JP2009199301A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide high quality slide type or rotation type electronic equipment whose scale reduction, thickness reduction, weight reduction, and cost reduction can be achieved by reducing components, and which includes an opening/closing mechanism for securing long term stable opening/closing and maintaining functions and an opening/closing state detection function. <P>SOLUTION: Two casings are piled up, and connected so as to move sliding by linear movement or rotational movement, and the opposite faces positioned at the overlapped part of the casings are brought into contact with each other, and when the casings are put in such a state that the opposite faces are not exposed, that is, the closed state that the casings are closed, the closed state is maintained, and being the closed state is sensed by a magnet 4 arranged on one upper casing 1 and a first magnetic substance 5 and a magnetic sensor 7 arranged on the other lower casing 2. Also, when the casings are made to move sliding, and put in such a state that the opposite faces are exposed, that is, the opened state that the casings are opened, the opened state is maintained by the second magnetic substance 6 and the magnet 4 arranged on the other lower casing 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus having a slide type or rotary type opening / closing mechanism suitable for a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

  In recent years, many electronic devices having the opening / closing mechanism described above incorporate various functions such as a digital camera function and a one-segment function. Especially in mobile phones, not only phone calls but also LCD functions have been enlarged with the expansion of functions such as e-mail function, browser function, TV function, etc., and mobile phone types can be slid from straight or folding. Many formulas and rotary types are used. By using a slide type or a rotary type, various functions can be accessed with a simple operation, and one-handed operation can be facilitated to improve operability. Furthermore, in order to improve portability, the number of parts is reduced, and the demands for size reduction, thickness reduction, and weight reduction are becoming more severe.

  5A and 5B are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining a portable terminal having a conventional folding-type opening / closing mechanism. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the upper casing 1 is closed, and FIG. Each of the opened states in the direction indicated by the arrow R around the rotation shaft 9 is shown. In the mobile phone, an upper housing 1 and a lower housing 2 are connected by a rotation shaft 9, a magnet 4 is disposed on the upper housing 1, and a magnetic sensor 7 is disposed in the lower housing 2 at a position facing the magnet 4. This is the structure. In the open / close detection, the open / close state is identified by detecting the presence or absence of the magnetic force of the magnet 4 with the magnetic sensor 7. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the upper casing 1 is closed, the magnet 4 and the magnetic sensor 7 face each other, so the magnetic sensor 7 senses the magnetic force of the magnet 4 and the two casings are closed. Recognize that it is in a state. On the other hand, when the upper housing 1 is opened as shown in FIG. 5B, the magnet 4 and the magnetic sensor 7 are separated from each other, so that the magnetic sensor 7 cannot sense the magnetic force of the magnet 4 and the two housings are opened. Recognize that it is in a state. Such an electronic device having an opening / closing mechanism and an opening / closing detection function is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

  6A and 6B are cross-sectional schematic views illustrating a conventional mobile terminal having a spring-type opening / closing mechanism using a spring. FIG. 6A shows a state in which the upper housing 1 is closed, and FIG. Each of the housings 1 is shown in the opened state by sliding in the direction indicated by the arrow S. A spring 10 and a stopper member 11 are used for the opening / closing mechanism of the cellular phone. Such an electronic apparatus having an opening / closing mechanism is disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-167306 JP 2002-125025 A

  However, in FIG. 5, the magnet and the magnetic sensor only have an action on the detection function of the open / close state, and it is necessary to use another member for maintaining the open / close state.

  Further, in the conventional sliding type mobile phone shown in FIG. 6, the sliding operation of the housing indicated by the arrow S uses the spring 10 and the stopper member 11 is used for holding the open / closed state. The increase in the number of opening / closing operations inevitably causes deterioration of the elastic force due to mechanical fatigue of the spring 10, and there is a problem that the long-term stability of the sliding operation is impaired. Further, the spring and the stopper member hinder the downsizing and thinning of the housing.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and can be reduced in size, reduced in thickness, reduced in weight, and further reduced in cost, and an opening / closing mechanism capable of ensuring a long-term stable opening / closing and holding function, and an opening / closing state An object is to provide a high-quality slide-type or rotary-type electronic device having both of the above-described detection functions.

