JP5413084B2 - Portable electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable electronic device such as a cellular phone or a portable personal computer.

  As is well known, foldable and slide type mobile phones are widely used. The electronic device whose shape is variable in this way is excellent in portability because it can be transformed into a small state when the user does not operate.

  An electronic device whose shape can be deformed is formed by connecting a plurality of housings with movable parts, and is downsized by changing the positional relationship. In addition, electronic components are mounted on each of the plurality of cases, and the cases are connected by a flexible substrate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, there is a possibility that the flexible substrate may be mechanically stressed due to a change in shape or a device is dropped, resulting in disconnection. When damage such as a crack occurs in a part, the damaged part such as a crack expands, and it is highly likely that it will eventually become impossible to operate completely, and it is recognized that the user has damaged before it can not be fully operated It was necessary to let them.
In recent years, flexible substrates have become multi-layered with the increasing functionality and complexity of portable electronic devices.

JP 2008-107863 A

  In conventional portable electronic devices that can change the shape, a flexible substrate having a multilayer structure is used for electrical connection between housings, but if a portion of the flexible substrate is damaged, the damaged portion is enlarged. However, there is a high possibility that it will become impossible to operate completely, and it was necessary for the user to recognize that damage had occurred before it became impossible to operate completely.

  The present invention has been made in response to the above-described demand, and is a portable electronic device capable of early detecting and notifying a user of breakage occurring in a flexible substrate having a multilayer structure that electrically connects between cases. The purpose is to provide equipment.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, at least two housings are movably connected, and electronic circuits respectively provided in the two housings are electrically connected by a flexible substrate having a multilayer structure. In the portable electronic device, among the signal lines wired to each layer of the flexible substrate, the determination for determining whether or not the detection signal line provided at the position closest to the side of the flexible substrate in each layer is conducted And means for notifying the user of the fact when it is detected that the determination means is not conductive, and the signal line for detection is electrically connected via each layer of the flexible substrate. It is a requirement that the signal line be one signal line .

As described above, in the present invention, among the plurality of signal lines wired to the flexible substrate, it is monitored whether or not the signal line provided at the position closest to the side of the flexible substrate in each layer is conductive, When it is detected that no conduction occurs, the user is informed of that fact.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a portable electronic device that can detect damage to the flexible substrate having a multilayer structure that electrically connects the casings at an early stage and notify the user of the damage.

1 is a circuit block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a portable electronic device according to the present invention. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the portable electronic device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of wiring to a flexible substrate of the portable electronic device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of wiring to a flexible substrate of the portable electronic device shown in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The portable electronic device is, for example, a foldable mobile phone, and has a structure in which the first casing 100 and the second casing 300 are mechanically connected via a rotating hinge and can be opened and closed. Here, a mobile phone having a foldable structure is taken as an example, but the mobile phone may be deformable by other methods such as a slide type.

  The first casing 100 and the second casing 300 are each mounted with an electronic circuit, an electronic component, a battery, and the like necessary for realizing a function as a mobile phone. The first housing 100 includes a control circuit 101, an open / close detection unit 102, a light emitting unit 103, a speaker 104, and a vibrator 105.

  The control circuit 101 controls each part of the mobile phone in an integrated manner. For example, the control circuit 101 controls a radio circuit, establishes a radio communication link with a radio base station (not shown), and performs communication. In addition, the control circuit 101 detects a call signal received from the radio base station by the radio circuit, and detects the occurrence of an incoming call. In addition, it has functions such as display control and alarm operation control, and a function of notifying the user of an abnormality occurring in the mobile phone.

The open / close detection unit 102 detects whether the mobile phone is in a closed state or an open state. That is, the open / close detection unit 102 detects that a change has occurred in the positional relationship between the first housing 100 and the second housing 300.
The light emitting unit 103 uses an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like, and indicates the state of the mobile phone such as an incoming call or charging, the arrival of an alarm set time, and the like by a light emission color or a blinking cycle.

The speaker 104 indicates, by sound, the state of the mobile phone such as the start of an incoming call or charging, the battery running out, or the arrival of an alarm setting time.
Vibrator 105 indicates the state of the mobile phone such as an incoming call or the arrival of an alarm set time by vibration.

  In addition, the first casing 100 includes a radio circuit that transmits and receives radio signals to and from the radio base station, a key switch, a microphone, a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card, a slot for loading a SIM card, a memory card slot, a battery, and the like. .

  The second housing 300 includes a controlled circuit 301. The controlled circuit 301 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence), a speaker for a voice call, a digital camera, and the like. 101 is electrically connected.

  The flexible substrate 200 includes a plurality of signal lines 201 and detection signal lines 202 each having a film-like insulator as a base film and a conductor foil as a conductor. 2 An electronic circuit in the housing 300 is connected. The plurality of signal lines 201 and the detection signal lines 202 are arranged in parallel to each other on the base film surface. The detection signal lines 202 are arranged so as to be parallel at both ends of the plurality of signal lines 201, and from the first casing 100 to the second casing 300, and from the second casing 300 to the first casing 100. It is arranged to reciprocate. That is, the plurality of signal lines 201 and the detection signal lines 202 are arranged in parallel to each other, but only the detection signal lines 202 are connected between the first casing 100 and the second casing 300. A crack or the like that reciprocates between them and is arranged outside the plurality of signal lines 201 and may be generated from the side of the flexible substrate 200 first affects the detection signal line 202.

