JP2001189782A - Flip type portable electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flip type portable electronic equipment capable of easily visualizing the display of a display part while the equipment is folded and rotating only the display part which is necessary to be rotated. SOLUTION: In the flip type portable electronic equipment foldable by connecting a display part side case having the display part to an operation part side case having an operating part by a first hinge, the display side case and the display part are formed separately from each other, and the display part side case is connected to the display part by the second hinge, thus the display part is made rotatable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a portable electronic device such as a portable communication device (for example, a portable telephone) and a portable information tool.
In particular, the present invention relates to a flip-type portable electronic device in which a display unit side housing having a display unit and an operation unit side housing having an operation unit are divided, and both housings are foldably connected by hinges.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The shape of a conventional portable electronic device will be described using a portable telephone. The shape of a conventional mobile phone is roughly classified into a box type as shown in FIG. 12 and a flip type as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. A box-type mobile phone as shown in FIG. 12 has a microphone 50, a receiver 30, a display unit 40, and an operation unit 60 which are integrally arranged in one housing, and has good operability. If the size is smaller than the distance between the mouth, the voice quality is degraded and the user feels uncomfortable, which hinders miniaturization of the mobile phone. Further, when the operation unit 60 is bare and is stored in a bag or the like, there is a possibility that the operation unit may be erroneously operated.

On the other hand, in the flip-type portable telephone shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, a display-side housing 10 provided with a receiver 30 and a display unit 40, and an operation-unit-side housing 20 provided with an operation unit 60 and a microphone 50 are provided. Are connected by a hinge 70 and can be stored in a folded state. The flip-type mobile phone in FIG. 13 shows an open state, and the flip-type mobile phone in FIG. 14 shows a folded state. At the time of a call, it is opened (FIG. 13) from the folded state (FIG. 14) and used. By folding it in half, the size of the mobile phone housing can be shortened, and the bottleneck to miniaturization, which was a problem with the box type, is eliminated. Further, in the folded state, the operation unit 60 is concealed by being sandwiched between the display unit-side housing 10 and the operation unit-side housing 20, so that an erroneous operation can be solved without operating the operation unit 60 by mistake. it can.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional flip-type portable telephone, the display unit side housing 10 and the operation unit side housing 20 are connected by a hinge 70, and they are connected as shown by an arrow a. In order to open and close in one direction, in the folded state as shown in FIG. 14, the operation unit 60 is concealed as described above, and even the display unit 40 is connected to both housings 10, 2
It is completely concealed when sandwiched between zeros.

[0005] For this reason, in the folded state such as when waiting for reception and storage, the current time, radio wave state, charging state, and caller ID at the time of incoming call cannot be visually checked on the display unit 40. In this case, the display unit 40 must be exposed in a state where the display unit side housing 10 is opened with respect to the operation unit side housing 20 (open to the “open” side of the arrow a). Therefore, in order to visually check the current time, the radio wave condition, the charging status, and the caller ID notification at the time of a call other than during a call, the two housings 1 are required.
Opening and closing operations of 0 and 20 had to be performed each time.

As a known technique for solving these problems, there is an invention described in JP-A-11-30226. The present invention relates to a display unit side housing 10 and an operation unit side housing 2.
A pivot (not shown) is provided on a hinge 70 connecting the display unit 10 and the display unit-side casing 10 so that the display unit-side casing 10 can be rotated. The display unit is configured to be visible without being hidden by being sandwiched between the unit-side housing and the operation unit-side housing.

However, in the present invention, there is a problem in that other parts provided on the display unit side of the display unit side housing (such as a receiver in a mobile phone) are rotated to a function that does not need to be rotated. For example, in a mobile phone embodying the features of the present invention, when a receiver is rotated together with a display unit provided on a display unit side housing to receive a call, when performing a call or the like of a mobile phone, In each case, it is necessary to rotate the receiver on the same plane as the microphone of the operation unit side housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and to make it possible to easily visually confirm a display on a display unit even when a flip-type portable electronic device is kept folded and to rotate the flip-type portable electronic device. An object of the present invention is to provide a flip-type portable electronic device capable of rotating only a display unit.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flip-type portable electronic device, comprising: a display-side housing having a display unit; and an operation-unit-side housing having an operation unit. In a flip-type portable electronic device having a foldable structure by connecting the display unit side with the hinge, the display unit side housing and the display unit are separate housings, and the display unit side housing and the display unit are connected by a hinge. The display unit is rotatable.

According to the present invention, the display unit side housing and the display unit are separate housings, and are rotatable by hinges.
Regardless of the open / closed state of the display unit side housing, only the display surface of the display unit can be always viewed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the flip-type portable electronic device according to the first aspect, when the flip-type portable electronic device is folded by the first hinge, the display surface of the display portion is the second surface. Characterized by being turned to the outer surface by the hinge.