  In order to solve these problems, the present invention overlaps two casings and connects them so as to slide by linear movement or rotational movement, and makes the opposing surfaces located in the overlapping part of the casings contact each other. When the casing is closed, that is, when the casing is closed, the opposing surfaces are not exposed, the magnet disposed in one casing and the first magnetic body and magnetic sensor disposed in the other casing, When the closed state is detected and the closed state is detected, the casing is slid to expose the opposing surfaces. When the casing is in an open state, that is, in the open state, the other casing is The second magnetic body disposed on the body and the magnet are configured to hold the open state.

  In order to effectively perform the holding and sensing, the arrangement of the magnet, the magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor is important. Therefore, in the closed state, the magnet, the first magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor It arrange | positions so that it may be located in a line on the axis | shaft orthogonal to the opposing surface. Further, in the open state, the magnet and the second magnetic body are similarly arranged so as to be aligned on an axis orthogonal to the facing surface. Further, in the closed state, it is preferable to arrange the magnet, the magnetic sensor, and the first magnetic body on the shaft in this order because the housings can be held and the closed state can be efficiently detected.

  When the arrangement of the magnet, the magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor in the closed state and the open state is reversed, that is, in the closed state, the magnet and the first magnetic body face each other. It is arranged so that it is arranged in a line on an axis perpendicular to the surface, and in the open state, it is arranged so that the magnet, the second magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are also arranged on the axis perpendicular to the opposing surface. May be.

  That is, the magnet disposed in one of the two housings has an action of detecting the open / closed state of the housing by the magnetic force detecting action of the magnet with respect to the magnetic sensor disposed to face the other housing, Further, at least one magnetic body disposed opposite to the other housing has an action of maintaining each state when the housing is opened and closed by the magnetic attraction of the magnet.

  With this configuration, in the present invention, by combining a small number of small parts consisting of only a magnet, a magnetic sensor, and a magnetic body, both an opening / closing and holding mechanism having long-term operational stability and an opening / closing detection function of the housing are provided. It is possible to have both.

  According to the present invention, two housings slidably connected to each other so as to be in an open state in which the opposing surfaces are exposed and in a closed state in which the opposing surfaces are not exposed, the magnet and the magnetic sensor, An electronic apparatus having a magnetic body and a second magnetic body, wherein the magnet is disposed on one side of the casing, and the first magnetic body, the second magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are disposed on the other side. In the closed state, the magnet, the first magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are located on an axis perpendicular to the facing surface, and in the open state, the magnet and the second magnetic body are An electronic device is obtained that is located on the axis.

  According to the present invention, in the closed state, the magnetic sensor is located between the magnet and the first magnetic body. Thus, an electronic apparatus can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, two housings slidably connected to each other so as to be in an open state in which the opposing surfaces are exposed and in a closed state in which the opposing surfaces are not exposed, the magnet and the magnetic sensor, An electronic apparatus having a magnetic body and a second magnetic body, wherein the magnet is disposed on one side of the casing, and the first magnetic body, the second magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are disposed on the other side. In the open state, the magnet, the second magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are located on an axis orthogonal to the facing surface, and in the closed state, the magnet and the first magnetic body are An electronic device is obtained that is located on the axis.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an electronic apparatus in which the magnetic sensor is positioned between the magnet and the second magnetic body in the open state.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an electronic apparatus in which the slide movement is either a linear movement or a rotational movement.

  The magnet functions to detect the open / closed state of the two casings for the magnetic sensor, and maintains the respective states when the two casings are opened / closed for the first and second magnetic bodies. Thus, an electronic device characterized by having both functions of obtaining the above can be obtained.

  An electronic apparatus is obtained in which the magnetic force of the magnet magnetizes the first and second magnetic bodies, and the two casings are held open and closed by the magnetizing force.

  The magnetic sensor has a function of detecting the open / closed state of the two casings by detecting the magnetic force of the magnet, thereby obtaining an electronic apparatus.

  According to the present invention, in an electronic device capable of sliding movement such as linear movement or rotational movement, the opening / closing operation is performed manually, the opening / closing state is maintained by a magnet and a magnetic body, and the opening / closing state detection of the housing is used for maintaining the opening / closing state. By using a conventional magnet and magnetic sensor, the conventional springs and stoppers can be eliminated, and the above opening / closing mechanism has long-term operational stability and is also equipped with an opening / closing detection function at the same time, with high quality, small size, light weight, and low cost. It is possible to provide an electronic device having an open / close mechanism. Hereinafter, a case where the case is slid by linear movement is referred to as a slide type, and a case where the case is slid by rotational movement is referred to as a rotary type.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an electronic apparatus using a sliding opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state where an upper casing is closed, and FIG. -A sectional drawing is shown, respectively.

