JP2003152634A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic apparatus such as a personal computer easy to use as a mobile terminal regarding an electronic apparatus such as an information processor. SOLUTION: This electronic apparatus is provided with a communication circuit for performing transmission or reception by radio, an electronic circuit for providing a function different from a function provided by the communication circuit and an instruction means operable from the outside of the apparatus as a means for instructing the stop of the communication circuit. In response to the instruction from the instruction means, transmission or reception by radio is stopped.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to electronic equipment such as an information processing device, and particularly mobile (movable).
The present invention relates to an electronic device (portable information device) such as a personal computer suitable for being used as a terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, personal computers intended for personal use have become widespread. Recently, by connecting a personal computer to the Internet via a public line and a commercial provider (line connection company), information retrieval and e-mail exchange can be easily performed.

On the other hand, with the practical use of a display for display (for example, a liquid crystal display) suitable for high-density integration and thinning of electronic circuits, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, and other personal computers suitable for carrying have been developed. Many are supplied to the market. A portable personal computer can be used as a so-called mobile terminal by connecting to a public line by wireless communication such as a mobile phone and PHS.

[0004]

When a portable personal computer is connected to a public line by, for example, a mobile phone, it is necessary to connect the personal computer and the mobile phone by wire according to predetermined specifications before operating the mobile phone. Therefore, there is a problem that it is complicated to use as a mobile terminal.

When the mobile terminal is used, for example, in an airplane or a hospital where the emission of high frequency electromagnetic waves should be minimized, only the wireless communication function is turned off and the other functions are kept alive. Sometimes you want to.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device such as a personal computer which is easy to use as a mobile terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device in which only the wireless communication function can be easily turned off.

Further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a communication circuit for wirelessly transmitting or receiving, an electronic circuit for realizing a function different from the function provided by the communication circuit, and an instruction for stopping the communication circuit are provided. An electronic device is provided, which is provided with an instruction unit operable from outside the device, and stops wireless transmission or reception according to an instruction from the instruction unit.

With this configuration, only the function of wireless communication can be easily turned off, and the object of the present invention is achieved.

Preferably, the instructing means is a slide switch operable from outside the electronic equipment, and the electronic equipment can be connected to a public line.

[0012] Further, the stop of the wireless transmission or reception is
For example, it can be implemented by stopping the oscillator provided in the communication circuit or by stopping the power supply to the communication circuit.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4 are perspective views showing an embodiment of an information processing apparatus as an electronic device according to the present invention. The device can be a laptop, notebook, or other portable personal computer. This device has a main body housing 2 and a sub-housing 6 that can be opened and closed by a hinge portion 4 with respect to the main body housing 2. 1 and 3 are perspective views of the device viewed from the front side with respect to the operation of the operator, and FIGS. 2 and 4 are perspective views of the device viewed from the back side with respect to the operation of the operator. 1 and 2 show a state in which the sub housing 6 is closed with respect to the main body housing 2, and FIGS. 3 and 4 show a state in which the sub housing 6 is opened with respect to the main body housing 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main body housing 2 is provided with a keyboard unit 8 for inputting data related to operation, and the sub-housing 6 is provided with a display related to operation. There is provided a display unit 10 for use in. The display unit 10 includes, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display) panel. A pair of locking portions (for example, holes) 12 are formed at the front end of the main body housing 2, and a pair of hooks 14 that engage with the locking portions 12 are provided at corresponding positions of the sub-housing 6. Has been. The hook 14 can be limitedly moved by a slider 16 provided on the opposite side of the sub-housing 6 from the hinge portion 4, so that the sub-housing 6 can be locked in the closed state with respect to the main body housing 2. In addition to this, the slider 16 can release this state.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main part of the main body housing 2 as seen from the back side, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the main part. An antenna assembly 18, which is used for wireless communication for connecting this device to, for example, a public line, is attached to one end portion on the rear surface side of the main body housing 2 with a screw 20. The antenna assembly 18 includes a substrate 22 and a dielectric antenna 24 surface-mounted on the substrate 22. As best shown in FIG. 6, the antenna assembly 18
Is connected to a high frequency module 30 housed in the main body housing 2 by a coaxial cable 26. The main body housing 2 also houses a motherboard 31 that provides electronic circuits related to operations using the keyboard unit 8 (see FIG. 3) and the like.

