface of the glass to quench it uniformly to form a compressed layer on the surface side. Table 1 shown below is a table showing the rigidity and strength of the tempered glass used in the present embodiment. In addition, this intensity | strength was measured by applying a weight in the both-ends holding state. As shown in the table, the tempered glass has a rigidity of 22.3 times when acrylic is 1. In addition, the strength is 2.6 for a common glass having the same thickness of 0.9 at the end face, and 6.7 for a general glass of 2.7 at the center. It becomes. Therefore, it has higher rigidity than acrylic and has higher strength than acrylic and normal glass. Moreover, even if it is a case where it breaks, in the case of tempered glass, since it has the characteristic that glass becomes granular, it is hard to form a big fragment and can reduce the possibility of harming a user.

  When assembling the display unit side body 3, first, the circuit board 58 is inserted from the main opening 41 of the case 40. Next, the main liquid crystal display device 60 is inserted together with the main liquid crystal light guide plate 59. At this time, the double-sided adhesive tape 74 is attached to the main step portion 47, and the edge of the main transparent substrate 62 of the main liquid crystal display device 60 is attached to the main step portion 47. Here, the height in the width direction of the first wall portion 46 is substantially the same as the combined height of the main liquid crystal display device 60 and the double-sided adhesive tape 74, and the main liquid crystal display device 60 is attached to the double-sided adhesive tape 74. When placed on the main stepped portion 47, the height of the surface of the main transparent substrate 61 of the main liquid crystal display device 60 and the surface of the case 40 on both sides of the main opening 41 are substantially the same. That is, a part of the outer surface 45 of the display unit side body 3 is made of tempered glass, and the tempered glass constitutes the main display surface 26 of the main liquid crystal display device 60 provided in the display unit side body 3. Further, since the decorative layer 70 is formed on the edge portion on the front surface side 25 of the main transparent substrate 61, even when the main transparent substrate 61 is viewed from the front surface side 25, the double-sided adhesive tape 74 is transparent. Never see.

  Next, the sub liquid crystal display device 66 is inserted from the sub opening 42. At this time, the double-sided adhesive tape 75 is attached to the sub step portion 53, and the edge portion on the outside of the sub transparent substrate 68 of the sub liquid crystal display device 66 is attached to the sub step portion 53. In the present embodiment, a decorative decorative panel 54 is fitted around the sub-opening 42 on the back surface side 29 of the display unit side body 3, and the decorative panel 54 is an outer surface of the display unit side body 3. 45 is configured. When the sub liquid crystal display device 66 is disposed on the sub step portion 53 via the double-sided adhesive tape 75, the height of the surface of the sub transparent substrate 67 and the surface of the decorative panel are substantially the same. That is, a part of the outer surface 45 of the display unit side body 3 is made of tempered glass, and the tempered glass constitutes the sub display surface 32 of the sub liquid crystal display device 66 provided in the display unit side body 3. In addition, since the decorative layer 71 is formed on the edge of the sub transparent substrate 67 on the back surface side 29, the double-sided adhesive tape 75 can be seen through even when the sub transparent substrate 67 is viewed from the back surface side 29. Never see.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the main transparent substrate 61 constituting the main display surface 26 of the main liquid crystal display device 60 and the sub transparent substrate 67 constituting the sub display surface 32 of the sub liquid crystal display device 66 are displayed. Since a part of the outer surface 45 of the side housing 3 is configured, the conventionally provided translucent window for display becomes unnecessary, and the mobile phone 1 can be thinned. Further, since a display light-transmitting window is unnecessary, a dustproof sheet that has been conventionally required between the decorative panel and the liquid crystal surface glass is also unnecessary. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness by the thickness of the display transparent window and the dustproof sheet.

  Further, since the main transparent substrate 61 and the sub transparent substrate 67 are made of tempered glass, sufficient rigidity can be ensured even if the display unit side body 3 is made thin, and the conventionally used liquid crystal reinforced metal plate is omitted. It is also possible to do. Although this metal plate may also serve as a countermeasure against static electricity, this countermeasure against static electricity can be achieved by adding a metal vapor deposition film to the back side of the casing.

  Further, since the tempered glass provides a wide range of flatness, the sealing performance between the display unit side body 3 and the liquid crystal display devices 60 and 66 can be improved, and dust or the like inside the display unit side body 3 can be improved. Intrusion into can be further reduced. Further, since the flatness is high, the gloss of the appearance is good and a high-class design feeling can be obtained.

