JP2005202676A - Electronic instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate any restriction in the opening/closing directions of an upper casing and a lower casing, to enable this electronic instrument to rotate any number of times by 360 degrees, and to prevent such failure that the disconnection of wiring is generated even at the time of rotating it by 360 degrees. <P>SOLUTION: An upper casing and a lower casing are connected so as to be rotated to a direction around the shaft of a rotary hinge mechanism, and the rotary hinge mechanism is provided with a ring contact 62 for power source and a ring contact 62 for ground with the rotary shaft as the center of a circle at the lower casing side, and two brush terminals for making those ring contacts 61 and 62 slide according to the rotation of the rotary hinge mechanism to the direction around the shaft at the upper casing side. Then, a power source is supplied from the lower casing to the upper casing through those two ring contacts and two brush contacts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus in which at least two first and second housings are coupled so as to be rotatable about a shaft of a rotary hinge mechanism.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a cellular phone terminal has a first case in which a display unit such as a liquid crystal is disposed and a second case in which an operation unit such as a so-called numeric keypad is disposed so as to be folded via a hinge mechanism. The main part of the operation part is covered with a foldable terminal that can be folded, a so-called straight terminal in which a display unit and an operation unit are arranged on the same surface of the housing, and an openable / closable lid. A lid-opening / closing type housing, mainly an upper housing having a display unit and a lower housing having an operation unit on the surface in the same direction as the display surface of the display unit. It is possible to slide a lid or the like horizontally on a terminal (hereinafter referred to as a rotation open type mobile phone terminal), a display unit, an operation unit, etc. Terminals with various external appearances such as slide-type terminals made It is Mashimashi.

  In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-134229 (Patent Document 1) discloses a portable electronic device in which an upper housing having a display unit can be rotated in a horizontal direction with respect to a lower housing. .

JP-A-9-134229 (FIG. 1)

  By the way, at first glance, an apparatus provided with a rotation mechanism for allowing the upper housing and the lower housing to rotate with respect to each other, such as the above-described rotary open type mobile phone terminal, has an upper housing with respect to the lower housing. It seems as if it can be rotated. However, in reality, since there is a wiring or the like that connects the upper housing and the lower housing, the specification is such that it can rotate only up to a certain angle, such as 180 degrees. For this reason, for example, when the upper casing is rotated and closed after the upper casing is rotated and opened, the user must rotate the upper casing in a direction opposite to that when the upper casing is opened. Alternatively, the mobile phone terminal has a determined direction of rotation so that it can be rotated only counterclockwise when the upper housing is rotated and opened, and only clockwise when it is closed by rotation. There is also. In the portable electronic device described in Patent Document 1 described above, those problems are not solved as well.

  On the other hand, when viewed from the user side, it is more convenient to open and close by rotating it in any direction when opening and closing. In addition, it is convenient that the rotation angle is not limited to a predetermined rotation angle such as 180 degrees but can be rotated 360 degrees.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of such circumstances, and there is no limitation on the opening and closing directions of the upper and lower housings, and it can be rotated 360 degrees any number of times. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device in which no disconnection of wiring occurs even when it is rotated 360 degrees.

  An electronic device according to the present invention is a device in which a first housing without a power source and a second housing with a power source are coupled so as to be rotatable about a shaft of a rotary hinge mechanism. The mechanism includes a ring-shaped contact with the rotation axis as the center of the circle, and a brush terminal that slides on the ring-shaped contact in response to rotation in the direction around the axis, via the ring-shaped contact and the brush contact. By having power supply means for supplying power from the second casing to the first casing and data communication means for performing data communication between the first casing and the second casing, Solve the problem.

  Here, the data communication means performs data communication using, for example, infrared rays. Alternatively, the data communication means includes a ring-shaped contact with the rotation axis as the center of the circle and a brush terminal that slides on the ring-shaped contact in response to rotation around the axis. Data communication.