According to the present invention, the display surface of the display unit can be viewed even when the flip-type portable electronic device is closed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the flip-type portable electronic device according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the display surface of the display unit is directed outward by the second hinge, the display of the display surface is performed. It is characterized in that the contents are displayed upside down.

According to the present invention, when the flip-type portable electronic device is closed and the display unit is rotated, the contents displayed on the display unit can be visually observed without being inverted.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the flip-type portable electronic device according to the first to third aspects, wherein the flip-type portable electronic device is a portable telephone that performs wireless transmission and reception.

According to the present invention, folding is performed frequently.
The present invention is effective for a mobile phone that performs wireless transmission and reception of voice and data, and is a mobile phone in which the display unit can be viewed even when the user carries the mobile phone with the flipper closed.

[0017]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flip-type portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a flip-type mobile phone in an open state according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the flip-type mobile phone in the folded state according to the embodiment of the present invention. The mobile phone includes, for example, a receiver 3, a display-side housing 1 provided with a liquid crystal display described later, and a display unit 4 including a housing holding the liquid crystal display, and an operation provided with a microphone 5 and an operation unit 6. The display unit-side housing and the operation unit-side housing are connected to each other by a hinge 7 that rotates in the direction of arrow a and are folded in two. This is the same as the conventional example shown in FIGS. In addition to such a configuration, a part of the display unit side housing 1 is penetrated, and the display unit 4 is provided in the penetrated portion (hereinafter referred to as a through hole). Therefore, the display unit 4 is held by the display unit side hinge 8 so as to be rotatable by 180 ° in the direction of arrow b so that the display unit 4 can be turned upside down.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the flip-type mobile phone in the folded state according to the embodiment of the present invention. In a state where the display unit side housing 1 and the operation unit side housing 2 are opened as shown in FIG. 1, the display unit 4 is rotated by the display unit side hinge 8 in the direction of arrow b by 180 °, and then the display unit side housing 1 shows a state in which the housing 1 and the operation unit side body 2 are closed by the hinge 7 to the “closed” side of the arrow a.

FIGS. 3 to 8 show a first embodiment applied to a flip type portable telephone of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the display unit side housing 1 in a state where the operation unit 4 and the display unit side hinge 8 of the display unit side housing 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention have been removed. On each side surface of the through hole of the display unit side body 1, two convex portions 14 are provided on each surface in order to suppress the rotation of the display portion 4 by 180 ° or more.
4 has a triangular prism shape (in FIGS. 1 and 2,
The protrusions are not shown). Holes 15 for passing the display unit side hinge 8 are provided on both side surfaces of the through hole. FIG.
In the figure, only the convex portion 14 and the hole 15 through which the display portion side hinge 8 passes are shown on one side, but two convex portions 14 and the hole 15 through which the display portion side hinge 8 passes are provided on the opposite surface.

The display portion side hinge 8 has a structure as shown in FIG. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a structure of a display unit side hinge according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the display unit side hinge, FIG. 3A is a top view of the display unit side hinge,
(C) is a side sectional view of the display-side hinge, which will be described in detail below.

The display part side hinge 8 is hollow for electric wiring between the display part 4 and the display part side housing 1. If the display unit 4 is rotated more than necessary, the flexible substrate may be damaged by the twist of a flexible substrate for electric wiring, which will be described later, which passes through the inside of the display unit side hinge 1.
A stopper 9 composed of a coil spring 9a for suppressing rotation of 80 ° or more and a plastic member 9b coupled to the coil spring 9a is housed in a groove of the display-side hinge 8. The coil spring 9b in FIG. 3 has shown the state where it extended completely. One end of the display unit side hinge 8 is connected to the display unit 4.
And the other end is rotatably held inside the display unit side housing 1. Here, as the stopper 9, a plastic member 9b is used, but any member such as iron whose shape does not easily change may be used. Further, the display unit side hinge 8 may not be connected to the display unit 4 and may be formed in the same housing.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing electric wiring to the liquid crystal display constituting the display unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As a member for electrically connecting the display unit side housing 1 and the display unit 4, a strip-shaped flexible substrate 13 as a wiring substrate is used, and one end is connected to the liquid crystal driver 12 of the liquid crystal display 11 and the other end is displayed. It is connected to the electronic circuit board of the operation unit side housing 2 through the cavity of the unit side hinge 8 and the display unit side housing 1.
In order to prevent the flexible board from being damaged by the 180 ° rotation of the display unit 4, the strip-shaped flexible board 13 is slackened.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the connection of the display unit and the display unit side housing at the display unit side hinge in one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, since a part of the display part side hinge 8 is actually provided on the display part side housing 1, it is not visible in appearance, but here, for convenience of explanation, the display part side hinge 8 is shown as a viewable part. I have. As described with reference to FIG. 8, holes 15 for passing the display unit side hinges 8 are formed on both sides of the through hole of the display unit side housing 1, and the display unit side hinges 8 are inserted into the holes 15. Inserted from the side. The distal end of the display unit side hinge 8 is coupled to the display unit 4, and the other end is rotatably held inside the display unit side housing 1. Reference numeral 14 denotes a projection provided on both sides of the through hole of the display unit side housing 1 so that the display unit 4 does not rotate more than 180 °. The plastic member 9b of the stopper 9 of the display unit side hinge 8 is formed by a spring 9a. By being pushed out and the plastic member 9b being housed in the convex portion 14, further rotation can be suppressed.

