JP2004273555A - Mobile type foldable electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a mobile type foldable electronic apparatus which assures sufficient packaging area of electronic components on an electronic substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic apparatus is provided with a first cabinet and a second cabinet which are connected with each other through a hinge so as to enable opening and closing, a first and a second electronic substrate 1a, 2a which mount electronic components and are accommodated in the first cabinet and the second cabinet, respectively, a first and a second flexible printed circuit boards 1b, 2b wherein the respective ends are connected electrically with the ends of the first and the second electronic substrates 1a, 2a, molded integrally and the other ends extend therethrough to an empty part of the hinge, and a connection part 3 which connects electrically and mechanically both ends of the first and the second flexible printed circuit board 1b, 2b and is accommodated in the empty part of the hinge. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable foldable electronic device such as a mobile phone and a portable information device, and is particularly suitable for miniaturization and high-density mounting of electronic components.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A conventional foldable mobile phone has a receiving unit housing and a transmitting unit housing that are openably and closably connected via a hinge unit, an electronic component and an electrical connector mounted thereon, and the receiving unit housing and the transmitting unit respectively. The electronic device generally includes first and second electronic boards housed in a housing, and a flexible printed board in which an intermediate portion is spirally wound around an empty portion of a hinge portion and both ends are respectively connected to an electrical connector. And the mounting space (mounting area and mounting height) of the electrical connector and the flexible printed circuit board on the first and second electronic boards is considerably large (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). .
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-300247 A (FIG. 4)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-2002-64604 (FIG. 2)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In portable foldable electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable information devices, there is a strong demand for miniaturization every year for convenience of carrying, and it is difficult to secure an electronic component mounting area on an electronic substrate. Although electronic components have also been miniaturized, the number of components has increased due to the demand for higher functionality of equipment, and space (mounting area and mounting height) for electrical connectors is required. It is becoming more and more difficult to obtain a sufficient mounting area of components on an electronic substrate, and to reduce the size and thickness of the components.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above, and eliminates the electrical connector mounted on the electronic board, secures the mounting area of the electronic components by mounting the electronic components in the empty space, and also reduces the size, It is intended to obtain a thin portable foldable electronic device.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a portable foldable electronic device according to the present invention includes first and second housings that are openably and closably connected via a hinge portion, and electronic components mounted thereon. First and second electronic board portions housed in the first and second housings, and one end of each is electrically connected to an end of the first and second electronic board portions to be integrally formed. And the other end of the first and second flexible printed circuit boards, the other end of which extends into the space of the hinge section, and the other end of the first and second flexible printed circuit board are electrically and mechanically connected. And a connection part housed in an empty space of the hinge part.
[0007]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a portable foldable electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0008]
Embodiment 1 FIG.
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which first and second rigid flexible boards are connected by an electrical connector, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the electrical connector is wound around a flexible printed board section, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a cylindrical electrical connector. FIG. 4 is a side view of a state where the connector is wrapped around a flexible printed circuit board portion, FIG. 4 is a side view of a case where an opposed connection type connector is employed, and FIG.
[0009]
In the figure, the earpiece housing 41 as a first housing has a rectangular box shape, and has two first hinges 43a on both lower ends. The transmitter housing 42 as a second housing has a rectangular box shape and includes two second hinges 43b on both upper ends. Two rotation shafts 43c are inserted into the first and second hinges from both sides, and the receiver housing 41 and the transmitter housing 42 are connected to be rotatable (openable and closable). The central part of the hinge part 43 is an empty part 43d.
[0010]
Rigid flexible shibble board is one end of a flexible printed circuit board in which conductor patterns of multiple signal lines and ground lines are covered with a flexible insulating sheet, and thermosetting to woven or nonwoven fabric of glass fiber or organic fiber. An electronic board part in which a printed wiring metal foil is adhered to a prepreg impregnated with a resin is superimposed (a structure in which a flexible printed board part is sandwiched between two electronic board parts) and integrated by heating and pressing. Then, both are electrically connected by a through hole or the like. Therefore, the rigid flexible boards 1 and 2 do not require an electrical connector to connect the electronic board sections 1a and 2a to the flexible printed board sections 1b and 2b. The first rigid flexible board 1 is housed and installed in the receiver housing 41, and the second rigid flexible board 2 is housed and installed in the transmitter housing 42, and the electronic board sections 1a and 2a have high heights. Electronic components are mounted to the density. The other ends of the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b are extended to the empty space 43d of the hinge 43.