  That is, according to the electronic device of the present invention, the rotary hinge mechanism has the ring-shaped contact and the brush terminal, and the brush terminal slides on the ring-shaped contact in response to the rotation in the direction around the axis. . Therefore, even when the first casing and the second casing are rotated, the ring-shaped contact and the brush terminal of the rotary hinge mechanism can always be maintained in an electrically connected state. The power can always be supplied from the second casing to the first casing.

  In the electronic device of the present invention, when the rotary hinge mechanism rotates around the axis, the ring-shaped contact and the brush terminal are always electrically connected, and power is always supplied from one housing to the other housing. Therefore, the two casings connected via the rotating hinge mechanism can be rotated 360 degrees relatively many times. And no matter how many times it is rotated 360 degrees, the disconnection of the wiring does not occur.

  Embodiments of an electronic device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a mobile phone terminal will be described as an example to which the electronic device of the present invention is applied. Of course, the content of the present invention described here is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

  1 to 3 show the appearance of a mobile phone terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment includes an upper casing 1 provided with a display 3 and a numeric keypad or the like disposed on the lower side of the upper casing 1 and on the surface in the same direction as the display surface of the display 3. The lower casing 2 is a rotary open type mobile phone terminal that is rotatable in the horizontal direction around a rotating hinge mechanism (details will be described later) provided at one end of the casing. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the cellular phone terminal of the present embodiment is opened (hereinafter referred to as an open state), and FIG. 2 shows that the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 are rotated approximately 90 degrees around the rotary hinge mechanism. FIG. 3 shows a state when the mobile phone terminal is closed (hereinafter referred to as a closed state). In particular, although details will be described later, the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment has no restriction on the opening and closing directions of the upper housing and the lower housing, and it can be rotated 360 degrees around the rotating hinge mechanism. It can be rotated.

  In addition to the display 3, the upper housing 1 has a speaker 4, a mail function key used for creating and sending / receiving e-mails, various settings for the mail function, a call key 6 used for outgoing and incoming calls, a call Exit key 7 used for exiting application, running application, turning on / off power, clear key used for clearing (deleting) input information, disk type jog dial 5, character type conversion for character input, etc. Various control elements such as a switching key used in the above are provided. The display 3, the keys, the disc type jog dial 5 and the like provided in the upper casing 1 are one surface portion that is always outside even when the cellular phone terminal of the present embodiment is closed as shown in FIG. (One main surface portion, hereinafter, this housing surface portion is particularly referred to as a display installation surface).

  The display 3 includes a liquid crystal display panel and an EL (electroluminescence) display panel for displaying a telephone number, a standby image, an e-mail text, a screen during music playback, and the like. The speaker 4 is provided for outputting a call voice or the like. Note that a ring tone and a speaker for music playback are separately incorporated. Since the display 3 is provided on the display installation surface of the upper housing 1, the user can see the display on the display 3 even when the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment is closed. it can.

  The disc-type jog dial 5 is an operation device in which a rotary dial (rotary operation element), a cross key (direction indicating operation element), and a push button (pressing operation element) are integrated. The rotary dial is provided on the outermost peripheral portion of the disc type jog dial 5 and is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis that is substantially perpendicular to the display installation surface of the upper housing 1. In addition, a rotation detection mechanism such as a Hall element (not shown) is provided inside. The mobile phone terminal according to the present embodiment can detect how much the user has rotated the rotary dial in which direction based on a rotation detection signal (for example, a pulse signal output from the Hall element) from the rotation detection mechanism. It has been. The cross key is formed in a ring shape on the inner peripheral side of the rotary dial, and includes an inclining member (not shown) that can be elastically deformed, for example, and at least upward, downward, left, and right directions by the user And a tilt direction detecting mechanism (not shown) including four switches and the like that can detect the tilting operation. The push button is provided at the center of the disc type jog dial 5 and includes a push switch mechanism that detects a push operation in a direction substantially perpendicular to the display installation surface of the upper housing 1. . Since the disc-type jog dial 5 is provided on the display installation surface of the external housing 1, even when the cellular phone terminal of the present embodiment is closed, the user can use the rotary dial, the cross key, and the push key. Each button can be operated.

