JP2003184927A - Shock absorbing structure of folding type portable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shock absorbing structure of a folding type portable electronic device capable of having no influence on both flexibility of the design and manufacturing cost of the device, and reducing damage of a device body and interior components when falling or colliding the device, and improving a shock-resistant property of the device. <P>SOLUTION: A first device body 2 and a second device body 3 which are divided by a hinge 1 as a boundary are rotated relatively to each other on a hinge unit 4 as a rotary shaft. A viscous elastic body 6 for a closing state and a viscous elastic body 7 for an opening state which have a characteristic of viscous elasticity are built in spaces inward than outer surfaces of an upper box 11 and a lower box 12 of the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 respectively. Ends of the viscous elastic body 6 for a closing state and the viscous elastic body 7 for an opening state are stuck to or connected with the upper box 11 and the lower box 12, and a fixing end and a reverse end are projected from an outer surface of the box. When an projected face 8 is pushed toward the fixing end, the viscous elastic body 6 for a closing state and the viscous elastic body 7 for an opening state are compressed. When push- down force is removed, the viscous elastic bodies are returned to original shapes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shock absorbing structure for a foldable portable electronic device, and more particularly to a shock absorbing structure for a foldable portable electronic device when it is dropped or collided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a portable electronic device that is used while being carried has a high possibility of being subjected to a shocking external force such as a drop or a collision depending on its use condition, and has a high resistance to the shock force received at that time. Is needed.

However, in the above portable electronic device,
Due to the requirement of portability, it must be small and lightweight, and it is difficult to simply increase the rigidity of the main body, for example, to increase the wall thickness of the housing or to use a highly rigid metal material. In addition, adding a large-scale cushioning structure to these electronic devices also becomes a factor that reduces the commercial value.

In view of the impact resistance of the portable electronic device, a cushioning material is attached to the outer surface of the main body (hereinafter referred to as the first method), and a part of the housing is intentionally used. A method of elastically deforming the casing (hereinafter, referred to as a second method), a method of intentionally buckling or damaging a part of the housing (hereinafter, referred to as a third method), and the like are included.

Regarding these methods, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 232271, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-277935, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-069135, and the like.

[0006]

In the conventional impact force absorbing structure described above, the first method of mounting the viscoelastic cushioning material on the outer surface of the main body is generally adopted. Since the cushioning material is exposed to the outside, the product design is restricted, the cushioning material cannot be thick enough in consideration of the miniaturization of the main body, and the cushioning material functions unless it is installed in all the places where there is a possibility of collision of equipment. There is a problem such as a situation that does not occur.

When the second method is adopted, a polymer material or magnesium is usually used as the casing material of the portable electronic device, but this material absorbs impact energy, and then the impact energy is absorbed. In order to restore the shape, it is necessary to form the elastic piece, and in that case, it is necessary to seal the gap around the elastic piece.

A material having a large elastic coefficient is adopted as a casing material from the viewpoint of ensuring rigidity, but a material having a large elastic coefficient generally has a low impact strength and is not suitable for the purpose of cushioning. is there.

Further, when the third method is adopted,
The phenomenon of intentionally buckling or damaging a part of the housing is irreversible, and only one buffering action occurs. This cannot be used as a general means due to the marketability of portable electronic devices.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and reduce the damage to the main body of the equipment and the interior parts at the time of a drop collision without affecting the degree of freedom in the design of the equipment and the manufacturing cost of the equipment. Another object of the present invention is to provide a shock absorbing structure for a foldable portable electronic device, which can improve the shock resistance of the device.

[0011]

In a shock absorbing structure for a folding portable electronic device according to the present invention, first and second device bodies are connected by a hinge mechanism, and the first and second device bodies are hinged. A shock absorbing structure for a foldable portable electronic device that freely rotates with respect to each other by a mechanism, the first and second device bodies being in contact with each other and having a viscoelastic function when the first and second device bodies are in a closed state. A viscoelastic body, and the first and second
Each of the first and second device bodies is provided with a second viscoelastic body that comes into contact with each other and has a viscoelastic function when the device body is opened.

That is, in the shock absorbing structure of the foldable portable electronic device of the present invention, the device main body is mainly provided via the hinge.
It is divided and has a mechanism in which the hinges freely rotate the divided main bodies with respect to each other, and the operation input and information output surfaces (hereinafter referred to as interface surfaces) of the respective main bodies approach each other in a folded state (hereinafter referred to as a closed state). A portable electronic device that is used in a state in which the interface surface of each body is in the same plane (hereinafter referred to as an open state), and that improves the resistance to impact force from the outside of the device. Is.