[0011]
The electrical connector 3 has a prismatic outer shape, and is electrically and mechanically connected to the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b by inserting the tabs at the other ends of the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b so as to overlap each other. I do. As shown in FIG. 1, the tabs are inserted into the electrical connector 3 so as to overlap with each other, and as shown in FIG. 2, the flexible printed circuit board portions 1b and 2b are wound around the electrical connector 3 as a core, and the hinge portion shown in FIG. 43 in the empty space 43d.
[0012]
The electrical connector 3 shown in FIG. 2 has a prismatic outer shape, but an electrical connector 13 having a cylindrical outer shape as shown in FIG. 3 may be employed. By making the outer shape of the electric connector cylindrical, it is possible to prevent the corners of the electric connector from contacting the winding portions of the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b and damaging the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b.
[0013]
Either the ends of the electric connectors 3 and 13 are locked to the rotating shaft 43c and the hinge 43a, or the electric connectors 3 and 13 are integrally formed with the rotating shaft 43c and the hinge 43a to form the empty space 43d. The positions of the electrical connectors 3 and 13 are fixed in the inside, and it is possible to prevent the flexible printed circuit board portions 1b and 2b from deforming over time and bending, and from being in contact with the cover (not shown) of the empty space 43d to avoid friction and wear. it can.
[0014]
If the electrical connectors 3 and 13 are fixed so as to rotate with the receiver housing 41, the connectors 3 and 13 also rotate when the receiver housing 41 is opened. winding radius R ₁ of 1b does not change, since the winding radius R ₂ of the flexible printed circuit board portion 2b is smaller are caught, the contact friction of the flexible printed circuit board portion 1b and 2b can be avoided.
[0015]
If the electrical connectors 3 and 13 are fixed so as to rotate with the transmitter housing 42, the connectors 3 and 13 do not rotate with the receiver housing 41 when the receiver housing 41 is opened. winding radius R ₁ of the flexible printed circuit board unit 1b shown in FIG. 2 is increased, the winding radius R ₂ of the flexible printed circuit board portion 2b does not change, but the contact friction of the flexible printed circuit board portion 1b and 2b can be avoided, a flexible printed since the winding radius R ₁ of the substrate portion 1b becomes larger, the possibility of friction in contact with the cover of the hollow portion 43d (not shown) is increased. Therefore, it is better to fix the connectors 3 and 13 so as to rotate with the receiver housing 41.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 4, a facing connection type electrical connector 53 may be employed. In this case, the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b are arranged so as to be shifted from each other in the vertical direction in the figure, and are connected to the electrical connector 53. The end of the electric connector 53 is locked to the rotating shaft 43c or the hinge 43a, or the electric connector 53 is integrally formed with the rotating shaft 43c or the hinge 43a, so that the electric connector is formed in the empty space 43d. The position of 53 is fixed, and it is possible to prevent the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b from deforming and bending over time and coming into contact with the cover (not shown) of the empty space 43d to cause friction and wear.
[0017]
In the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, an electrical connector for connecting the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b is not required on the electronic boards 1a and 2a, and therefore, the electronic components on the electronic boards 1a and 2a are wider than those in the related art. It can be used for mounting components. Alternatively, the electronic board portions 1a and 2a can be reduced in size by the space for the electrical connector. Further, since a space in the height direction of the electrical connector is not required, the thickness of the mobile phone can be reduced.
[0018]
Embodiment 2 FIG.
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the first and second rigid flexible boards are connected by an anisotropic conductor, and FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the connection portion is wound around the flexible printed board.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 6, the anisotropic conductor 23 is sandwiched between the tab electrodes at the other ends of the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b, and the tabs are sandwiched by a jig 33 and heated and pressed to join. 5, the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b are wound around such that the joints are used as cores, and are housed in the empty space 43d of the hinge 43 in FIG.
[0020]
The joint is locked to the rotating shaft 43c or the hinge 43a by a lock (not shown), so that the position of the joint is fixed in the space 43d, and the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b are deformed over time. Thus, it is possible to avoid bending and friction and wear due to contact with a cover (not shown) of the empty space 43d.
[0021]
Although not shown, the flexible printed circuit boards 1b and 2b are arranged so as to face each other, are overlapped with both tab electrodes sandwiching the anisotropic conductor 23, and are heated and pressed with the jig 33 sandwiching the tabs. And spirally wound in the same manner as in the conventional example, and the spirally wound portion may be housed in the empty space 43d.