  The lower housing 2 includes a microphone 10, for example, in addition to a 12 key 9 composed of a numeric keypad of “0” to “9”, “*” and “#” keys used for inputting a telephone number and the like. A manner key that is operated when a ring tone is not generated at the time of an incoming call, for example, a memo key that is operated when recording a voice, an antenna storage unit 11 and the like are provided. Each key provided in the lower casing 2 is a surface portion (one main surface portion, hereinafter referred to as the surface of the casing) that is covered by the upper casing 1 when the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment is closed. The portion is particularly called a numeric keypad installation surface).

  The microphone 10 converts call sound into an electrical signal, and is provided in the vicinity of the rotary hinge mechanism in the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the microphone 10 is provided in the vicinity of the rotary hinge mechanism so that the microphone 10 and the speaker 4 do not overlap when the mobile phone terminal is in the closed state. This is because a call can be made in either the closed state or the open state.

  In the lower housing 2, a main circuit configuration is provided, and a detachable battery and a power supply system for supplying power from the battery to each unit are provided.

  In addition, the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment includes an open / close detection sensor (not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) for detecting an open state and a closed state. When the mobile phone terminal detects either the open state or the closed state based on the open / close detection signal of the open / close detection sensor, control or processing according to the detected state is enabled.

[Internal configuration of mobile phone terminal]
Next, FIG. 4 shows a schematic internal configuration of the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment.

  The antenna 42 is, for example, a built-in antenna for transmitting and receiving signal radio waves, and is provided in the antenna storage unit 11 of FIGS. The communication circuit 43 performs frequency conversion, modulation and demodulation of transmission / reception signals, spectrum spreading and despreading, discrimination of transmitted / received data as call voice data or other data, and the like. The data other than the call voice data is image data, e-mail, program data, and other data. The received call voice data is sent to the voice signal processing unit 44 via the data line.

  The voice signal processing unit 44 decodes the call voice data and sends the decoded voice data to the speaker 48 via the data line. The speaker 48 corresponds to the speaker 4 of FIGS. 1 to 3 described above, includes a digital / analog converter and an amplifier, and outputs audio data after digital / analog conversion and amplification. As a result, a call voice can be obtained from the speaker 48.

  The microphone 49 corresponds to the microphone 10 of FIG. 2 described above, and includes an analog / digital converter and an amplifier. The call voice signal input via the microphone 49 is amplified to a predetermined level by an amplifier, then converted to digital voice data by an analog / digital converter, and sent to the voice processing unit 44 via a data line. And then sent to the communication circuit 43.

  The display unit 45 includes the display 3 described above and a driving circuit for displaying an image or the like on the display 3. In the case of the present embodiment, the digital 3 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and thus the drive circuit is composed of a circuit for driving each liquid crystal cell and a circuit for driving the backlight to be lit.

  The operation unit 46 is an operation device operated by a user such as the 12 key 9, the call key 6, the end key 7, and the disk type jog dial 5 described above. When each key, the disk type jog dial 5 or the like is operated by the user, the operation unit 46 generates an operation signal corresponding to the user operation and sends it to the control unit 41.

  The ROM 53 is a control program for the control unit 41 to control each unit, various initial setting values, the phone number of the mobile phone terminal, font data, dictionary data including candidate words for predictive conversion at the time of character input, etc. It stores program codes for various applications such as an application program for functions and an application program for music playback, and identification information (ID) of the mobile phone terminal. The ROM 53 includes a rewritable ROM such as an EEPROM, and includes e-mail data, a telephone directory and e-mail address set by the user, downloaded photo data and ringtone data, registration data of candidate words for predictive conversion, It is also possible to store prediction conversion learning data, compression-encoded music data, and other various user setting values. The RAM 47 stores data as needed as a work area when the control unit 41 performs various types of data processing or as a work area during decompression decoding processing of compression-encoded music data.