FIG. 6 is a view in which the display unit of FIG. 5 is rotated by 90 °. The display-side hinge 8 connected to the display unit 4 is similarly rotated by 90 °, the stopper 9 is released from the projection 14, and the stopper is pushed by the display-side housing 1.

FIG. 7 is a view in which the display unit of FIG. 5 is rotated by 180 °. The display side hinge 8 connected to the display unit 4
Similarly, the stopper 9 rotates by 180 °, and the stopper 9
Will fit in.

With such a configuration, when the user of the flip-type mobile phone uses the flip-type mobile phone in the state of FIG. 1 and stores it in a bag or the like, the display unit 4 is rotated in the direction of arrow b. When the display unit 4 is fixed by the stopper 9 and the projection 14 at a position rotated by 180 ° and then stored in a state where the display unit 4 is folded by the hinge 7 (FIG. 2), the display unit 4 can be viewed even in the folded state, and The operation unit 6 and the like are sandwiched between the two housings 1 and 2, and erroneous operation or the like can be prevented.

When an incoming call is received in the folded state (FIG. 2), the user can view the display unit 4 without releasing the folded state, so that the name of the called party can be easily recognized. Can be. When talking on a call,
When the hinge 7 is opened at the fulcrum from the folded state ("open" of arrow a), the liquid crystal display 11 of the display unit 4 is located on the side opposite to the user's ear, but the position of the receiver 3 is always It is on the same plane as the microphone 5 side, and it is possible to talk without rotating the display unit.

In this embodiment, the display unit side hinge 8 is connected to both sides of the display unit 4 and the flexible substrate 13 is passed through the inside from both sides, but the display unit side hinge 8 is connected from one side of the display unit 4. It is also possible to combine.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the contents displayed on the display surface are turned upside down in a state where the flip is closed by rotating the display unit, so that the user can easily see the contents. Can be. This is because the display unit 4 is rotated to the outer surface by a mechanism interlocked with the portion where the plastic member 9b of the stopper 9 of the display unit side hinge 8 is pushed out by the spring 9a by the rotation operation described above. Be recognized. By this interlocking mechanism, for example, a display in which the scanning direction of the raster scanning (from the upper left to the lower right) is reversed to be vertically inverted can be performed.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9A is a detailed mechanism diagram showing the connection of the display unit and the display-side housing of the mobile phone at the display-side hinge in the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing electric wiring to a liquid crystal display constituting a display unit of a mobile phone according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

First, in FIG. 9 (a), a strip-shaped flexible substrate 13 which is a wiring substrate is used as a member for electrically connecting the main body and the liquid crystal display, and one end is connected to the liquid crystal display 11.
And the other end is connected to an electronic circuit board (not shown) on the main body side through the main body. This flexible substrate 13 can be rotated favorably by the display unit side hinge 90 even when the operation of rotating the hinge 7 is performed. In the present embodiment, the flexible substrates 13 are connected from both sides, but if the display unit side hinges 90 are provided on both sides, wiring connection on only one side may be used.

