JP3897166B2 - Portable information terminal - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable information terminal for individuals having a size equivalent to a notebook, and more particularly to a portable information terminal that has a structure that can be easily assembled and can be provided at low cost.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The personal digital assistant (PDA) for personal use is as large as a notebook, but has a variety of address books, schedules, work-related memos and files stored in a personal computer such as a company or home. Many functions such as video and image file browsing functions, music player functions, communication functions for browsing e-mails and data on the Internet in conjunction with mobile phones, etc. There is more to have. These portable information terminals are required to be small and thin, and to be low in price, so that they can always be carried in chest pockets and handbags, etc., in order to reduce the number of parts and assembly man-hours. In addition, ease of assembly is required.
[0003]
However, such a portable information terminal has a relatively large CPU IC and peripheral circuits to realize various functions as described above, and the circuit board is enlarged. On the other hand, the displayed file and image are displayed. In order to improve the visibility, a liquid crystal of about 3.5 to 4 inches is used for the display screen. For this reason, in order to reduce the size and thickness of the portable information terminal itself, the circuit board is held down to approximately the same size as the liquid crystal display unit, and a housing for housing the liquid crystal display unit and the circuit board is provided for the liquid crystal display. In order to reduce the cost, it is necessary to easily incorporate the circuit board or the liquid crystal display unit into the housing.
[0004]
As a technique for facilitating the incorporation of a liquid crystal display unit and a circuit board in such a portable device, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-51369, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-72235, etc., assemble a portable terminal such as a mobile phone. At that time, the liquid crystal display unit side case is provided with a holding pin, and the liquid crystal display unit and the circuit board are locked by a locking member. By holding the holding pin, the liquid crystal display unit and the circuit board can be held until the case is combined. In a mobile phone having a liquid crystal module in which a semiconductor element is mounted on a flexible substrate and connected to a liquid crystal panel, the flexible substrate is placed in a folded state on the back of the liquid crystal display unit and fixed to the housing. Protruding electrodes are provided for connection, and locking pieces to the printed circuit board are provided. The protruding electrodes are electrodes on the printed circuit board. Configuration so as to fix by locking piece is shown with plugs.
[0005]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-168554 automatically provides a step portion for mounting a control board on a housing and a terminal portion corresponding to the step portion of the substrate. A configuration of an electronic device such as a mobile phone in which a conductive connection can be made at a terminal portion and the device can be thinned is shown. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-349465 discloses a holding device made of a metal sheet that has been subjected to an insulation treatment in order to ensure a mounting range of components, heat dissipation, etc., in a device such as a car navigation system or a video phone incorporating a liquid crystal display panel. A liquid crystal panel and circuit board are attached and screwed to the front and back of the member, and the structure that allows easy mounting to the cabinet is shown, increasing the degree of freedom of component mounting on the board by heat dissipation and insulation treatment by the holding member ing.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the structures disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2002-51369 and 2002-72235 are structures of mobile phones and the like, and the sizes thereof are different from those of portable information terminals. Although it is a complicated structure in which a holding pin is provided on the side case and a locking piece to the printed circuit board is provided, the assembly may be easy, but the number of parts increases and the cost must be increased. The device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-168554 is also a configuration of an electronic device smaller than a portable information terminal such as a mobile phone. In this case, the front case and the back case constituting the housing must be fixed with screws or the like. The substrate and the liquid crystal display device are not fixed, and automation of assembly is not easy. In addition, the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-349465 integrates a liquid crystal panel and a circuit board by attaching the liquid crystal panel and the circuit board to a holding member made of an insulating metal sheet metal. Since the holding member and the cabinet are separate from each other, they must be held separately, which is not easy.
[0007]
In addition, in some of these portable information terminals, the casing is fixed from the side, but in this case, for example, the operation buttons cannot be arranged on the side, and the arrangement that affects operability is arranged. Position may be limited.