That is, in the shock absorbing structure for a folding portable electronic device of the present invention, a viscoelastic body having a viscoelastic function is incorporated into the divided main body, and the hinge rotation motion from the closed state to the closed rotary motion and the open state from the closed state. It is characterized in that the viscoelastic body is compressed when the hinge rotation motion further opening is generated, and the impact energy is absorbed and relaxed.

More specifically, the foldable portable electronic device of the present invention is divided into a first device body and a second device body with a hinge in the center of the device as a boundary, and the hinge unit is used as a rotating shaft to mutually rotate. Rotate.

The rotatable angle is from the closed state (0 degree) where the interface surfaces of the first device body and the second device body are close to each other face to face, and the interface between the first device body and the second device body is changed. The open state (18)
It is approximately 180 degrees up to 0 degree).

A viscoelastic body made of a material having a viscoelastic property such as urethane resin or silicon resin is incorporated in a space inside the outer surface of each housing of the first device body and the second device body. Has been. One end of the viscoelastic body is attached or engaged to the main body housing, the end surface opposite to the fixed end projects from the outer surface of the housing, and when the protruding surface is pushed toward the fixed end, the viscoelastic body compresses and the pressing force is removed. Then, it returns to its original shape.

With respect to the installation position of the viscoelastic body, the viscoelastic body of the first device body and that of the second device body may be set in a state where the first device body and the second device body are closed or opened. The viscoelastic body comes into contact with the viscoelastic body, and at this time, the mutual contact points of the first device body and the second device body other than the hinge joint are only the viscoelastic body.

The installation direction of the viscoelastic body is such that when the hinge is rotated from a closed state to a more closed state and the hinge is rotated from an open state to a more open state, the contacting pairs push each other and the viscoelastic bodies are viscous. The elastic body is compressed.

Although the rotation mechanism of the hinge unit has a function of producing a low resistance at the time of rotation, there is no one that strongly limits the rotation range in particular, and the angle in the closed state and the angle in the opened state are determined. Items are determined by the relationship between the opening / closing force acting on the device and the amount of compression of the viscoelastic body.

An example of the installation position of the viscoelastic body is as a pair that contacts in the closed state, a screw fastening portion on the interface surface, and a pair that contacts in the open state, in which the side surface on the hinge coupling side opposite to the interface surface is Can be mentioned.

Since the foldable portable electronic device of the present invention has a structure having the above-described characteristics, it receives a shock force in the closed state or the open state, and the hinge rotation is caused by the inertial force of the device body. When it occurs, it freely rotates from the closed state to the open state or from the open state to the closed state, and the viscoelastic body is compressed from the closed state to the more closed state or from the open state to the more opened direction. .

Therefore, in the foldable portable electronic device of the present invention, damage to the device body and interior parts at the time of a drop collision can be reduced and the device durability can be reduced without affecting the freedom of design of the device and the manufacturing cost of the device. It is possible to improve impact resistance.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall exploded view of a foldable portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 illustrates a viscoelastic body that is in contact with the foldable portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention when the device is closed. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a viscoelastic body that comes into contact with the foldable portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention when the device is open. In these figures, the first device main body 2 and the second device main body 3 have a shape that constitutes the hinge 1 at the ends thereof, and the hinge unit 4 is inserted into the cylindrical space formed thereby. Thus, the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 are connected by the hinge mechanism.

The upper casing 11 and the lower casing 12 of the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 are composed of two parts and are fastened with male screws 13. The male screw 13 penetrates a screw hole of the upper housing 11 on the interface surface 5 side and is fastened to a female screw (hereinafter, referred to as a screw boss) 14 integrated with the lower housing 12 on the non-interface surface side.

The height dimension of the screw boss 14 and the fastening surface thickness of the upper casing 11 are such that the head of the male screw 13 reaches a position deeper than the outer surface of the upper casing 11.
As a result, the fastening portion of the upper housing 11 has the recess 15.

[0026] The portable electronic device is opposed to the first in a closed state.
The fastening screw portions 9 of the device main body 2 and the second device main body 3 come to the same position, and the first device main body 2 and the second device main body 3
The closed-state viscoelastic body 6 is inserted into the concave portions 15 of the respective upper casings 11. The viscoelastic body 6 for closed state has a double-sided adhesive tape attached to one end face, and is fixed to the recess 15 of the upper housing 11 by this double-sided adhesive tape.