  The camera 51 includes an optical lens, an image sensor, and the like, and takes a still image or a moving image under the control of the imaging control unit 50.

  The battery 55 is a detachable secondary battery, and the power management IC 54 supplies power from the battery 55 to each unit.

  The inter-chassis communication mechanism unit 52 is provided in a rotary hinge mechanism portion between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2, and supplies power from the lower housing 2 to the upper housing 1, and Data communication is performed between 1 and the lower housing 2.

  The control unit 41 controls each component of the mobile phone terminal and performs various arithmetic processes via the control line. In addition, the control unit 41 receives an operation signal from the operation unit 46, and performs processing and calculation according to the operation signal.

  In addition, although not illustrated, the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment is a short-range wireless communication unit for communicating various information wirelessly (including infrared communication) with other electronic devices, A GPS (Global Positioning System) unit, which is a positioning device for detecting the current position of the mobile phone terminal, is provided.

[Example of configuration for power supply between the upper and lower housings]
5 to 8 show schematic configurations of the inter-housing communication mechanism unit 52 that is provided in the rotary hinge mechanism portion of the mobile phone terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention and performs the power supply and data communication.

  The rotation hinge mechanism provided in the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment is to enable power to be supplied from the lower housing 2 to the upper housing 1 no matter how many times the upper housing 1 rotates relative to the lower housing 2. As a configuration, an inter-housing communication mechanism as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 is provided. The inter-chassis communication mechanism section includes, as main components for power supply, a ring-shaped contact and a brush terminal that is in contact with the ring-shaped contact at a joint between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2. Yes. The mobile phone terminal according to the present embodiment supplies power from the lower casing 2 to the upper casing 1 using the ring-shaped contacts and brush terminals of the inter-chassis communication mechanism.

  FIG. 5 shows the lower communication mechanism 60 provided on the lower housing 2 side in the form of being built in a rotary hinge mechanism provided between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2. The figure seen from the surface corresponding to the upper communication mechanism part 70 provided in the housing | casing 1 side is shown. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower communication mechanism 60 is provided with two ring-shaped contacts with different diameters, the center of the circle being substantially coincident with the rotational axis of the rotary hinge mechanism. The ring-shaped contact is provided in a state exposed on the surface. Of these two ring contacts, the inner ring contact is a contact for supplying power to the upper casing 1 (hereinafter referred to as a power ring contact 62), while the outer ring contact is provided. The contact is a ground contact (hereinafter referred to as a ground ring contact 61). Both the power ring contact 62 and the ground ring contact 61 are formed of a circular conductive member having no seam. The power ring contact 62 is supplied with power from the power management IC 54 as a power circuit. The ground ring contact 61 is connected to the ground of the internal circuit board of the lower housing 2. In the example of FIG. 5, the outer ring-shaped contact is used for the ground and the inner ring-shaped contact is used for the power supply. However, the outer ring-shaped contact may be used for the power supply and the inner may be used for the ground. In this example, one ring-shaped contact is provided for each of the power supply and the ground. However, either one or both of the power supply and the ground may be a plurality of ring-shaped contacts.

