JP2005064843A - Mobile terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve reliability of signal transmission between two enclosures which are so arranged that they can be superposed one over the other, in a mobile terminal device which has the two enclosures linked mutually turnably around an axial line extending in the superposition direction by a linking means. <P>SOLUTION: In the mobile terminal device, an optical communication means 70 is provided which transmits information between circuit boards 31 and 33 provided in two enclosures 2 and 3 respectively, by light, and a linking means 5 for mutually linking two enclosures 2 and 3 is provided with an approximately cylindrical shaft 41 which is formed in the axial line direction and has a through hole 41a for linking insides of two enclosures to each other, and the optical communication means 70 is provided with a light emission part 71 which is provided in one enclosure 2 and emits an optical signal toward the through hole 41a of the shaft 41, and a light receiving part 77 which is provided in the other enclosure 3 and receives the optical signal from the light emission part 71 through the through hole 41a of the shaft 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone, PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), etc., in which two casings are rotatably connected to each other.

  Conventionally, as a mobile terminal device having two casings, two casings arranged so as to be superposed on each other are rotated around each other around an axis along the overlapping direction of the two casings. There is one provided with a connecting portion that is movably connected (for example, see Patent Document 1). In the mobile terminal device having such a configuration, a through-hole that allows the internal spaces of the two casings to communicate with each other is formed on the rotating shaft that forms the connecting portion. Cables that electrically connect the circuit boards fixed in the two housings to each other are disposed in the through holes.

The cable transmits an electrical signal exchanged between circuit boards arranged in both housings, or supplies power from a battery provided in one housing to the other housing. Further, since this cable is separately arranged for each type of electrical signal, the number of cables increases as the function of the mobile terminal device increases.
In general, since the portable terminal device is intended to be carried in a bag or a pocket of clothes, etc., it is required to be reduced in size and thickness, and accordingly, includes the above-described connecting portion. There is a demand for downsizing of components of portable terminal devices.
JP-A-7-288860

However, in recent years, there has been a tendency to add various functions such as a camera function and a game function to the mobile terminal device, and it has been necessary to insert a large number of cables through the through hole of the rotating shaft. For this reason, it is difficult to reduce the size of the connecting portion, and there is a problem that there is a limit to the size reduction of the mobile terminal device.
In addition, when the two cases are rotated relative to each other, the cable is twisted in the direction of rotation, so that the electrical circuit between the circuit boards provided in both cases is not affected by repeated relative rotation of the cases. It has been difficult to provide a highly reliable portable terminal device that can reliably transmit a target signal.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and two housings arranged so as to be superposed in the thickness direction are rotated around an axis extending in the superposing direction of the two housings. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable portable terminal device that is miniaturized in a portable terminal device that is connected via a connecting means so as to be movable.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
A mobile terminal device according to the present invention includes two housings arranged so as to be superposed on each other, and a coupling means for pivotally coupling the two housings around an axis extending in the superposition direction, Optical communication means for transmitting information between circuit boards provided inside each case by light, and the connecting means is formed in the axial direction and connects the insides of the two cases to each other. A substantially cylindrical shaft having a through hole is provided, and the optical communication means is provided in one housing, and is provided in a light emitting portion that emits an optical signal toward the through hole of the shaft, and in the other housing. And a light receiving portion for receiving an optical signal from the light emitting portion through the through hole of the shaft.

  In the mobile terminal device according to the present invention, the optical communication unit is provided in the other casing, and emits an optical signal having a wavelength different from that of the light emitting unit toward the through hole of the shaft. And another light receiving portion that is provided inside the one casing and receives an optical signal from the other light emitting portion through the through hole of the shaft, and the light receiving portion is connected to the light emitting portion. Only an optical signal having a wavelength to be emitted is received.

Furthermore, in the portable terminal device according to the present invention, the shaft is formed of a conductive material, and both end portions of the shaft along the axial direction are electrically connected to the circuit boards provided in the respective cases. And having a substantially rod-shaped electrical connection portion that electrically connects the circuit boards provided in each housing through the through-hole of the shaft,
One end of the electrical connection portion is fixed to one circuit board, and the other end of the electrical connection portion is brought into contact with the other circuit board.