The closed-state viscoelastic body 6 fixed to the concave portion 15 of the upper housing 11 projects from the outer surface of the upper housing 11, and when the folding portable electronic device is closed, the first device body 2 is closed.
And the protruding surface 8 of the viscoelastic body 6 for closed state of the second device body 3
Contact each other. At this time, a gap 17 is formed between the opposed upper housings 11 of the first device body 2 and the second device body 3.

Next, an example of the open state viscoelastic body 7 with which the foldable portable electronic device (hereinafter referred to as a portable electronic device) contacts in an open state will be described. The open state viscoelastic body 7 is fixed to the hinge-side end of the lower housing 12. The lower housing 12 has a hinge side end portion with a space for installing the open state viscoelastic body 7 and an engaging rib 16 for fixing the rib.
And the open state viscoelastic body 7 are engaged with each other, and the open state viscoelastic body 7 is engaged.
Is fixed inside the lower housing 12. The hinge ends of the upper housing 11 and the lower housing 12 have an opening, and the end of the viscoelastic body, which is the opposite of the fixed end, projects from the opening to the outside of the housing.

When the portable electronic device is in the open state, the viscoelastic body for closing 7 protruding from the hinge-side ends of the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 comes into contact with the first device body. A gap 18 is provided at the end of the hinge between the main body 2 and the second equipment main body 3.
Occurs.

The configuration of the portable electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be further described with reference to FIG. A portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is divided into a first device main body 2 and a second device main body 3 with a hinge 1 at the center of the portable electronic device as a boundary, and they rotate relative to each other with a hinge unit 4 as a rotation axis. .

In this case, the rotatable angle is from the closed state (0 degree) in which the interface surface 5 between the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 is close to face-to-face with the first device body 2 and the first device body 2. It is approximately 180 degrees up to an open state (180 degrees) in which the interface surface 5 with the device body 3 of 2 is substantially the same surface.

The first device body 2 and the second device body 3 have a viscoelastic property such as urethane resin or silicon resin in the space inside the outer surfaces of the upper and lower housings 11 and 12. The viscoelastic body 6 for the closed state and the viscoelastic body 7 for the open state, which are made of the material, are incorporated.

One ends of the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7 are attached to or engaged with the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 12, and the end face opposite to the fixed end projects from the casing outer surface. When the projecting surface 8 is pushed toward the fixed end, the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7 are compressed, and when the pressing force is removed, the original shape is restored.

The installation positions of the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7 are in a state in which the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 are closed or open,
The viscous elastic body 6 for the closed state and the viscous elastic body 7 for the open state of the first device body 2, and the viscous elastic body 6 for the closed state and the viscous elastic body 7 for the open state of the second device body 3 are in contact with each other. And
At this time, the mutual contact points of the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 other than the hinge joint part are in the closed state viscous elastic body 6.
And the open state viscoelastic body 7 only.

The direction of installation of the viscoelastic body 6 for closed state and the viscoelastic body 7 for open state are such that hinge rotation from a closed state to a more closed state and hinge rotation from an open state to a more opened state. When you move, the contacting pairs push against each other,
Both the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7 are compressed.

Although the rotation mechanism of the hinge unit 4 has a function of producing a low resistance at the time of rotation, there is no one that strongly limits the rotation range, and the angle of the closed state and the angle of the open state are determined. What is done is the opening / closing force acting on the portable electronic device and the viscous elastic body 6 for the closed state and the viscous elastic body 7 for the open state.
Is determined by the relationship with the amount of compression.

In the example of the installation positions of the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7, the screw fastening portion 9 on the interface surface 5 and the open state are contacted as a pair that is in contact in the closed state. As a pair, the hinge coupling side surface 10 of the device body opposite to the interface surface 5 can be mentioned.

A portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is
When the hinge rotation occurs due to the inertial force of the main body when it receives an impact force in the closed state or the open state, it freely rotates from the closed state to the open direction or from the open state to the closed state, and then the closed state It is characterized in that the viscous elastic body 6 for closed state and the viscous elastic body 7 for open state are compressed in the direction from the closed state to the closed state or from the opened state to the closed state.

Incidentally, in FIG. 1, since interior parts and the like of a portable electronic device (not shown) are known, their description will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a closed state of the portable electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a opened state of the portable electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention. . The opening / closing operation of the portable electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

When the portable electronic device shown in FIG. 4 is in the closed state, the end surfaces of the viscoelastic body 6 for the closed state, which project from the housing surfaces of the first device body 2 and the second device body 3, come into contact with each other, and There is a gap 17 on the surface of the upper housing 11.