[0008]
In view of the circumstances described above, the present invention provides a portable information terminal having a structure that allows a liquid crystal display unit and a circuit board to be held in a case without using extra parts, and that the case can be easily assembled. Is an issue.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, in the present invention, as described in claim 1 ,
In a portable information terminal having a display unit, a circuit board disposed on the back of the display unit, and a pair of cases including a front cover and a back cover,
First fixing means for fixing the display unit and the circuit board at one end side of the notation unit, and the display unit, the circuit board, and the back cover are inserted from the back side at the other end side of the display unit. A second fixing means for fixing together with screws, and extending the circuit board to the one end side of the display unit, and inserting the extended circuit board, the front cover, and the back cover from the back side. And a third fixing means for fixing together with screws, and the display unit and the circuit board are fixed to the case.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information terminal having a display unit, a circuit board disposed on a back surface of the display unit, and a case including a front cover, a back cover, and a side cover.
First fixing means for fixing the display unit and the circuit board at one end side of the display unit, and the display unit, the circuit board, and the back cover are inserted from the back side at the other end side of the display unit. A second fixing means for fixing together with screws, and extending the circuit board to the one end side of the display unit, and inserting the extended circuit board, the front cover, and the back cover from the back side. together with and a third fixing means for fastened together by screws and, so as to fix the said circuit board and said display unit to said casing by a third fixing means from said first, said front cover The back cover is fixed by the third fixing means on the lower side of the case, and the front cover and the back cover are fixed by the side cover on the upper side of the case.
[0010]
Thus, by fixing the display unit and the circuit board with the first fixing means, it is very easy to fix the fixed display unit and the circuit board to the case. By fastening the three fixing means together, the number of fixing means is reduced as compared with the case where the fixing means are separately fixed, and the configuration can be made at low cost. In addition, since it is not necessary to increase the space for providing the fixing means, the space can be effectively used. Further, since the third fixing means is provided in a place where the circuit board is extended, for example, a vibration motor or a connector is provided in this space. Etc. can be installed. Therefore, a small portable information terminal can be configured at a low cost and in a small size.
Also will be all cases it is so arranged that fastened together with inserted screw and said rear cover and the circuit board which has Zaisa the extension and the front cover from the rear is fixed by the third fixing means, the more efficient In addition, the display unit and the circuit board can be fixed to the case.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the unfixed upper side of the front cover and the back cover is fixed by the side cover, the entire case can be fixed without increasing the fixing means. Can be made inexpensively and compact.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those unless otherwise specified. This is just an example.
[0018]
1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a portable information terminal of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view similarly viewed from the back, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram of a liquid crystal display unit side case in one embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a liquid crystal combining a circuit board and a liquid crystal display unit. FIG. 6 is a view of the circuit board side cover, FIG. 7 is a view of the lower case that similarly covers the circuit board side cover, and FIG. 8 is a view of the present invention, viewed from the display side (A) and the circuit board side (B). It is an assembly drawing of each unit in one embodiment of a portable information terminal.