FIGS. 7A and 8A are plan views of the antenna assembly 18 seen from the side of the dielectric antenna 24 and the opposite side thereof, and FIGS. 7B and 8A are shown. B) is a plan view in which the substrate 22 is viewed from the same side. The substrate 22 has a first surface 22A and a second surface 22B, and the second surface 22B faces the main body housing 2. The dielectric antenna 24 and the coaxial connector 34 are fixed by surface mounting on the first surface 22A and the second surface 22B, respectively. The coaxial cable 26 (see FIG. 5) is connected to the coaxial connector 34.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the dielectric antenna 24 has first and second dielectric antennas 34 and 35 having predetermined shapes formed on the surfaces of the dielectric chip 34 and the dielectric chip 35. Of conductor patterns 36 and 38. The first conductor pattern 36 is soldered at one place to the power feeding pattern 44 formed on the first surface 22A of the substrate 22,
The second conductor pattern 38 is soldered to the ground pattern 40 also formed on the first surface 22A at four positions.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the coaxial connector 34 has a signal terminal 46 and a ground terminal 48 provided so as to surround the signal terminal 46. The signal terminal 46 is soldered at one place to the power feeding pattern 52 formed on the second surface 22B of the substrate 22, and the ground terminal 4
8 is soldered to the ground pattern 50 also formed on the second surface 22B at two places. Coaxial connector 34
Is located substantially in the center of the substrate 22.

The feeding patterns 44 and 52 are connected by a via 54 penetrating the substrate 22, and the ground pattern 40 is formed.
And 50 are connected by a plurality of vias 56 which also penetrate the substrate 22. Therefore, the dielectric antenna 24 can be connected to the high frequency module 30 by the coaxial cable 26 connected to the coaxial connector 34. Further, by forming the main body housing 2 from a conductor such as a metal (for example, an alloy containing magnesium as a main component) or the like, it is only necessary to press the substrate 22 onto the main body housing 2 with the screw 20 as shown in FIG. The second conductor pattern 38 of the dielectric antenna 24 can be connected to the main body housing 2.

In this embodiment, the second conductor pattern 3
8 to enhance the adhesion between the main body housing 2 and the substrate 2.
Seven vias 55 are provided around the through hole 57 of the second screw 20, and the solder is raised on all or part (e.g., every other one) of the vias 55, whereby the substrate 22 is main body by the screw 20. Good electrical connection when pressed onto the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate 22
Is attached to a thin or hollow seat portion 69 formed at the rear end of the main body housing 2, and the seat portion 69 is formed with a notch 71 for passing a coaxial cable. After the antenna assembly 18 is installed,
A cap 28 that covers the antenna assembly 18 is attached to the main body housing 2 to protect the antenna assembly 18 and improve its appearance. The cap 28 is manufactured by molding, for example, plastic containing no metal in order to suppress the influence on the antenna gain.

In this embodiment, the antenna assembly 18
Attaching the antenna to the main body housing 2 makes it possible to stabilize the antenna characteristics as compared with the case where the antenna assembly 18 is attached to the sub-housing 6 which can be easily displaced, and the coaxial cable 26 is sufficiently short. It is possible to prevent an increase in loss. The antenna assembly 18 is attached to the back side of the main body housing 2 to prevent the antenna characteristics from becoming unstable due to the operator's influence, and to prevent the electromagnetic waves emitted from the antenna from affecting the human body. This is to keep it to a minimum. For example, when the antenna assembly 18 is attached to the front surface or the side surface of the main body housing 2, the antenna characteristics may change according to the movement of the operator. Further, the antenna assembly 18 is attached to the rear end of the main body housing 2 because the antenna characteristics are improved as compared with the case where the antenna assembly 18 is attached to the rear central portion. It has been confirmed by experiments that when they are attached to the central portion, the electric fields induced in the main body housing 2 by the dielectric antennas 24 cancel each other and the antenna characteristics deteriorate.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, the substrate 22 is interposed between the dielectric antenna 24 and the coaxial connector 34 by the coaxial connector. This is to prevent changes in the relative positional relationship between the cable 34 and the coaxial cable 26 from directly affecting the antenna characteristics. The coaxial cable 26 can be easily rotationally displaced with respect to the coaxial connector 34, so that the dielectric antenna 24 and the coaxial connector 34 are disposed on the substrate 2.
If they are provided on the same side with respect to 2, electromagnetic characteristics such as impedance characteristics between the dielectric antenna 24 and the main body housing 2 may change. In the present embodiment, the substrate 22 has the ground patterns 40 and 50 between the dielectric antenna 24 and the coaxial connector 34, so that stable wireless communication can be performed without fear of such antenna characteristic fluctuation. You can

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the high frequency module 30. The high frequency module 30 is provided for the purpose of connecting this device to a public line, for example, and is provided to provide a function of a mobile phone or a PHS. The high frequency module 30 has a high frequency circuit 58 connected to the dielectric antenna 24 by the coaxial cable 26. High frequency circuit 5
8 is connected to a baseband circuit 60 for transmitting and receiving data and the like, and the baseband circuit 60 is
It is connected to a PCI connector (or mini PCI connector) 64 via a logic conversion circuit 62 by a bidirectional bus. The PCI connector 64 has a plurality of terminals assigned for performing an interface between the high frequency circuit module 30 and the motherboard 31. The transmission / reception stop control signal is transmitted from the mother board 31 to the high frequency circuit 5 via the stop control line SCL by using at least one of the terminals.
8 are supplied. Reference numeral 66 represents a power supply circuit that supplies power to each circuit via the PCI connector 64.