If the portable electronic device is further closed from this state, the viscoelastic body 6 for closed state in contact with the portable electronic device is compressed. This compression occurs when the closed state viscoelastic bodies 6 respectively installed in the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 press each other. The compression of the viscoelastic body 6 for closed state must be performed against the repulsion of the compression, and energy is required for compression, and the energy is stored in the viscoelastic body 6 for closed state as compression energy.

At this time, not all are converted into compression energy (elastic deformation energy) due to the viscous property, but
There is also a portion consumed as heat energy of the viscoelastic body. When the force for closing the portable electronic device is lost, the closed state viscoelastic body 6 returns to its original shape, and the portable electronic device returns to the normal closed state.

The operation of the open state viscoelastic body 7 shown in FIG. 5 is the same, and energy is required to compress the open state viscoelastic body 7 in order to further open the portable electronic device from the open state. Then, when the force to open it disappears, it returns to the open state.

Next, how the above operation works when the portable electronic device receives an impact force will be described. A representative of the impact force that the mobile electronic device receives is the impact force when the mobile electronic device falls and collides.

The portable electronic device obtains velocity energy by falling, but is forced to decelerate due to a collision. Although the velocity energy itself decreases due to deceleration, from the energy conservation law, the entire amount of velocity energy just before the collision must be converted into some energy. When this energy is converted into the deformation energy of the device body of the portable electronic device, it leads to deformation, damage, and destruction of the body case and the interior parts.

In this embodiment, since the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 are connected by the hinge structure 1, the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 are relatively Can be converted into rotational energy. When the hinge rotation reaches the maximum open / close position, the viscoelastic body 6 for the closed state
And the open state viscous elastic body 7 are brought into contact with each other, and the rotational energy compresses the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7 to generate the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7. 7, and the rotation of the first device body 2 and the second device body 3 is stopped.

When the hinge rotation is stopped, the opening / closing force of the portable electronic device also disappears, the compression energy of the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7 is released, and this time to the rotational energy in the opposite direction. Invert. The conversion of the rotational energy by the hinge rotation into the compression energy of the closed state viscous elastic body 6 and the open state viscous elastic body 7 does not lead to damage or destruction of the portable electronic device.

When the portable electronic device having the hinge rotation mechanism according to the present embodiment is viewed as a motion system, it is composed of two rigid bodies and a viscoelastic body between the two rigid bodies that are connected by the hinge mechanism that freely rotates.

The hinge rotation is free rotation with low resistance, and the rotation range is limited by the interaction between the two rigid bodies. The interaction between the two rigid bodies is not a direct collision between the rigid bodies, but is performed through the viscoelastic body and involves the compression of the viscoelastic body.

Therefore, when the portable electronic device according to the present embodiment receives an impact force, the impact energy causes deformation of the main body (elastic deformation energy), hinge free rotation (work against resistance of the hinge mechanism), compression of the viscoelastic body. (Work on elastic deformation energy and viscous resistance).

The ratio of this energy conversion of collision changes depends on the collision direction of the portable electronic device, but the deformation of the highly rigid body requires a strong restraint, and it is inevitable to cause the restraint of the portable electronic device. Rotation of the hinge and compression of the viscoelastic body occur at.

Therefore, in the portable electronic device according to the present embodiment, the device body of the portable electronic device is deformed after some hinge rotation or the compression of the viscoelastic body occurs, and the energy used before the body deformation. Is the remaining energy consumed by hinge rotation and viscoelastic body compression.

Since there is no rigid body collision in the moving system,
The acceleration generated in the mobile electronic device is averaged, and the maximum value of the acceleration is reduced. This reduces damage to the device body and interior parts of the portable electronic device at the time of a drop collision and improves the impact resistance of the portable electronic device.

The above-described improvement in impact resistance due to the compression of the viscoelastic body is also applicable to an integral type portable electronic device having a hinge mechanism in which the viscoelastic body is mounted on the outer surface, but it is an object of the present invention. Since there is a difference between the portable electronic device having the hinge mechanism and the integrated type portable electronic device,
The difference will be described.

In order to surely generate the compression of the viscoelastic body in the integrated type portable electronic device, it is necessary to install the viscoelastic body in all of the expected collision locations of the portable electronic device. Requires only that the viscoelastic body be compressed in the closed state and the open state, and reliable installation is possible by locally installing the viscoelastic body. This greatly affects the degree of freedom in designing the mobile electronic device and the manufacturing cost of the mobile electronic device.