  FIG. 6 shows a front view of the upper communication mechanism 70 provided on the upper housing 1 side in a form incorporated in a rotary hinge mechanism provided between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 (shown in FIG. 5). The figure seen from the surface corresponding to the lower communication mechanism part 60 is shown. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper communication mechanism unit 70 has a circle whose center is substantially coincident with the rotation axis of the rotary hinge mechanism, and when the rotary hinge mechanism rotates around the rotation axis, the locus thereof is The brush terminal 77 passes through a path indicated by a dotted line 72 in the figure, and the brush terminal 76 whose trajectory passes a path indicated by a dotted line 71 in the figure. The two brush terminals 76 and 77 are both exposed on the surface. Further, the locus of the brush terminal 77 indicated by the dotted line 72 in the figure substantially matches the circumferential shape of the power ring contact 62 of the lower communication mechanism 60, and the locus of the brush terminal 76 indicated by the dotted line 71 in the figure is This substantially coincides with the circumferential shape of the ground ring contact 61 of the lower communication mechanism 60. The brush terminal 77 is connected to the power line of the internal circuit board of the upper housing 1, and the brush terminal 76 is connected to the ground of the internal circuit board of the upper housing 1. In the lower communication mechanism 60, for example, when the outer ring-shaped contact is for power and the inner ring-contact is for ground, The brush terminal is for power supply, and the inner brush terminal is for power supply. Further, in the lower communication mechanism unit 60, when both or either of the power supply and the ground are formed as a plurality of ring-shaped contacts, the brush terminals provided in the upper communication mechanism unit 70 are also connected to the lower communication mechanism unit 60. It is provided corresponding to each ring-shaped contact. In other words, the power supply brush terminal and the ground brush terminal of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 may be any terminal structure that can always contact the power supply ring contact and the ground ring contact of the lower communication mechanism unit 60, and their positions. It is only necessary that the upper communication mechanism unit 70 and the lower communication mechanism unit 60 have consistency.

  Then, according to the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment, as shown in the side view of FIG. 7, the lower communication mechanism 60 and the upper communication mechanism 70 have substantially the same center of the circle and the center of the circle. Are arranged so as to be substantially coincident with the rotation center of the rotary hinge mechanism, the surface of the lower communication mechanism section 60 where the ring contacts are provided, and the brush terminals of the upper communication mechanism section 70 are provided. It is incorporated in the rotary hinge mechanism so as to be in a state of being able to turn and abut against the surface being touched.

  As described above, according to the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment, the above-described power contact and ground ring contacts and the corresponding brush terminals are provided in the rotary hinge mechanism, and the corresponding ring contacts By providing a configuration in which the lower communication mechanism 60 and the upper communication mechanism 70 are brought into contact with each other so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis of the rotary hinge mechanism while maintaining the state in which the brush terminals are in contact with each other, No matter which direction the upper housing 1 is rotated with respect to 2 or any number of rotations of 360 degrees or more, the ring-shaped contact and the brush terminal can always be kept in contact and electrically connected. Become. Therefore, according to the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment, it is possible to always supply power from the lower housing 2 to the upper housing 1.

[One configuration example for data communication between upper and lower cases]
Further, in the rotary hinge mechanism of the present embodiment, the lower communication mechanism portion 60 is provided with a cylindrical recess 63 at the center thereof, and the bottom surface of the cylindrical recess 63 emits, for example, infrared light that emits infrared light. An element 64 and an infrared light receiving element 65 for receiving infrared light are provided. Similarly, the upper communication mechanism unit 70 is provided with a cylindrical recess 73 at the center thereof, and an infrared light emitting element 74 that emits infrared light and an infrared light that receives infrared light are formed on the bottom surface of the cylindrical recess 73. A light receiving element 75 is provided. The cylindrical recess 63 of the lower communication mechanism section 60 and the cylindrical recess 73 of the upper communication mechanism section 70 have their circle centers substantially coincident with the rotation axis of the rotary hinge mechanism. A portion surrounded by the cylindrical recess 73 is a space.