  Then, the control circuit 101 outputs, for example, a detection signal having a constant voltage to the detection signal line 202 and monitors the detection signal line 202, thereby monitoring that there is no abnormality such as cutting in the flexible substrate 200.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone configured as described above will be described. In the following description, the description of the operation as a normal mobile phone is omitted, and the operation when the flexible substrate 200 is monitored or when an abnormality occurs in the flexible substrate 200 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining this operation. This process is repeatedly executed by the control circuit 101 at a predetermined cycle when the power of the mobile phone is turned on.

  First, in step 2a, the control circuit 101 detects the voltage of the detection signal line 202, and determines whether or not the detection signal line 202 is disconnected based on whether or not the voltage is a predetermined voltage. Here, if it is determined that the wire is disconnected, the process proceeds to step 2b. On the other hand, if it is determined that the wire is not disconnected, the process ends.

  In step 2 b, the control circuit 101 determines whether the display unit of the controlled circuit 301 can perform a display operation through the signal line 201. If it is determined that the automatic operation is possible, the process proceeds to step 2c. On the other hand, if it is determined that the display operation is impossible, the process proceeds to step 2d.

  In step 2c, the control circuit 101 controls the display unit of the controlled circuit 301 through the signal line 201, and “Please turn off the power and contact our shop or customer center. Error number. : XXXXXX "or the like is displayed to prompt for a repair request, and the process proceeds to step 2d. The error number “XXXXXX” indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the flexible substrate 200.

  In step 2d, the control circuit 101 drives and controls the light emitting unit 103, the speaker 104, and / or the vibrator 105 to generate light, sound, and / or vibration to notify the user that a failure has occurred in the mobile phone. Then, the process ends.

  As described above, in the mobile phone configured as described above, in the flexible substrate 200 that connects the first housing 100 and the second housing 300, wiring is performed at a position closest to the side of the flexible substrate 200 among the signal lines to be wired. The signal line to be detected is a detection signal line 202 for detecting a crack or the like generated in the flexible substrate 200.

  Therefore, according to the mobile phone configured as described above, when a mechanical stress is applied to the flexible substrate 200 and a crack or the like occurs, the detection signal line 202 among the signal lines wired to the flexible substrate 200 is the same. First disconnected. For this reason, it is possible to detect the breakage occurring in the flexible substrate 200 at an early stage and notify the user to that effect.

  In the cellular phone configured as described above, the two sides of the flexible substrate 200 can be monitored by reciprocating the single detection signal line 202 between the first casing 100 and the second casing 300. it can. For this reason, since the two detection signal lines 202 are not required, it can be realized with a simple structure. When an abnormality such as a crack occurs in the flexible substrate 200, it is common to replace the assembly with a new flexible substrate 200 including connectors provided at both ends thereof, so that the position where the crack occurs is specified. In addition, since it is important to reliably detect the occurrence of a crack itself, the wiring of the detection signal line 202 as described above can be efficiently detected.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. Further, for example, a configuration in which some components are deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment is also conceivable. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component described in different embodiment.

  For example, the flexible substrate 200 of the above embodiment has been described by taking the case where the signal line 201 and the detection signal line 202 are wired in one layer as an example. However, the flexible substrate 200 is applied to a flexible substrate having a multilayer structure. It is also possible to do. 3 and 4 are sectional views of a flexible substrate 200 having a four-layer structure.

  A flexible substrate 200 shown in FIG. 3 includes a first layer 200a, a second layer 200b, a third layer 200c, and a fourth layer 200d. In each layer, the detection signal line 202 is connected to the first casing 100 and the second casing. It is wired so as to connect 300. In this configuration, since one-way detection signal lines 202 are wired in each layer, detection is performed on the right side of the first layer 200a and the third layer 200c, for example, on the left and right sides of the flexible substrate 200. The signal line 202 is wired, and in the second layer 200b and the fourth layer 200d, the detection signal line 202 is wired on the left side, thereby reciprocating between the first casing 100 and the second casing 300. Let

Similarly, the flexible substrate 200 shown in FIG. 4 includes a first layer 200a, a second layer 200b, a third layer 200c, and a fourth layer 200d. In each layer, the detection signal line 202 is connected to the first housing 100. Wiring is performed so as to reciprocate between the second housings 300. In this configuration, since the detection signal line 202 is reciprocally wired in each layer, the detection signal line 202 is wired in each layer on the left and right sides of the flexible substrate 200.
In any of these configurations, it is possible to detect damage that has occurred in the flexible substrate 200 at an early stage and notify the user to that effect.