[0022]
In the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, the electronic boards 1a and 2a can be widely used for mounting electronic components as compared with the related art. Alternatively, the electronic board portions 1a and 2a can be reduced in size by the space for the electrical connector, which is the same effect as in the first embodiment, and the connection portion is more compact than the electrical connector connection.
[0023]
Embodiment 3 FIG.
Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the first and second electronic boards are connected to one ends of the first and second flexible printed circuit boards with an anisotropic conductor, the other ends are connected with an electrical connector, and the electrical connector is flexible printed. It is a side view of the state where it was rolled up in the substrate part.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 8, the anisotropic conductor 23 is interposed between the tab electrodes at one ends of the flexible printed circuit boards 11b and 12b and the electrodes of the electronic circuit boards 11a and 12a, and heated and pressed by a jig (not shown). To join. The rest is the same as the first embodiment.
[0025]
In the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, as compared with the first and second embodiments, a small area is required on the electronic substrate portions 11a and 12a for bonding by the anisotropic conductor 23. Thus, the dimension in the height direction may be smaller than when an electric connector is used as described above, so that the entire mounting space can be reduced in size and the mobile phone can be made thinner.
[0026]
In the above-described embodiment, an example of a mobile phone has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a portable foldable information device and the like.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the portable foldable electronic device according to the present invention, the electronic board portion and the flexible printed board portion are integrally formed, and the connecting portion connecting the other end portion of the flexible printed board portion is formed. Since the electronic components are accommodated in the hollow portions of the hinges, a sufficient mounting area for the electronic components on the electronic substrate can be ensured.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state in which a rigid flexible board according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is connected with an electrical connector.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the electrical connector is wound around a flexible printed board.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a state in which a cylindrical electrical connector is wound around a flexible printed board.
FIG. 4 is a side view in the case where a facing connection type connector is employed.
FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a housing of the foldable mobile phone.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which a rigid flexible substrate according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is connected with an anisotropic conductor.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the connection portion is wound around the flexible printed board portion.
FIG. 8 is a side view showing a third embodiment of the present invention in a state where an electronic substrate and one end of a flexible printed circuit board are connected by an anisotropic conductor and the other end is connected by an electric connector.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 2 rigid flexible board, 1a, 2a, 11a, 12a electronic board section, 1b, 2b, 11b, 12b flexible printed board section, 3, 13, 53 electrical connector, 23 anisotropic conductor, 41 first casing Body (receiving unit housing), 42 second housing (transmitting unit housing), 43 hinge unit, 43c rotating shaft, 43d empty space.

Claims (9)

First and second housings that are openably and closably connected via a hinge portion;
First and second electronic board portions on which electronic components are mounted and housed in the first and second housings, respectively;
First and second flexible printed circuit boards each having one end electrically connected to the first and second electronic board sections to be integrally formed, and the other end extending into a space of the hinge section. When,
A connection portion that electrically and mechanically connects the other end portions of the first and second flexible printed circuit board portions and is accommodated in an empty space of the hinge portion;
A portable foldable electronic device comprising: First and second housings that are openably and closably connected via a hinge portion;
An electronic board part on which electronic components are mounted and a flexible printed board part which is electrically connected at one end to the electronic board part and are integrally formed, the electronic board part is housed in the housing, A first and a second rigid-flexible board, wherein the other end of the printed circuit board extends to the space of the hinge;
A connecting portion that electrically and mechanically connects the two other ends, and is accommodated in an empty space of the hinge portion;
A portable foldable electronic device comprising: The portable foldable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion is locked to a hinge or a rotation shaft of the hinge portion. The portable folding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connection portion is housed in an empty portion of the hinge portion in a state where the other end portions are overlapped and wound. Tatami type electronic equipment. The portable foldable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the connection unit is an electrical connector. 6. The portable electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the electrical connector has a cylindrical shape and has the other end overlapped along its outer periphery. 7. The portable foldable electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the electric connector is formed integrally with the hinge or the rotating shaft. The portable foldable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an anisotropic conductor is used as connection means of the connection portion. First and second housings that are openably and closably connected via a hinge portion;
First and second electronic board portions on which electronic components are mounted and housed in the first and second housings, respectively;
First and second flexible printed circuit boards each having one end connected to the first and second electronic board sections by an anisotropic conductor, and the other end extending into the space of the hinge section;
A connection portion that electrically and mechanically connects the other end portions of the first and second flexible printed circuit board portions and is accommodated in an empty space of the hinge portion;
A portable foldable electronic device comprising:

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