  2A and 2B are diagrams for explaining an electronic apparatus using a slide-type opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention, in which FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the upper housing in an opened state, and FIG. 2B is B in FIG. 2A. -B sectional drawing is shown, respectively.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which an upper housing 1 and a lower housing 2 of an electronic device such as a mobile phone are closed, with a liquid crystal panel 3 on the upper surface of the upper housing 1 and a keyboard (not shown) on the lower housing 2. Etc. are arranged. As shown in FIG. 1B, a magnet 4 is disposed at one end portion in the sliding direction indicated by the arrow S in the upper housing 1, and the first is located in the lower housing 2 at a position facing the magnet 4. The magnetic body 5 and the magnetic sensor 7 are arranged so as to overlap each other, and are separated from the first magnetic body 5 by a predetermined distance at the position of the other end in the sliding direction indicated by the arrow S. The body 6 is arranged. That is, the arrangement positional relationship of the magnet 4, the first magnetic body 5, and the magnetic sensor 7 is arranged on an orthogonal axis, the first magnetic body 5 is magnetized by the magnetic force of the magnet 4, and the two upper housings are mutually attracted by the attraction force. 1 and the lower housing 2 are held. At the same time, the magnetic sensor 7 detects the magnetic force from the magnet 4 and outputs a signal. Then, in response to the signal, the electronic device recognizes that the two housings are closed, and turns off the power of the liquid crystal display unit.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 are opened (here, the upper housing 1 is moved in the sliding direction indicated by the arrow S), and the upper housing as shown in FIG. The magnet 4 is moved by the sliding movement of 1, and the position opposite to the other second magnetic body 6 arranged on the lower housing 2, that is, the magnet 4 and the second magnetic body 6 are the shortest distance, and the mutual attractive force is maximum. It is locked at the position. That is, the second magnetic body 6 is magnetized by the magnetic force of the magnet 4 and the two upper casings 1 and the lower casing 2 are held by the mutual attractive force. At the same time, the magnetic sensor 7 does not detect the magnetic force and does not output a signal because the magnetic field directly above is removed by the sliding movement of the magnet 4. Then, the electronic device recognizes that the upper housing 1 is open, and turns on the power of the liquid crystal display unit.

  3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an electronic apparatus using a rotary opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing a state where the upper casing is closed, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating C in FIG. -C sectional views are shown respectively.

  4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an electronic apparatus using a rotary opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the upper housing in an opened state, and FIG. 4B is a diagram D of FIG. -D sectional drawing is shown, respectively.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which an upper housing 1 and a lower housing 2 of an electronic device such as a mobile phone are closed, with a liquid crystal panel 3 on the upper surface of the upper housing 1 and a keyboard (not shown) on the lower housing 2. Etc. are arranged. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), a magnet 4 is arranged on the liquid crystal panel 3 side around the rotation shaft 9 in the upper housing 1, and the magnet is rotated at a position facing the magnet 4 in the lower housing 2. The first magnetic body 5 and the magnetic sensor 7 are arranged so as to overlap each other on the liquid crystal panel 3 side around the axis, and the second magnetic body is positioned symmetrically with the first magnetic body 5 and the rotation shaft 9. 6 is arranged. That is, the arrangement positional relationship of the magnet 4, the first magnetic body 5, and the magnetic sensor 7 is arranged on an orthogonal axis, the first magnetic body 5 is magnetized by the magnetic force of the magnet 4, and the two upper housings are mutually attracted by the attraction force. 1 and the lower housing 2 are held. At the same time, the magnetic sensor 7 detects the magnetic force from the magnet 4 and outputs a signal. Upon receiving the signal, the mobile terminal recognizes that the two housings are closed, and turns off the power of the liquid crystal display unit. .