  In the portable terminal device according to the present invention, the electrical connection portion is disposed on the first connection member fixed to one circuit board and the other circuit board side, and the first connection member A second connection member electrically connected and a biasing member that biases the second connection member toward the other circuit board are provided.

According to the present invention, since information transmission between the circuit boards provided in each housing is performed by the optical communication means, various control signals are transmitted between the two circuit boards even if the two housings are rotated relative to each other. It is possible to provide a portable terminal device capable of reliably performing transmission.
In addition, since a large number of cables for transmitting signals between two circuit boards are not required as in the prior art, it is possible to reduce the size of the shaft by forming a small through-hole and to reduce the size of the portable terminal device. it can.

1 to 5 show one embodiment according to the present invention, and the embodiment described here is a case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone.
As shown in FIG. 1, a mobile phone (mobile terminal device) 1 according to this embodiment includes a first casing 2 and a second casing that can be overlapped in the thickness direction of the first casing 2. The housing 3 is provided with connecting means 5 for connecting the two housings 2 and 3 so as to be rotatable about a reference axis L1 extending in the overlapping direction. In addition, the connection means 5 connects each edge part 2b, 3b (henceforth base end part 2b, 3b) of the two housing | casing 2,3.

On the inner surface 2a of the first casing 2 facing the second casing 3 in a superimposed manner, a first operation section 7 is provided that includes various pressable operation keys such as a call key and an end key numeric keypad. It has been. In addition, a microphone portion 9 is provided at the distal end portion 2c of the first housing 2 located on the opposite side of the base end portion 2b in the inner surface 2a. The operation unit 7 and the microphone unit 9 are covered with the second casing 3 in a state where the first and second casings 2 and 3 are overlapped and closed.
Further, a protrusion 11 protruding from the inner surface 2a is provided at the tip 2c of the first housing 2. The protrusion 11 is formed from an elastic member such as rubber.
Further, a second operation portion 17 including two pressable operation keys 13 and 15 is provided on a side surface 2d of the first housing 2 adjacent to the inner surface 2a. Regardless of the open / closed state of 3, it is exposed to the outside. As shown in FIG. 2, one operation key 15 can be pressed in a direction perpendicular to the side surface 2d (C direction), and can be moved in two directions along the side surface 2d (DE direction). It has become. That is, the operation key 15 is configured so that a plurality of input operations can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 1, a display unit 21 that displays various types of information is provided on the outer surface 3 a of the second housing 3 that faces substantially the same direction as the inner surface 2 a of the first housing 2. Moreover, the speaker part 23 is provided in the base end part 3b of the 2nd housing | casing 3 among this outer surface 3a, and the front-end | tip part of the 2nd housing | casing 3 located in the other side of the base end part 3b. The electroacoustic conversion unit 25 is provided in 3c.
The electroacoustic conversion unit 25 functions as a speaker used for a call together with the microphone unit 9 of the first housing 2 in a state where the two housings 2 and 3 are opened to each other. In addition, the electroacoustic transducer 25 is rotated 180 ° around the reference axis L1 from the state in which the two casings 2 and 3 are opened, and is overlapped and closed as shown in FIG. In this case, the speaker unit 23 functions as a microphone used for a call.
The display unit 21, the speaker unit 23, and the electroacoustic conversion unit 25 are exposed to the outside regardless of the open / closed state of the two casings 2 and 3.