  Since the main transparent substrate 61 and the sub transparent substrate 67 on which images are actually displayed on the display surfaces 26 and 32 are on the outer surface 45 of the display unit side body 3, the effective visual field is widened. Moreover, by providing the decoration layers 70 and 71, the adhesion part of the double-sided adhesive tapes 74 and 75 can be hidden, and the appearance as a product can be kept good.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, the description of the same parts as in the first embodiment is omitted. The sub liquid crystal display device has the same configuration as that of the main liquid crystal display device, and thus the description thereof is omitted. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a partial cross section of the display unit side body 103 according to the second embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the main liquid crystal display device 160 is a so-called chip-on-glass liquid crystal display device, unlike the first embodiment. The width of the main transparent substrate 162 is narrower than the width of the main transparent substrate 161, and an extended portion 164 that does not overlap the main transparent substrate 162 exists at the outer edge of the main transparent substrate 161 on the main transparent substrate 162 side. A driving IC chip (not shown) is mounted on the extending portion 164 so as to be electrically connected to each of the transparent electrodes of the transparent substrates 161 and 162. A flexible cable 176 is connected to the driving IC chip, and the flexible cable 176 is further connected to a circuit board (not shown). A main liquid crystal light guide plate 159 is attached to the side of the main transparent substrate 162 that does not face the main transparent substrate 161. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, a decorative layer 170 is provided on the outer edge of the extended portion 164 in the main transparent substrate 161.

  A main stepped portion 147 is formed on the inner edge of the main opening 141 of the case 140 as in the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the main liquid crystal display device 160 is accommodated in the main opening 141 with the outer edge of the extending portion 164 of the main transparent substrate 161 placed on the main stepped portion 147. is there.

  When assembling the display unit side housing 103, first, the main liquid crystal display device 160 is inserted from the main opening 141 of the case 140 together with the main liquid crystal light guide plate 159, and the outer edge of the extending portion 164 of the main liquid crystal display device 160 is main. Placed on the stepped portion 147. At this time, since the double-sided adhesive tape 174 is attached to the main step portion 147, the outer edge of the extended portion 164 is attached to the main step portion 147. The height of the first wall portion 146 in the thickness direction is substantially the same as the combined height of the main transparent substrate 161 and the double-sided adhesive tape 174 of the main liquid crystal display device 160, and the main liquid crystal display device 160 is placed in the case. When arranged in 140, the height of the surface of the main transparent substrate 161 of the main liquid crystal display device 160 and the surface of both sides of the main opening 141 of the case 140 are substantially the same. That is, a part of the outer surface 145 of the display unit side body 103 is composed of a main transparent substrate 161 made of a transparent substrate, and the main transparent substrate 161 is a main display of the main liquid crystal display device 160 provided in the display unit side body 103. A surface 126 is formed. Further, since the decorative layer 170 is formed on the edge of the back side of the main transparent substrate 161, the double-sided adhesive tape 174 can be seen through even when the main transparent substrate 161 is viewed from the front side 125. There is no.

  According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the present invention can be applied to a chip-on-glass type liquid crystal display device. further. Since the decorative layer 170 is provided on the back side of the main transparent substrate 161, the decorative layer 170 is not conspicuous when viewed from the front surface side.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this. In the present embodiment, a mobile phone has been described as a mobile electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other mobile electronic devices such as a digital camera and a PDA may be used. It is not limited to, but may be a so-called straight type. Further, the display unit may be provided on either the front side or the back side.

  Moreover, although the transparent substrate and transparent substrate as a display surface used the tempered glass formed by the above-mentioned method, this invention is not limited to this, Regardless of a kind or tempering method, other tempered glass Even so, it is applicable. Furthermore, the transparent substrate and the transparent substrate are not limited to tempered glass, and may be sapphire, translucent ceramics, or the like as long as it is a transparent material having high strength.

  Furthermore, the display device is not limited to the liquid crystal display device, and may be another display device as long as the display surface is formed of a transparent substrate made of any one of tempered glass, sapphire, and translucent ceramics. .

It is the external appearance perspective view which showed the open state of the foldable mobile telephone. It is the external appearance perspective view which showed the closed state of the foldable mobile telephone. It is sectional drawing which concerns on 1st Embodiment of the display part side housing | casing along the III-III line | wire shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of a display part side housing | casing. It is sectional drawing which concerns on the prior art of a display part side housing | casing.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cellular phone 3,103 Display part side housing | casing 25,125 Front side 26,126 Main display surface 29 Back side 32 Sub display surface 40,140 Case 41,141 Main opening part 42 Sub opening part 47,147 Main step part 53 Sub-level difference portion 58 Circuit board 60, 160 Main liquid crystal display device 61, 151 Main transparent substrate 62, 162 Main transparent substrate 66 Sub liquid crystal display device 67 Sub transparent substrate 68 Sub transparent substrate 70, 170 Decorating layer 71 Decorating layer 74, 174 Double-sided adhesive tape 75 Double-sided adhesive tape

Claims (3)

  A part of the outer surface of the housing is made of a transparent substrate made of any one of tempered glass, sapphire, and translucent ceramic, and the transparent substrate constitutes a display surface of a display device provided in the housing. A portable electronic device characterized by The housing includes an opening having a step portion on an inner edge,
The display device includes one transparent substrate constituting the display surface, another transparent substrate disposed opposite to the one transparent substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the two transparent substrates. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein an outer edge of the display device is accommodated in the opening in a state of being placed on the stepped portion. The housing includes an opening having a step portion on an inner edge,
The display device includes one transparent substrate constituting the display surface, another transparent substrate disposed opposite to the one transparent substrate and having a narrower width than the one transparent substrate, and the two transparent substrates. 2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising: a liquid crystal layer disposed, wherein an outer edge of one transparent substrate constituting the display surface is housed in the opening while being placed on the stepped portion. .

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