[0019]
In the figure, 1 is a portable information terminal according to the present invention, 2 is a liquid crystal display unit, 3 is a power button, 4 is a return button for returning the selection instruction result to the previous state, and 5 is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 2 Item or function selection buttons, 6 is a plastic side cover of each button portion, 7 is a housing protrusion provided on the side cover to prevent malfunction of the selection button 5, and 8, 9, 10, and 11 are respective operations. Button operation direction, 12 is an upper case made of aluminum, 13 is a lower case also made of aluminum, 14 is an upper cover made of plastic, 15 is a lower cover made of plastic, 16 is a compact flash (registered trademark) Name) memory card, communication terminal such as a card-type modem, or a slot for storing various card-type devices such as a micro hard disk. 18 is a diffuse projection or recess, 19 is a circuit board, 20 is a battery, of which the upper case 12 and the upper cover 14 are the liquid crystal display unit 2 side case, the lower cover 15 and the lower case, respectively. 13 constitutes a case on the circuit board 19 side. 3, 30, 31 and 32 are screws, 40 and 41 in FIG. 4 are screw holes for screwing screws 31, 42, 43 and 44 are engaging claws, 45, 46 and 47 are locking portions, and in FIG. 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and 55 are through-holes through which the screws 30, 31, and 32 are passed, 56 is a circuit component, 57 is a storage slot for various card-type devices, 58 is a support frame for the liquid crystal display unit 2, 59a, 59b is a connector used for exchanging data with an external device or inserting an earphone, etc. 60, 61, 62 and 63 in FIG. 6 are through-holes through which screws 30, 31, 32 are passed, and 64 is a member provided in the lower cover 15. A combination claw, 65 is a convex portion provided on the lower cover 15 that contacts the engagement portion provided on the upper cover 14, 66 and 67 are engagement claws provided on the lower cover 15, and 68 is an engagement provided on the upper cover 14. Provided on the lower cover 15 that contacts the part Stepped portion, 69 is a battery housing portion, 70, 71, 72 and 73 in FIG. 7 is a hole into which the screws 30, 31 and 32.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile information terminal 1 according to the present invention has a liquid crystal display unit 2 of about 3.5 to 4 inches, a liquid crystal display unit 2 housed inside, and a circuit board 19 as shown in FIG. When the portable information terminal 1 is held uplifted with respect to the upper case 12, the lower case 13, the lower cover 15, and other side surfaces that protect the battery 20, etc., the operation buttons are arranged on the side. 2 and the upper cover 14 having scattered protrusions or recesses on the side opposite to the side cover 6 as shown in FIG. 2, for example, when held with the left hand The liquid crystal without making a mistake in the upper and lower sides due to the presence of the scattered projections or recesses 18 of the upper cover 14 shown in FIG. 2 and the presence of the side cover 6 raised from the other side shown in FIG. Hold with display 2 facing up Rukoto can. Further, the thumb can be easily positioned at the operation buttons 3, 4, and 5 when held, so that the portable information terminal 1 according to the present invention can be taken out from the handbag or pocket during a telephone call or the like. The contents can be browsed with just one hand without making a mistake.
[0021]
In the portable information terminal 1 of the present invention, as shown in the assembly diagram of FIG. 8, a circuit board 19 is arranged on the back surface of the liquid crystal display unit 2, and the liquid crystal display unit 2 side is made of a plastic upper cover 14 and aluminum or the like. The circuit board 19 side is covered with a back cover made up of a plastic lower cover 15 having a battery compartment for the battery 20 and a lower case 13 made of aluminum or the like. Configured. The upper cover 14 and the lower cover 15 are configured such that the liquid crystal display unit 2 and the circuit board 19 are accommodated in a position-controlled manner, and the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 15 are upper portions. The side cover 6 is locked by an engaging claw provided in a direction in which the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 15 are fitted.
[0022]
Among these, the upper cover 14 as a liquid crystal display unit side case covering the liquid crystal display unit side is a screw for screwing the screw 31 shown in FIG. 3 into the lower part as shown in FIG. Locking portions 43, 44 having holes 40, 41 for receiving the engaging claws indicated by 40, 41, 42 and the side walls of the lower cover 15 at the edge of the left side wall and the side wall of the lower right side. 45, and further, as shown in FIG. 8, holes 48 and 49 are provided for inserting connectors 59a and 59b such as earphones for data exchange with external devices.
[0023]
Then, the liquid crystal display unit 2 and the circuit board 19 are combined with the circuit board 19 and the liquid crystal display unit 2 of FIG. 5, as shown in the figure viewed from the liquid crystal display unit side (A) and the circuit board side (B), The circuit board 19 extends above and below the liquid crystal display unit 2, and a support frame 58 of the liquid crystal display unit 2, a connector 59 a for connection with an external device, a connector 59 b such as an earphone, and the like are provided in the extended portion. . In addition, on the side of the circuit board 19 shown in FIG. 5B, a slot for storing various card-type devices and a relatively short IC such as 56 shown in the lower part are mounted. A relatively tall circuit component is accommodated between the display unit 2 and the display unit 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal display unit 2 and the circuit board 19 are screwed into the screw holes 2 provided on the liquid crystal display unit 2 side through the through holes 50 and 51 provided on the circuit board 19 side. The circuit board 19 is also provided with through holes 52, 53, 54, 55 for passing screws from the lower cover 15 and the lower case 13 side.