  When the two casings 2 and 3 are closed, the distal end portion 3c of the second casing 3 abuts on the protrusion 11 provided on the distal end portion 2c of the first casing 2. A gap is formed between the first casing 2 and the second casing 3. Therefore, when the two casings 2 and 3 are opened and closed with respect to the reference axis L1, the second casing 3 rubs against the inner surface 2a of the first casing 2 and the first operation unit 7 is damaged. Can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 4, a battery (not shown) and a first circuit board 31 are fixed inside the first housing 2, and the first and second operation units 7, 17 and The microphone unit 9 is electrically connected to the first circuit board 31. The first circuit board 31 is also equipped with various electronic components (not shown) for controlling various functions such as a call function and a mail function.
The second circuit board 33 is fixed inside the second housing 3, and the display unit 21, speaker unit 23, and electroacoustic conversion unit 25 described above are electrically connected to the second circuit board 33. Connected.

The connecting means 5 includes a substantially cylindrical shaft 41 having a through hole 41a formed in the direction of the reference axis L1, and one end 41b of the shaft 41 penetrates from the inner surface 2a of the first housing 2 to the inside. Is inserted into the through hole 2e. The other end 41c of the shaft 41 is inserted into a through hole 3e penetrating from the inner surface 3d of the second housing 3 facing the inner surface 2a of the first housing 2 to the inside.
The shaft 41 connects the internal spaces of the two casings 2 and 3 to each other through the through hole 41 a and is fixed to the first casing 2. That is, a flange portion 43 having a substantially circular shape in a plan view and projecting outward in the radial direction over the circumferential direction is integrally formed at one end portion 41b of the shaft 41 located inside the first housing 2. The flange portion 43 is fixed inside the first housing 2 with screws or the like. The shaft 41 is made of a conductive material and is electrically connected to the first circuit board 31 through a conductor 45.

The other end portion 41c of the shaft 41 located inside the second housing 3 is provided with a substantially circular flange member 47 having a hole 47a penetrating in the direction of the reference axis L1. It is fixed to the outer peripheral surface side in a crimped state. The flange member 47 is made of a conductive material, and is disposed to face the inner wall surface 3f of the second housing 3 located at the periphery of the through hole 3e.
A circular plate 49 having a through hole 49a in the center and having a substantially circular shape in plan view is fixed to the inner wall surface 3f of the second casing 3, and the other end portion 41c of the shaft 41 is inserted into the through hole 49a. It is arranged. The circular plate 49 is made of a conductive material, and is electrically connected to the second circuit board 33 through the conductor 51.

The aforementioned flange member 47 is arranged to face the circular plate 49, and a disc spring 53 is provided between the flange member 47 and the circular plate 49. The disc spring 53 is made of a conductive material and is fixed to the flange member 47. Further, the disc spring 53 biases the flange member 47 and the circular plate 49 in the direction of the reference axis L1 so as to separate them from each other. That is, the two casings 2 and 3 are biased so as to approach each other in the direction of the reference axis L1 by the disc spring 53, so that the two casings 2 and 3 are not separated.
The shaft 41 is configured to electrically connect the two circuit boards 31 and 33 together with the conductors 45 and 51, the circular plate 49, and the disc spring 53.

  A substantially rod-shaped electrical connection portion 60 is inserted into the through hole 41a of the shaft 41 so that the axis in the longitudinal direction coincides with the reference axis L1. One end of the electrical connection portion 60 in the longitudinal direction is fixed to the surface 31 a of the first circuit board 31. The other end in the longitudinal direction of the electrical connection portion 60 is in contact with the surface 33 a of the second circuit board 33 facing the surface 31 a of the first circuit board 31.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the electrical connection portion 60 includes a first connection member 61 constituting one end side, a second connection member 63 constituting the other end side, and a first connection member. 61 is provided with a coil spring (biasing member) 65 that urges the second connecting member 63 toward the second circuit board 33 along the direction of the reference axis L1.
The first connecting member 61 includes a hole 61a that opens to the other end side in the direction of the reference axis L1. The second connecting member 63 is inserted into the hole 61a of the first connecting member 61, and is movable in the direction of the reference axis L1 with respect to the hole 61a. The second connecting member 63 is configured to engage with the opening of the hole 61a so as not to come out of the hole 61a.