For example, when this device is used in an airplane or a hospital where it is necessary to reduce the emission of high frequency electromagnetic waves as much as possible, when it is desired to turn off only the wireless communication function and keep the other functions alive. There is. Therefore, in this embodiment, the high frequency circuit 58 is temporarily turned off by using the stop control line SCL to satisfy such a requirement. The high-frequency circuit 58 can be temporarily turned on / off by turning on / off a power supply supplied to the high-frequency circuit 58 or an oscillator (for example, a VCO) (not shown) incorporated in the high-frequency circuit 58.

Particularly in this embodiment, the sub-housing 6
Slide switch 68 provided on the outside of the
A transmission / reception stop control signal is generated (see, for example, FIG. 1). The slide switch 68 is provided in the vicinity of the slider 16 for the mechanical lock described above. By generating the transmission / reception stop control signal with such a slide switch 68, it is possible to extremely easily turn off only the wireless communication function.

When this device is to be used by connecting to a public line, it is required that the electric field strength associated with the public line be sufficiently strong. Therefore, in this embodiment, a circuit for detecting the electric field strength at the place where the device is placed and a display element for displaying the detected electric field strength are provided. As the display element, an LED (light emitting diode) whose lighting brightness or blinking frequency or interval changes according to the strength of the detected electric field strength can be used. This LED can also be built into the slide switch 68. In this case, the slide switch 68 has a transparent or semitransparent movable part, and the LED emits visible light through the movable part. This makes it possible to easily know whether or not this device can be stably connected to the public line.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of this apparatus as seen from the lower rear side. A battery pack 68 having a built-in battery is detachably provided on the front side of the main body housing 2. A recess 2B is formed on the lower surface of the main body housing 2, and a hard disk drive 70 as a storage device of a personal computer is housed in the recess 2B. The hard disk drive 70 is housed in the recess 2B in a state of being wrapped by the damper 76, and the lid 72 is attached to the main body housing 2 so as to cover it. The hard disk drive 70 is a hard disk drive 70.
And the damper 76, that is, between the hard disk drive 70 and the lid 72, the flexible printed wiring board (F
PC) 74 allows the motherboard 3 in the main body housing 2
Connected to 0. The lid 72 is screwed to the main body housing 2
The lid may be detachable, but one end of the lid may be attached to the main body housing 2 so that the lid can be opened and closed.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing the relationship between the hard disk drive 70 and the FPC 74 shown in FIG. 10, a part of which is enlarged and shown by an arrow. One end of the FPC 74 in the longitudinal direction is connected to the connector 78, and the other end is connected to the motherboard 30 (see FIG. 6). The connector 78 detachably connects the FPC 74 to the side surface of the hard disk drive 70. Particularly, in this embodiment, the FPC 74 is provided with a lid 72 (see FIG.
1 is located above) and is introduced from the opposite side. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the connector 78 from being undesirably detached from the hard disk drive 70 due to attachment / detachment or opening / closing of the lid 72.

Conventionally, it is generally considered that when the FPC is interposed between the hard disk drive and the lid, the FPC is introduced into the connector from the lid side. In this case, the operation of closing the lid with respect to the main body housing causes the FP
There is a possibility that the elastic force of the extra length portion of C acts in the direction of disconnecting the connector from the hard disk drive, and the connector may be disconnected from the hard disk drive after the manufacturing or modification of the device is completed.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the FPC 7
4 is introduced from the side opposite to the lid 72 with respect to the connector 78, the elastic force of the extra length portion of the FPC 74 is caused by the operation of closing the lid 72 with respect to the main body housing.
Is pressed against the hard disk drive 70. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the connector 78 from coming off the hard disk drive 70 after manufacturing or modification of the device is completed.