[0024]
On the other hand, the lower cover 15 that covers the circuit board 19 side shown in FIG. 5 (B) has screws from the battery housing portion 69 and the lower case 13 side as shown in FIG. Through holes 60, 61, 62, and 63 are provided to pass through. At the edge of the left side lower side wall, an engaging claw 64 that engages with the engaging claw indicated by 44 in FIG. A convex portion 65 is provided on the side wall corresponding to the latching portion 46 to be received. Further, on the edge of the right side wall, engaging claws 66 and 67 that engage with the engaging claws indicated by 42 and 43 in FIG. 4 are provided with respect to the locking portions indicated by 45 and 46 in FIG. The stepped portion 68 provided on the inner side of the side wall 56 comes into contact.
[0025]
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the lower case 13 formed of a metal such as aluminum covers the battery 20 housed in the lower cover 15 and is a hole for a fixing tool such as a screw inserted from the back side of the portable information terminal 1. 70, 71, 72, 73.
[0026]
The units configured in this way are coupled as shown in FIG. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 5, the liquid crystal display unit 2 and the circuit board 19 are screwed into the screw holes provided on the liquid crystal display unit 2 side through the through holes 50 and 51 provided in the circuit board 19. To fix. Then, the connectors 59a and 59b on the fixed liquid crystal display section 2 and the circuit board 19 are inserted into the connector holes 48 and 49 (see FIG. 8) of the upper cover 14 shown in FIG. Then, what fixed the liquid crystal display part 2 and the circuit board 19 is hold | maintained at the upper cover 14 by this connector 59a, 59b.
[0027]
In this state, the lower cover 15 is now fitted with the upper cover 14. First, the engaging claws 66 and 67 shown in FIG. 6 are engaged with the engaging claws 42 and 43 shown in FIG. 4, and the stepped portion 68 shown in FIG. When they are brought into contact with the portions 45 and 46 and the engaging claws 64 and the convex portions 65 in FIG. 5 are pressed, the engaging claws 64 engage with the engaging claws 44 shown in FIG. The position is regulated by contact with the locking portion 47 shown in FIG. In this state, the upper cover 14 is not engaged in the upper right part in FIG. 4 and the upper left part in FIG. 6 and the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 15 are easily disengaged. By fitting the side cover 6 provided with engaging claws in the direction in which 15 is fitted into the side where the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 15 are fitted, the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 15 can be easily detached. It will not be.
[0028]
When the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 15 are fitted in this way, the battery 20 is stored in the battery storage portion 69 of the lower cover 15, and finally the lower case 13 is covered behind and the screw 30 is passed through the lower cover 15. The holes 60 and 61 and the screw holes provided on the side of the liquid crystal display 2 through the through holes 52 and 53 provided in the circuit board 19 are screwed together and tightened, and the screw 31 is connected to the through holes 62 and 63 in the lower cover 15. The through holes 54 and 55 provided in the circuit board 19 are screwed into the screw holes 40 and 41 provided in the upper cover 14 and fastened together.
[0029]
That is, in the present invention, the liquid crystal display unit 2 and the circuit board 19 are fixed with screws 32 or the like, and the fixed liquid crystal display unit 2 and circuit board 19 are held by the upper cover 14 with the connectors 59a and 59b, and then the lower cover 15 Is fitted to the upper cover 14 and fastened with screws from the lower case 13 side, so there are few parts to be stopped despite the simple configuration, and all the parts to be stopped are behind, so a robot or the like can be used. The assembly work that was done becomes very easy to do.