The coil spring 65 is inserted into the hole 61 a of the first connection member 61, and one end thereof is in contact with the second connection member 63. The other end of the coil spring 65 is in contact with the first connecting member 61 and the surface 31 a of the first circuit board 31, and the second connecting member 63 is opened in the hole 61 a of the first connecting member 61. It is energized in the direction of protruding from the part.
The electrical connection portion 60 configured as described above urges the two casings 2 and 3 in the direction of separating them from each other in the direction of the reference axis L1. For this reason, it is possible to stabilize the relative positional relationship between the two housings in the reference axis L1 direction.

  In addition, the electrical connecting portion 60, together with the shaft 41, can supply the power of the battery provided in the first housing 2 from the first circuit board 31 to the second circuit board 33. Thus, the display unit 21, the speaker unit 23, and the electroacoustic conversion unit 25 are driven. That is, the shaft 41, together with the conductors 45 and 51, the circular plate 49, and the disc spring 53, plays the role of the negative pole of the battery, and the electrical connection portion 60 plays the role of the positive pole of the battery.

Light emitting portions 71 and 73 and light receiving portions 75 and 77 are provided on the surfaces 31a and 33a of the first and second circuit boards 31 and 33, respectively, and information between the two circuit boards 31 and 33 is obtained by an optical signal. The optical communication means 70 which performs transmission is configured. The light emitting portions 71 and 73 and the light receiving portions 75 and 77 are formed in an annular shape around the reference axis L1, and are arranged around the electrical connection portion 60 described above.
The light emitting unit 71 and the light receiving unit 75 provided on the first housing 2 side are electrically connected to the first and second operation units 7 and 17, the microphone unit 9, and the battery via the first circuit board 31. It is connected.
The light emitting unit 73 and the light receiving unit 77 provided on the second housing 3 side are electrically connected to the display unit 21, the speaker unit 23, and the electroacoustic conversion unit 25 through the second circuit board 33. .

The light emitting part 71 of the first circuit board 31 is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the light receiving part 75 of the first circuit board 31, and the light emitting part 73 of the second circuit board 33 is received by the second circuit board 33. Arranged on the outer peripheral side of the portion 77. Further, the light emitting part 71 of the first circuit board 31 faces the light receiving part 77 of the second circuit board 33 through the through hole 41a, and the light emitting part 73 of the second circuit board 33 passes through the through hole 41a. Are arranged so as to face the light receiving portion 75 of the first circuit board 31.
These two light emitting units 71 and 73 are configured to emit light having different wavelengths. The light receiving unit 75 of the first circuit board 31 detects only the light from the light emitting unit 73 of the second circuit board 33, and the light receiving unit 77 of the second circuit board 33 is detected by the first circuit board 31. Only light from the light emitting unit 71 is detected. Specifically, the two light receiving sections 75 and 77 are provided with different types of filters, and the two light receiving sections 75 and 77 are configured such that each light receiving section 75 and 77 detects only light of a specific wavelength. To do. As described above, by configuring the light emitting units 71 and 73 and the light receiving units 75 and 77, it is possible to prevent the optical signals from the two light emitting units 71 and 73 from interfering with each other.

As an optical signal transmitted from the first circuit board 31 to the second circuit board 33 by the optical communication means 70 configured as described above, an image signal to be displayed on the display unit 21, a speaker unit 23, or an electroacoustic conversion is provided. There is an audio signal to be output from the unit 25.
An optical signal transmitted from the second circuit board 33 to the first circuit board 31 includes an audio signal input to the electroacoustic conversion unit 25.

The operation of the mobile phone 1 configured as described above will be described.
When the cellular phone 1 is carried in a bag or a pocket of clothes, the two casings 2 and 3 are overlapped and closed as shown in FIG. In this state, for example, when there is an incoming call, the second operation unit 17 is operated to receive the incoming call to start the call, and function as a speaker unit 23 and a transmitter functioning as a receiver. A call is made by the electroacoustic conversion unit 25. During this call, an optical signal is sent from the light emitting unit 71 provided on the first circuit board 31 to the light receiving unit 77 provided on the second circuit board 33 in accordance with the audio signal received by the mobile phone 1. Then, the sound is output from the speaker unit 23 via the second circuit board 33.
For example, when browsing an incoming mail or the Internet, the second operation unit 17 is operated to visually check various information displayed on the display unit 21. Also during this browsing, an optical signal is transmitted from the first circuit board 31 to the second circuit board 33 in accordance with an input signal of the second operation unit 17, and various information is displayed on the display unit 21.