  The infrared light emitting element 64 and infrared light receiving element 65 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60 and the infrared light emitting element 74 and infrared light receiving element 75 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 are used for data communication between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2. Is provided for. That is, the infrared light emitting element 64 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60 is used to transmit various data from the lower casing 2 to the upper casing 1, and the infrared light receiving element 65 receives various data transmitted from the upper casing 1. Used to do. Similarly, the infrared light emitting element 74 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 is used to transmit various data from the upper housing 1 to the lower housing 2, and the infrared light receiving element 75 receives various data sent from the lower housing 2. Used to receive. Specifically, the data transmitted by the infrared light emitting element 64 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60 is received by the infrared light receiving element 75 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70, while the infrared light emitting element 74 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 transmits the data. The received data is received by the infrared light receiving element 65 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the infrared light emitting element 64 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60 is an element that can irradiate infrared rays to the entire bottom surface of the cylindrical recess 73 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70. The infrared light emitting element 74 of the unit 70 is an element that can irradiate infrared rays to the entire bottom surface of the cylindrical recess 63 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60. As a result, when the upper casing 1 is rotated with respect to the lower housing 2, the infrared light emitted from one infrared light emitting element is received by the other infrared light receiving element regardless of the rotation angle. Therefore, data can be transmitted and received.

  In addition, when the infrared irradiation angle which can irradiate infrared rays to the whole bottom face of the other cylindrical concave part cannot be obtained due to the characteristics of the infrared light emitting elements 64 and 74, for example, as shown in FIG. Lenses 68 and 78 for expanding the infrared irradiation angle are provided on the front surface. That is, by providing the lens 68 on the front surface of the infrared light emitting element 64 of the lower communication mechanism section 60, the irradiation angle of the infrared light 69 emitted from the infrared light emitting element 64 is widened, and the cylindrical recess on the upper communication mechanism section 70 side is expanded. Similarly, the irradiation angle of the infrared ray 79 emitted from the infrared light emitting element 74 is provided by providing a lens 78 on the front surface of the infrared light emitting element 74 on the upper communication mechanism unit 70 side. Is spread, and the entire bottom surface of the cylindrical recess 63 on the lower communication mechanism 60 side is irradiated. As a result, regardless of the angle of rotation of the upper housing 1 with respect to the lower housing 2, infrared data can be transmitted and received on both the lower housing 2 side and the upper housing 1 side.

  In the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment, the entire inner wall surface of the cylindrical recess 63 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60 and the entire inner wall surface of the cylindrical recess 73 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 absorb infrared rays. It is coated with an infrared absorber. Thereby, the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting element 64 on the lower communication mechanism section 60 side is reflected by, for example, the inner wall surface of the cylindrical recess 73 and enters the infrared light receiving element 65 on the lower communication mechanism section 60 side. Similarly, the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting element 74 on the upper communication mechanism unit 70 side is reflected by, for example, the inner wall surface of the cylindrical recess 63 and is on the upper communication mechanism unit 70 side. It is possible to prevent the light from entering the infrared light receiving element 75.

  In addition, in the cellular phone terminal of this embodiment, in order to prevent data interference at the time of data transmission / reception, between the infrared light emitting element 64 on the lower communication mechanism section 60 side and the infrared light receiving element 75 on the upper communication mechanism section 70 side. The infrared frequency used for data transmission / reception and the infrared frequency used for data transmission / reception between the infrared light emitting element 74 on the upper communication mechanism section 70 side and the infrared light receiving element 65 on the lower communication mechanism section 60 side are changed. Also good. That is, the frequency at which the infrared light emitting element 74 of the lower communication mechanism 60 is received by changing the frequency output by the infrared light emitting element 74 of the upper communication mechanism 70 and the frequency output by the infrared light emitting element 64 of the lower communication mechanism 60. Is adjusted to the frequency of the infrared light emitting element 74 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70, and the frequency that can be received by the infrared light receiving element 75 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 is adjusted to the frequency of the infrared light emitting element 64 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60. For example, transmission / reception data can be distinguished by the difference in frequency.