[0030]
In the above description, the liquid crystal display unit 2 and the circuit board 19 are fixed and the lower cover 15, the circuit board 19 and the upper cover 14 are fixed from the back side (the side opposite to the liquid crystal display unit 2). It is obvious that the operation may be performed from the liquid crystal display unit 2 side if there is enough space.
[0031]
Thus, according to the present invention, by fixing the display unit and the circuit board with the fixing means, it is very easy to fix the fixed display unit and the circuit board to the case, and these are fixed. By fastening the display unit, the circuit board, and the case together, the number of fixing means is reduced as compared with the case where the display unit, the circuit board, and the case are separately fixed. In addition, since it is not necessary to increase the space for providing the fixing means, the space can be effectively used. Further, since one fixing means is provided in a place where the circuit board is extended, for example, a vibration motor or a connector is provided in this space. It can be installed. Further, when the front cover and the rear cover are fastened together, the entire case can be fixed by the fixing means, and the display unit and the circuit board can be fixed to the case more efficiently. Further, by fixing the front cover and the back cover with the side covers, the entire case can be fixed without increasing the fixing means, and the portable information terminal can be configured at a low cost and in a small size.
[0032]
And since the fixing means is a screw fixing mechanism with screws inserted from one case side, automatic assembly becomes very easy, and since there is no fixing means on the side, operation buttons are arranged on the side, etc. , Design freedom increases.
[0033]
In addition, since the pair of cases covering the display unit and the circuit board have a fitting structure, the case itself is also fixed before fixing the display unit and the circuit board, and automatic assembly becomes very easy.
[0034]
Further, by providing a connector for connecting to an external device on one end side and the other end side of the circuit board, and holding the display portion and the circuit board fixed using this connector in the case, automatic assembly becomes very easy.
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the display unit and the circuit board can be held in the case without using extra parts, and then the case and the display unit and the circuit board can be fixed, so that the assembly is easy and the cost is reduced. A portable information terminal that can be provided can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a portable information terminal according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portable information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the back side.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of one embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention with each unit separated.
FIG. 4 is a diagram of a liquid crystal display unit side case in one embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view of a circuit board and a liquid crystal display unit combined in one embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention as viewed from the liquid crystal display unit side (A) and the circuit board side (B).
6 is a diagram of a circuit board side cover in an embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a view of a lower case covering a circuit board side cover in an embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an assembly diagram of each unit in an embodiment of the portable information terminal of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 Liquid crystal display unit 13 Lower case 14 Upper cover 15 Lower cover 19 Circuit board 20 Batteries 30, 31, 32 Screws 40, 41 Screw holes 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 Through holes 57 Card type device storage slot 58 Liquid crystal Display unit support frames 59a, 59b Connectors 60, 61, 62, 63 Through holes 70, 71, 72, 73

Claims (2)

In a portable information terminal having a display unit, a circuit board disposed on the back of the display unit, and a pair of cases including a front cover and a back cover,
First fixing means for fixing the display unit and the circuit board at one end side of the notation unit, and the display unit, the circuit board, and the back cover are inserted from the back side at the other end side of the display unit. A second fixing means for fixing together with screws, and extending the circuit board to the one end side of the display unit, and inserting the extended circuit board, the front cover, and the back cover from the back side. And a third fixing means for fixing together with a screw, and fixing the display portion and the circuit board to the case. In a portable information terminal having a display unit, a circuit board disposed on the back surface of the display unit, and a case including a front cover, a back cover, and a side cover,
First fixing means for fixing the display unit and the circuit board at one end side of the display unit, and the display unit, the circuit board, and the back cover are inserted from the back side at the other end side of the display unit. A second fixing means for fixing together with screws, and extending the circuit board to the one end side of the display unit, and inserting the extended circuit board, the front cover, and the back cover from the back side. together with and a third fixing means for fastened together by screws and, so as to fix the said circuit board and said display unit to said casing by a third fixing means from said first, said front cover The portable information is characterized in that the back cover is fixed by the third fixing means on the lower side of the case, and the front cover and the back cover are fixed by the side cover on the upper side of the case. Terminal.

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