Further, for example, when creating a text such as e-mail or inputting a telephone number, the second casing 3 is attached to the first casing 3 as shown in FIG. The two cases 2 and 3 are opened with respect to the case 2 so that the first operation unit 7 is exposed to the outside by rotating 180 ° about the reference axis L1.
At this time, the second casing 3, the second circuit board 33, and the circular plate 49 are connected to the first circuit board 13, the shaft 41, and the electrical connection portion 60 fixed to the first casing 2. And rotate around the reference axis L1. Further, the circular plate 49 slides with respect to the disc spring 53.
Even in this state, the tip of the electrical connection portion 60 is held in contact with the second circuit board 33 by the coil spring 65.

In the state where the two casings 2 and 3 are opened to each other, for example, when a character or a symbol is input by pressing the numeric keypad or the like of the first operation unit 7, An optical signal is transmitted from the first circuit board 31 to the second circuit board 33, and characters and symbols are displayed on the display unit 21.
For example, when a call is made, the received audio signal is transmitted from the light emitting unit 71 to the light receiving unit 77 as an optical signal, and the audio signal is transmitted from the electroacoustic conversion unit 25 functioning as a receiver via the second circuit board 33. Is output.

As described above, according to the cellular phone 1, information transmission between the circuit boards 31 and 33 provided in the respective casings 2 and 3 is performed by the optical communication means 70. It is possible to provide the mobile phone 1 that can reliably transmit various control signals between the two circuit boards 31 and 33 even if they are rotated relative to each other.
In addition, since a large number of cables for transmitting signals between the two circuit boards 31 and 33 are not required as in the prior art, the through-hole 41a of the shaft 41 is formed to be small so that the shaft 41 can be downsized. 1 can be miniaturized.

Further, since the light receiving portions 75 and 77 arranged on the circuit boards 31 and 33 respectively receive only the optical signals from the light emitting portions 71 and 73 disposed opposite to the light receiving portions 75 and 77, respectively. Information can be transmitted reliably.
Further, even when the two casings 2 and 3 are rotated around the reference axis L 1, the two circuit boards 31 and 33 are electrically connected to each other by the shaft 41 and the electrical connection portion 60. Therefore, there is no problem such as twisting of the cable as in the prior art. Therefore, power can be reliably supplied from the first housing 2 to the second housing 3, and the two housings 2 and 3 can be rotated 360 ° or more with respect to the reference axis L1. Become. Therefore, handling of the mobile phone 1 becomes easy.
Furthermore, since the second connection member 63 of the electrical connection portion 60 is pressed against the second circuit board 33 by the coil spring 65, the electrical connection between the two circuit boards 31 and 33 can be reliably held. .

In the above embodiment, each of the circuit boards 31 and 33 is provided with the annular light emitting parts 71 and 73 and the light receiving parts 75 and 77. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The light emitting portions and the light receiving portions may be alternately arranged around the reference axis L1 on the surfaces 31a and 33a of the 31 and 33.
Moreover, although the light emitting units 71 and 73 and the light receiving units 75 and 77 are provided on the circuit boards 31 and 33 one by one, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of light emitting units and light receiving units may be provided. In the case of this configuration, the number of optical signals transmitted between the two circuit boards 31 and 33 can be increased, but it is necessary to subdivide the division of the wavelength band of light detected by each light receiving unit.