In FIG. 9A, the display side hinge 90 is actually used.
Are not visible in appearance because they are provided in the display unit side housing 1, but here, for convenience of description, the display unit side hinge 90 is shown. In this embodiment, a hole for passing the display unit side hinge 90 is provided on both sides of the through hole of the display unit side housing 1, and the display unit side hinge 90 is inserted into this hole. The distal end of the display unit side hinge 90 is coupled to the display unit 4, and the other end is rotatably held inside the display unit side housing 1. As a mechanism related to rotation, a projection 91, a recess 92, and a spring 93 are provided in addition to the display unit side hinge 90. These operations will be described next with reference to FIG.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of a display-side housing of a mobile phone according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
(A) When the flip is open and (b) when the flip is closed. In this figure, the structure is such that the liquid crystal display is rotated 180 degrees and locked. Inside the display unit side hinge 90,
There is a lock structure composed of a convex portion 91 and a spring 93.
1 has a spring function of pushing out to the liquid crystal display side. Further, the tip of the convex portion 91 is rounded, that is, in a semicircular shape. The concave portion 92 is provided on the liquid crystal display side. When the liquid crystal display rotates and rotates and comes to a position overlapping the convex portion 91, the convex portion 91 is protruded by the spring 93 and fits into the concave portion. A lock structure is realized by the convex portion and the concave portion having such a spring force, and the mechanism does not rotate more than 180 degrees. As described above, in the present embodiment, FIG. 10A is set to the state when the flip is opened, and when the flip is closed, the liquid crystal display device is rotated clockwise by 180 degrees, so that the convex portion and the concave portion overlap and are locked ( The state is as shown in a). In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the convex portion and the concave portion is a semicircular shape as shown in the figure, and the locking function by the clockwise rotation operation is more effective. Can be easily realized.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portable telephone according to an embodiment of the present invention, which can be described in the same manner as the first or second embodiment relating to the above-described rotating mechanism. In this figure, a flexible substrate 13 wired substantially linearly to the housing 1 is orthogonally connected to the liquid crystal display side at the hinge 7. The flexible substrate 13 passes through the inside cavity of the display part side hinge 8 or 90 of the hinge 7. That is, the flexible substrate 13 is guided toward the liquid crystal display so as to extend in the direction perpendicular to the vicinity of the hinge 7. Here, the flexible substrate 13 is bent near the hinge 7 and wound several turns. The flexible substrate 13 is further guided from the wound portion to have a shape extending in the perpendicular direction again, and is connected to the liquid crystal driver 12. Thus, even when the liquid crystal display is rotated by the winding, the linear portion of the flexible substrate 13 does not change because the winding diameter of the wound form changes. Such a structure enables electrical connection even when rotated. The LCD driver 1
2 receives data from a control unit (not shown) on the main body side and displays information on a liquid crystal display unit.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the flip-type portable electronic device is in a folded state, the display portion can be easily viewed, and by rotating only the display portion, other components can be obtained. Even when the function is not rotated, the portion other than the display unit is always sandwiched between the two housings in the folded state, so that erroneous operation of the operation unit and corrosion of other functions can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a flip-type mobile phone in an open state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the flip-type mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention in a folded state.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show the structure of a display-side hinge of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
(A) Top view, (c) sectional view.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing electric wiring to a liquid crystal display constituting a display unit of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a detailed mechanism diagram showing connection of a display unit and a display unit side housing of the mobile phone with a display unit side hinge according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view in which the display unit of FIG. 5 is rotated by 90 °.

FIG. 7 is a view in which the display unit of FIG. 5 is rotated by 180 °.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the display-unit-side housing showing a state in which the operation unit and the display-unit-side hinge of the display-unit-side housing of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention have been removed.

FIG. 9 is a detailed mechanism diagram showing connection of a display unit and a display unit-side housing of the mobile phone with a display unit-side hinge according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the display unit side housing of the mobile phone according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) the flip is opened and (b) the flip is closed.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a conventional box-type mobile phone.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a conventional flip-type mobile phone in an open state.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a conventional flip-type mobile phone in a folded state.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Display part side housing, 2 ... Operation part side housing, 3
... Receiver, 4 ... Display unit, 5 ... Microphone,
6 ... operation unit, 7 ... hinge, 8, 90 ... display unit side hinge, 9 ... stopper, 10 ... display unit side housing, 11 ... liquid crystal display, 12 ... ..Liquid crystal driver, 13 flexible substrate, 14 convex portion, 15 hole, 91 convex portion, 92 concave portion, 20 operation unit side housing, 30 ..Receivers,
40 ... display unit, 50 ... microphone, 60 ...
Operation part, 70 ... hinge

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Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A flip-type portable electronic device having a structure in which a display unit side housing having a display unit and an operation unit side housing having an operation unit are connected and foldable by a first hinge, wherein the display unit is provided. A side housing and the display unit are separate housings, and the display unit side housing and the display unit are connected by a second hinge;
A flip-type portable electronic device, wherein the display unit is rotatable. 2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display surface of the display unit is rotated by the second hinge to face an outer surface when the display unit is folded by the first hinge. Flip type portable electronic device. 3. The flip-type portable device according to claim 2, wherein when the display surface of the display unit is an outer surface by the second hinge, the display content of the display surface is displayed upside down. Electronics. 4. The flip-type portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a mobile phone that performs wireless transmission and reception.