In this way, the hard disk drive 7
The number 0 can be exchanged with respect to the main body housing 2 in order to easily deal with the improvement related to the increase of the storage capacity of the hard disk drive.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the main part of the main body housing 2 as seen from its lower surface side, and FIG. 13 is a XII in FIG.
It is sectional drawing of the main body housing 2 along the I-XIII line. This device is intended to be used by being mounted on a substantially horizontal mounting surface 82, and the lower surface 2C of the main body housing 2 has a relatively large frictional force with the mounting surface 82. For the purpose of preventing the device from slipping on the mounting surface 82 and preventing the vibration or the like applied to the mounting surface 82 from being transmitted to the device. A pad 80 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 13, the lower surface 2C of the main body housing 2 includes an inclined surface IS which is inclined with respect to the mounting surface 82. This is because the entire device is tilted with respect to the operator to improve the operability. In this embodiment, a pedestal portion 83 is formed at a portion of the inclined surface IS to which the pad 80 is attached so that the thickness of each pad 80 attached to the inclined surface IS is constant.
More specifically, the thickness of the portion of the main body housing 2 corresponding to the pedestal portion 83 varies in the housing cross-sectional direction so that the pedestal portion 83 has the substantially horizontal pad attachment surface 84.

According to this structure, since a plurality of pads 80 having substantially the same shape can be used, the number of types of parts of the device can be reduced, which greatly contributes to cost reduction. Moreover, since the thickness of each pad 80 is constant,
When the pad 80 is attached to the lower surface 2C of the main body housing 2, it is not necessary to consider the directionality of the pad 80, and the workability of manufacturing the device is improved.

In the embodiment described above, in order to maximize the capacity of the antenna assembly 18, the antenna assembly 18 is attached to the main body housing 2 which is entirely made of a conductor such as metal. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to this. For example, the main body housing may be formed of an insulator such as plastic, a metal thin film may be formed on the surface thereof by ion plating or vapor deposition, and the ground of the antenna assembly may be closely attached to the metal thin film. Alternatively, the ground of the antenna assembly may be closely attached to a metal fitting, and the fitting may be connected to the metal thin film.

The present invention includes the following supplementary notes.

(Supplementary Note 1) A communication circuit for performing wireless transmission or reception, an electronic circuit for realizing a function different from the function provided by the communication circuit, and means for instructing to stop the communication circuit. An electronic device comprising: an instruction unit operable from outside of the device, and stopping the wireless transmission or reception according to an instruction from the instruction unit.

(Supplementary Note 2) The electronic device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the instructing means is a slide switch.

(Supplementary Note 3) The electronic device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the wireless transmission or reception is stopped by stopping an oscillator provided in the communication circuit.

(Supplementary Note 4) The electronic device according to Supplementary Note 1 or 2, wherein the wireless transmission or reception is stopped by stopping the power supply to the communication circuit.

(Supplementary note 5) The electronic equipment according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 4, wherein the electronic equipment can be connected to a public line.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention,
As a result, it is possible to provide an electronic device such as a personal computer that is easy to use as a mobile terminal.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic device in which only the function of wireless communication can be easily turned off.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view (No. 1) showing an embodiment of an information processing apparatus as an electronic device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view (No. 2) showing an embodiment of an information processing apparatus as an electronic device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view (No. 3) showing an embodiment of an information processing apparatus as an electronic device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view (No. 4) showing an embodiment of an information processing apparatus as an electronic device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of a main body housing.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main part of a main body housing.

7A and 7B are plan views of the antenna assembly and the substrate when viewed from the side of the dielectric antenna, respectively.

8A and 8B are plan views of the antenna assembly and the substrate as viewed from the coaxial connector side, respectively.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a high frequency module.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of an information processing apparatus as an electronic device according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a hard disk drive and FPC.
It is a side view which shows the relationship of (flexible printed wiring board).

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the main body housing as seen from below.

FIG. 13 is an XIII-XII shown in FIG.
It is sectional drawing of the main body housing along the I line.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 body housing 4 Hinge part 6 sub housing 8 keyboard unit 10 display unit 18 antenna assembly 22 Substrate 24 Dielectric antenna 26 coaxial cable 34 coaxial connector 58 high frequency circuit 70 hard disk drive

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kazuharu Shibata             4-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             No. 1 within Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Kobayashi Sonoma             4-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             No. 1 within Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Kaigo Tanaka             4-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             No. 1 within Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Kei Hamada             4-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             No. 1 within Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Hiroshi Yokozawa             4-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa             No. 1 within Fujitsu Limited F term (reference) 5K067 AA04 AA06 AA21 BB04 BB21                       DD27 EE02 KK05

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A communication circuit for wirelessly transmitting or receiving, an electronic circuit for realizing a function different from the function provided by the communication circuit, and means for instructing to stop the communication circuit,
An electronic device comprising: an instruction unit operable from the outside of the device, wherein the wireless transmission or reception is stopped according to an instruction from the instruction unit. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction unit is a slide switch. 3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission or reception is stopped by stopping an oscillator provided in the communication circuit. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the wireless transmission or reception is stopped by stopping power supply to the communication circuit. 5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is connectable to a public line.