  Furthermore, the type of the optical signal transmitted between the first and second circuit boards 31 and 33 is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment, and can be changed according to the electronic component mounted on the mobile phone 1. it can. That is, for example, when a camera for photographing is provided in the second housing 3, an image signal photographed by the camera is transmitted from the second circuit board 33 to the first circuit board 31 by an optical signal. It will be. Further, for example, when an operation unit is separately provided in the second housing 3, an input signal of the operation unit is transmitted from the second circuit board 33 to the first circuit board 31 by an optical signal. become.

Further, in the state where the two casings 2 and 3 are closed to each other, the electroacoustic transducer 25 is made to function as a microphone. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least two casings 2 and 3 are mutually connected. It is sufficient if there is a configuration capable of making a call even in the closed state.
That is, in the state where the two casings 2 and 3 are closed to each other, a gap is formed between the leading end 2c of the first casing 2 and the leading end 3c of the second casing 3 by the protrusion 11. Has been. For this reason, in this state, it is assumed that the microphone unit 9 provided at the distal end portion 2c of the first housing 2 and the speaker unit 23 provided at the proximal end portion 3b of the second housing 3 perform a call. It doesn't matter.

  Further, the shaft 41 is fixed to the first housing 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least the two housings 2 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable around the reference axis L1, What is necessary is just to be comprised so that the two circuit boards 31 and 33 may be electrically connected mutually. That is, for example, the shaft 41 may be fixed to the second housing 3 and may be configured to rotate around the reference axis L1 with respect to the first housing 2 together with the second housing 3. .

Further, the present invention is not limited to the mobile phone 1, and may be a mobile terminal device in which two casings are connected to each other so as to be rotatable with respect to each other by connecting means, such as a PDA and a notebook personal computer.
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.

The state which opened the 1st and 2nd housing | casing which comprises the mobile telephone which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention mutually is shown, (a) is a schematic plan view, (b) is a schematic side surface FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a second operation unit provided on the side surface of the first housing in the mobile phone of FIG. 1. The mobile phone of FIG. 1 shows a state in which the first and second housings are closed to each other, (a) is a schematic plan view, and (b) is a schematic side view. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a connecting means in the mobile phone of FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a distal end portion of an electrical connection portion in the mobile phone of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Mobile phone (mobile terminal device)
2 first housing 3 second housing 5 connecting means 31 first circuit board 33 second circuit board 41 shaft 41a through hole 41b one end 41c other end 60 electrical connecting portion 61 first connecting member 63 Second connecting member 65 Coil spring (biasing member)
70 Optical communication means 71, 73 Light emitting part 75, 77 Light receiving part L1 Reference axis

Claims (4)

Two housings arranged so as to be able to be superposed on each other, a connecting means for connecting the two housings so as to be rotatable around an axis extending in the overlapping direction, and an inside of each housing. Optical communication means for transmitting information between the circuit boards using light,
The connecting means includes a substantially cylindrical shaft that is formed in the axial direction and has a through hole that connects the insides of the two housings.
The optical communication means is provided inside one housing and emits an optical signal toward the through hole of the shaft, and is provided inside the other housing and emits the light via the through hole of the shaft. A portable terminal device comprising: a light receiving unit that receives an optical signal from the unit. The optical communication means is provided in the other casing, and is provided in another casing that emits an optical signal having a wavelength different from that of the light emitting section toward the through hole of the shaft. And another light receiving portion for receiving an optical signal from the other light emitting portion through the through hole of the shaft,
The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving unit receives only an optical signal having a wavelength emitted from the light emitting unit. The shaft is formed of a conductive material,
Both ends of the shaft along the axial direction are electrically connected to the circuit boards provided in each casing, and the circuit boards provided in each casing through the through-holes of the shafts. It has a substantially rod-shaped electrical connection part that is electrically connected to each other,
The one end of the electrical connection portion is fixed to one circuit board, and the other end of the electrical connection portion is brought into contact with the other circuit board. Mobile terminal device. A first connecting member fixed to one circuit board, and a second connecting member arranged on the other circuit board side and electrically connected to the first connecting member. The mobile terminal device according to claim 3, further comprising: a biasing member that biases the second connection member toward the other circuit board.

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