  In FIGS. 3 and 4, the detection signal line 202 is provided in each layer. However, since the cutting is likely to occur from the surface layer, the detection signal is applied only to the first layer 200a and the fourth layer 200d. The line 202 may be wired. In this case, in the example of FIG. 3, the detection signal line 202 serving as the forward path is wired to the first layer 200a, and the detection signal line 202 serving as the return path is wired to the fourth layer 200d. In the example of FIG. 4, the detection signal line 202 is wired so as to reciprocate in the first layer 200a, and the detection signal line 202 is also reciprocated in the fourth layer 200d.

In the above embodiment, the process shown in FIG. 2 has been described as being repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle after the power is turned on. Instead, for example, the open / close detection unit 102 is closed or opened. If it is detected, the control circuit 101 may execute it.
When the open / close detection unit 102 detects the open state and the control circuit 101 displays new information on the display unit of the controlled circuit 301, the control circuit 101 executes the processing shown in FIG. Also good. Alternatively, when an incoming call occurs, the control circuit 101 may execute the processing shown in FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the notification in Step 2c or Step 2d in FIG. 2 is performed when there is no response that the user recognizes an abnormality such as the user operating the key input unit after the notification for a certain period of time. The control circuit 101 may perform notification control of each unit so that notification is performed again after a predetermined time has elapsed after the stop.

  Further, the determination process of step 2a is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle after the power is turned on, and the notification process of step 2c and step 2d in FIG. 2 is performed when the open / close detection unit 102 detects an open state. You may make it perform. That is, the determination process is periodically performed, but the disconnection notification is performed when the open / close detection unit 102 detects an open state. Since the opened state is a state in which the user picks up the mobile phone, effective notification can be given to the user.

  In addition, when it is detected that the detection signal line 202 is disconnected and the open / close detection unit 102 does not detect the open state and the notification is not performed even after a predetermined time has elapsed. May execute the notification process of step 2c or step 2d. According to this, even if the user has been operating for a long time in a closed state, it is possible to notify that the detection signal line 202 has been disconnected after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  Furthermore, since the ringtone may disturb the surroundings of the mobile phone, the manner mode in which no ringtone is generated may be set by an instruction from the user. In the case where the damage that has occurred is detected, even if the manner mode is set, the fact may be notified to the user.

  Further, the detection signal line 202 is described as being provided outside the other signal lines 201 on the flexible substrate 200, but a GND line may be provided at the outermost side.

In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to portable electronic devices such as notebook personal computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and electronic dictionaries. Not too long.
In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly implemented even if various modifications are made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... 1st housing | casing, 101 ... Control circuit, 102 ... Opening / closing detection part, 103 ... Light emission part, 104 ... Speaker, 105 ... Vibrator, 200 ... Flexible substrate, 200a ... 1st layer, 200b ... 2nd layer, 200c ... 3rd layer, 200d ... 4th layer, 201 ... signal line, 202 ... signal line for detection, 300 ... 2nd housing | casing, 301 ... controlled circuit.

Claims (9)

In a portable electronic device in which at least two housings are movably connected, and electronic circuits respectively provided in the two housings are electrically connected by a flexible substrate having a multilayer structure,
Of the signal lines wired to each layer of the flexible substrate, determination means for determining whether or not a detection signal line provided at a position closest to the side of the flexible substrate in each layer is conducted,
In the case where it is detected that this determination means is not conductive, the information means for notifying the user to that effect ,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the detection signal line is one signal line electrically connected through each layer of the flexible substrate . In a portable electronic device in which at least two housings are movably connected, and electronic circuits respectively provided in the two housings are electrically connected by a flexible substrate having a multilayer structure,
Of the signal lines wired to each layer of the flexible substrate, it is determined whether only the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer of the flexible substrate are electrically connected to the detection signal line provided at the position closest to the side. A determination means;
In the case where it is detected that this determination means is not conductive, the information means for notifying the user to that effect ,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the detection signal line is one signal line electrically connected through each layer of the flexible substrate .   The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination at a preset cycle. Furthermore, a detection means for detecting that a change has occurred in the positional relationship between the two housings,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination when the detection unit detects that a change has occurred. Furthermore, a display means for visually displaying information is provided,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination when information is displayed on the display unit. Furthermore, a receiving means for receiving a call signal is provided,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination when the reception unit receives the calling signal. Furthermore, an input means for receiving a user operation is provided,
The notification means interrupts the notification if the input means does not accept a user operation even after a preset time has elapsed since the start of notification, and then re-notifies when a predetermined time has elapsed. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: Furthermore, a detection means for detecting that a change has occurred in the positional relationship between the two housings,
The notification means detects that the determination means is not conducted, and when the detection means detects that a change has occurred, notifies the user that the determination means is not conducted. Item 3. The portable electronic device according to Item 1 or Item 2. If the notification means does not detect that the detection means has changed even after a predetermined time has elapsed after detecting that the determination means is not conductive, the notification means notifies the user that the determination means is not conductive. The portable electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein notification is provided.

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