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 are opened, that is, the upper housing 1 is rotated and moved in the direction indicated by the arrow R with respect to the lower housing 2 around the rotation shaft 9. As shown in FIG. 4 (b), the magnet 4 is also moved by the rotational movement of the upper casing 1, and the position facing the second magnetic body 6 in the lower casing 2, that is, the magnet 4 and the second magnetic body 6 are shortest. It is locked at a position where the distance and the mutual suction force are maximized. That is, the second magnetic body 6 is magnetized by the magnetic force of the magnet 4 and the two upper casings 1 and the lower casing 2 are held by the mutual attractive force.
At the same time, the magnetic sensor 7 removes the magnetic field directly above by the rotational movement of the magnet 4 and therefore does not detect the magnetic force and does not output a signal, so the mobile terminal recognizes that the upper housing 1 is in an open state, Turn on the power of the liquid crystal display.
Here, the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 6 are arranged at two positions that are point-symmetric with respect to the rotating shaft 9, but the rotating shaft can be held at an arbitrary position so that the open / closed state of the housing can be maintained. At least one or more magnetic bodies may be arranged at arbitrary positions on the peripheral portion of 9. For example, magnetic bodies may be arranged at four positions so that the housing can be held at every rotation angle of 90 degrees.

  The magnet 4 may be a general-purpose product such as a sintered magnet of ferrite, metal, rare earth, or a bonded magnet mixed with a resin if it is a permanent magnet, and the material, shape, and dimensions are appropriately selected so that the magnetic force can be adjusted. Is desirable. The magnetic force only needs to have sufficient strength to hold each of the upper casing and the lower casing. It is desirable to select the shape and dimensions in consideration of the constraints and effectiveness of the arrangement space, securing sufficient magnetic force to hold the two housings, etc. A rectangular or circular shape is preferred. The magnetization direction is preferably the direction of the vertical axis 8 of the magnetic substance and the magnetic sensor arranged facing each other, and the direction of the N pole or the S pole may be any. Furthermore, the arrangement position may be an arbitrary position on the vertical axis 8 in the upper casing 1, but it is more preferable that the arrangement position is disposed on the inner side of the opposing surface closer to the opposing lower casing 2.

The first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 6 are made of a high magnetic permeability material such as permalloy, amorphous, Ni-Zn ferrite, Mn-Zn ferrite, soft dust material such as dust core, rare earth, etc. Any magnetic material may be used as long as it uses permanent magnets such as sintered magnets and bonded magnets mixed with resin. Further, the magnetic material powder may be dispersed in a resin like a magnetic sheet.
In addition, the shape may be any shape such as a rectangular shape, a polygonal shape, an ellipse, or an oval shape, and a thin plate shape is preferable. It is preferable to adjust appropriately in consideration.
Further, it is sufficient that the size is sufficient to cover the entire surface of the magnetic sensor 7, and the relative position with respect to the magnetic sensor 7 is preferably arranged within the range of the mounting area of the first magnetic body 5. . Furthermore, the arrangement position may be an arbitrary position on the vertical axis 8 in the lower casing 2, but it is more preferable that the arrangement position is disposed on the inner side of the facing surface closer to the upper casing 1 facing the lower casing 2. Further, it is only necessary to secure the distance between the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 6 so as not to attract (interfer) the magnetic force of the magnet 4 at the same time.

The magnetic sensor 7 may be any type of sensor as long as it can sense the magnetic force of the magnet 4, that is, the magnetic field, the magnetic flux, and the magnetic field. An MR sensor using a magnetoresistance element or a hall sensor using a hall element. Or any of them. It is preferable to select appropriately considering the sensitivity performance characteristics, shape, size, and cost. The size is preferably smaller than that of the magnet 4 and the first magnetic body 5, and the installation location is preferably in the vicinity of the center portion within the range of the mounting area of the first magnetic body 5.
Further, the arrangement position may be an arbitrary position on the vertical axis 8 in the lower casing 2, but it is arranged on the inner side of the facing surface closer to the opposing upper casing 1 so that the magnetic component can be detected with the highest accuracy and efficiency. Is more preferable.

  The correlation between the magnet 4 and the magnetic force of each of the first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 6 and the threshold value (sensitivity performance) of the magnetic sensor 7 is: It is preferable that threshold value (sensitivity range)> (magnetic force of first magnetic body 5 and second magnetic body 6), and the strength of each is preferably determined by appropriately adjusting.

  Further, here, one magnet, one magnetic sensor, and two magnetic bodies have been described as the minimum combination group. However, in the case of a relatively large electronic device such as a PDA having a similar opening / closing mechanism. A plurality of combination groups of the magnet, the magnetic sensor, and the magnetic body may be arranged so as to sufficiently cope with the size and weight of the electronic device.

  Hereinafter, it explains in full detail using an Example.

(Example 1)
The upper casing 1 and the lower casing 2 have the same external dimensions, and are 90 mm long, 50 mm wide, and 8 mm thick, respectively, and the weight of each casing is 50 g, which is almost the same as the weight of the commercially available casing.