Next, the effect of the amount of energy stored in the viscoelastic body during compression in this embodiment will be described. Since the viscoelastic body in this embodiment has a large overall length in the compression direction because it is installed in the interior space of the housing, the amount of compression is several mm (2 mm is assumed in this embodiment), and the viscoelastic body is attached to the outer surface of the main housing. The amount is much larger than the compression of a viscoelastic body having a thickness of about 1 mm.

The fact that the total length of the viscoelastic body in the compression direction can be made large secures a sufficient amount of compression, reduces the compression strain (compression amount / total length in the compression direction), and prevents plastic deformation of the viscoelastic body.

The viscoelastic body used in this embodiment is not limited to a single material, and may be a metal coil spring and a material having viscoelastic properties. Further, the viscoelastic body used in this embodiment loses the viscous function as described above, but it is also possible to use the elasticity of a metal coil spring, a disc spring or the like.

[0060]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first and second device bodies are connected by the hinge mechanism, and the first and second device bodies are freely rotatable with each other by the hinge mechanism. In the electronic device, when the first and second device bodies are in a closed state, the first viscoelastic body that is in contact with each other and has a viscoelastic function, and the first and second device bodies are in an open state. By providing the first and second device bodies with the second viscoelastic body that sometimes comes into contact with each other and has a viscoelastic function, the flexibility in designing the device and the manufacturing cost of the device are not affected. In addition, it is possible to reduce the damage to the device body and the interior parts at the time of a drop collision and to improve the impact resistance of the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall exploded view of a folding portable electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a viscoelastic body that comes into contact with the foldable portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention when the device is closed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a viscoelastic body that is in contact with the foldable portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention when the device is open.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a closed state of a portable electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a portable electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is opened.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 hinge 2 First device body 3 Second device body 4 Hinge unit 5 Interface side 6 Viscoelastic body for closed state 7 Viscoelastic body for open state 8 protruding surface 9 Fastening screw part 10 Hinge connection side 11 Upper case 12 Lower case 13 Male screw 14 female screw 15 recess 16 Engaging rib 17 Gap between device bodies when closed 18 Gap between devices in open state

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 3J066 AA24 BA01 BB01 BC01 BD05                       BE08                 4E360 AA02 AB04 AB12 AB17 AB20                       AB42 BB12 BB17 BB22 BC03                       BC06 EA12 EA18 ED04 ED13                       ED17 ED23 ED27 FA08 GA02                       GA14 GB26 GC08                 5K023 AA07 BB27 DD08 LL06 RR08

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A shock absorbing structure for a foldable portable electronic device, wherein the first and second device bodies are connected by a hinge mechanism, and the first and second device bodies are freely rotated by the hinge mechanism. A first viscoelastic body that is in contact with each other and has a viscoelastic function when the first and second device bodies are closed, and the first and second device bodies are open. The second that has mutual viscoelasticity when in contact with each other
And a viscoelastic body for each of the first and second device bodies. 2. A main portion of each of the first and second viscoelastic bodies is located inside an outer surface of the main body housing, and one end of the first and second viscoelastic bodies is projected from the outer surface of the main body housing. 1. The shock absorbing structure according to 1. 3. In the closed state in which the first viscoelastic bodies are in contact with each other and in the open state in which the second viscoelastic bodies are in contact with each other, the first and The shock absorbing structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a gap is provided between the second device main bodies to enable further opening and closing from the closed state and the open state. 4. A force is applied in a direction from the closed state in which the first viscoelastic bodies are in contact with each other to a further closing direction and in a direction from the open state in which the second viscoelastic bodies are in contact with each other to a further opening direction. The shock absorbing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first and second viscoelastic bodies are sometimes pressed against each other and compressed. 5. The first first and second viscoelastic bodies are removed from the compressed state, respectively, when the force applied to each of the direction further closed from the closed state and the direction further opened from the open state is removed. 5. The shock absorbing structure according to claim 4, wherein each of the second viscoelastic body returns to its original shape. 6. In the closed state where the first viscoelastic bodies are in contact with each other and in the open state where the second viscoelastic bodies are in contact with each other, the rotation of the hinge mechanism and the first and first hinge mechanisms are performed. Two
Of the viscoelastic body is not obstructed, and at least the external force and the inertial force of the first and second device bodies cause the device opening / closing force to rotate the hinge mechanism and the first and second device. The shock absorbing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein compression and restoration of each of the viscoelastic bodies of (1) can be freely generated.