  A liquid crystal panel 3 having a 2-inch screen was used.

  The magnet 4 is a thin plate having a size of 5 mm square and a thickness of 1 mm, and a neodymium rare earth magnet magnetized in the thickness direction and having a magnetic force of 5 mT (millitesla) is prepared. And fixed using double-sided tape.

  The first magnetic body 5 and the second magnetic body 6 are permalloys made of a high magnetic permeability material (permeability ≈45000), and are formed as a square thin plate having a size of 7 mm square and a thickness of 0.5 mm. It arrange | positioned and fixed to the both ends of the sliding direction in the housing | casing 2 with the space | interval of about 30 mm, respectively using the double-sided tape.

  The magnetic sensor 7 was a sensor using a Hall IC element, and a sensor having a size of 5 mm square and a thickness of 1 mm was placed and fixed on the upper surface of the first magnetic body 5 by using a double-sided tape. The magnetic characteristics of the magnetic sensor 7 have a linear characteristic of an output voltage of 10 mV with respect to a magnetic force of 2 mT (millitesla), a threshold value (sensitivity range) of 1 to 3 mT (millitesla), and an output voltage of 5 to 15 mV.

  With the above configuration, an electronic apparatus having the sliding opening / closing mechanism of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 was obtained.

(Example 2)
Similarly, an electronic apparatus having the same opening and closing mechanism as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 was obtained with the same members and the same structure as in the first embodiment.

Checking the opening / closing operability of the electronic device having the sliding and rotating opening / closing mechanism according to the present invention manufactured as described above, and the opening / closing operation is smooth, and the magnet and the magnetic body are securely held at the facing positions. It was found that the open / closed state can be secured.
Further, since the spring and the stopper member were eliminated, it was found that the size and weight could be reduced and the cost could be greatly improved.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above using the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention is not limited to the scope of the present invention. Included in the invention. That is, various changes and modifications that can be naturally made by those skilled in the art are also included in the present invention.

  The electronic device having the slide type or rotary type opening / closing mechanism of the present invention improves and simplifies the operability and operation stability of the opening / closing mechanism, and further reduces the size, thickness, weight, and cost. Can also contribute to further market development in the future.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a state in which an upper housing is closed, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1A. . FIG. 2A is a perspective view of an upper housing opened, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2A. . FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a state in which an upper housing is closed, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line CC in FIG. 3A. . FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a state where an upper casing is opened, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 4A. . FIG. 5 (a) is a diagram showing a state in which the upper housing is closed, and FIG. 5 (b) is a diagram showing a state in which the upper housing is opened. . FIG. 6 (a) is a diagram showing a state where the upper housing is closed, and FIG. 6 (b) is a diagram showing a state where the upper housing is opened. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper housing | casing 2 Lower housing | casing 3 Liquid crystal panel 4 Magnet 5 1st magnetic body 6 2nd magnetic body 7 Magnetic sensor 8 Vertical axis 9 Rotating shaft 10 Spring 11 Stopper member S, R Arrow

Claims (5)

  Two housings slidably connected to each other so as to be in an open state in which the opposing surfaces are exposed and in a closed state in which the opposing surfaces are not exposed, a magnet, a magnetic sensor, a first magnetic body, and a second An electronic device having the magnetic body, wherein the magnet is disposed on one side of the casing, the first magnetic body, the second magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are disposed on the other side, Sometimes the magnet, the first magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are located on an axis orthogonal to the opposing surface, and the magnet and the second magnetic body are located on the axis in the open state. An electronic device characterized by that.   The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic sensor is positioned between the magnet and the first magnetic body in the closed state.   Two housings slidably connected to each other so as to be in an open state in which the opposing surfaces are exposed and in a closed state in which the opposing surfaces are not exposed, a magnet, a magnetic sensor, a first magnetic body, and a second An electronic device having the magnetic body, wherein the magnet is disposed on one side of the housing, the first magnetic body, the second magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are disposed on the other side, Sometimes the magnet, the second magnetic body, and the magnetic sensor are located on an axis orthogonal to the opposing surface, and the magnet and the first magnetic body are located on the axis in the closed state. An electronic device characterized by that.   The electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the magnetic sensor is positioned between the magnet and the second magnetic body in the open state.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the slide movement is either a linear movement or a rotational movement.

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