  Alternatively, data transmission / reception between the infrared light emitting element 64 on the lower communication mechanism section 60 side and the infrared light receiving element 75 on the upper communication mechanism section 70 side, and the infrared light emitting element 74 and the lower communication mechanism section 60 on the upper communication mechanism section 60 side are performed. Data transmission / reception with the side infrared light receiving element 65 may be performed in a time-sharing manner. That is, the time during which the infrared light emitting element 64 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60 and the infrared light receiving element 75 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 operate, and the infrared light emitting element 75 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 and the infrared light receiving element 65 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60. If the operation time is divided by time division, the transmission / reception data divided by the time division can be distinguished.

  Alternatively, data transmission / reception between the infrared light emitting element 64 on the lower communication mechanism section 60 side and the infrared light receiving element 75 on the upper communication mechanism section 70 side, and the infrared light emitting element 74 and the lower communication mechanism section 60 on the upper communication mechanism section 70 side are performed. When transmitting / receiving data to / from the infrared light receiving element 65 on the side, an identifier indicating which infrared light emitting element is the data output from each data may be embedded in the data. That is, if different identifiers are embedded in the data output from the infrared light emitting element 64 of the lower communication mechanism unit 60 and the data output from the infrared light emitting element 74 of the upper communication mechanism unit 70, transmission / reception is performed using the identifiers. Data can be distinguished.

  In the present embodiment, as an example of a method for transmitting and receiving data between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2, an example using infrared rays has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to infrared rays, and wirelessly does not use a cable. As long as communication is used, any communication method such as a so-called Bluetooth method may be used.

[Other configuration examples for power supply and data communication between upper and lower casings]
9 to 11 show other schematic configuration examples of the inter-chassis communication mechanism unit for performing power supply and data communication between the upper and lower cases. 9 to 11, devices having the same functions as those in FIGS. 5 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  9 is similar to the example of FIG. 5 described above, and is built in a rotary hinge mechanism provided between the upper casing 1 and the lower casing 2, and is provided on the lower casing 2 side. The figure which looked at 100 from the front (surface of the side corresponding to the upper communication mechanism part 110 provided in the upper housing | casing 1 side shown in FIG. 10) is shown. As shown in FIG. 9, the lower communication mechanism unit 100 includes a power ring contact 62 and a ground ring contact 61 similar to those in the example of FIG. 5 described above. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the lower communication mechanism unit 100 includes a ring contact for serial data transmission / reception (hereinafter referred to as a data communication ring contact 101) in addition to the two ring contacts. In the example of FIG. 9, the outer ring-shaped contact is for ground, the inner ring-shaped contact is for data transmission / reception, and the ring-shaped contact between them is for power supply, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As an example, the outside may be used for power supply, the inside for ground, and the middle for data transmission / reception. In this example, one ring-shaped contact is provided for each of the power supply, the ground, and the data transmission / reception. However, all or any one of the power supply, the ground, and the data transmission / reception is a plurality of ring-shaped contacts. It may be made.

  FIG. 10 shows an upper communication mechanism provided on the upper housing 1 side in a form incorporated in a rotary hinge mechanism provided between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 as in the example of FIG. The figure which looked at the part 110 from the front (surface of the side corresponding to the lower communication mechanism part 100 provided in the lower housing | casing 2 side shown in FIG. 9) is shown. As shown in FIG. 10, the upper communication mechanism unit 110 includes a power supply brush terminal 77 and a ground brush terminal 76, as in the example of FIG. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the upper communication mechanism unit 110 includes a brush terminal 112 for serial data transmission / reception in addition to the two brush terminals. When the rotary hinge mechanism rotates about the rotation axis, the locus of the brush terminal 112 for serial data transmission / reception passes through the path indicated by the dotted line 111 in the figure, and the locus of the brush terminal 112 indicated by the dotted line 111 in the figure is The circumferential shape of the data communication ring contact 101 of the lower communication mechanism 100 is substantially the same. When the ring contacts for power supply, ground, and data transmission / reception are assigned differently from the example of FIG. 9 on the lower communication mechanism unit 100 side, the assignment to each brush terminal on the upper communication mechanism unit 110 side is performed. Is also adapted to the assignment to the ring contacts.

  According to the mobile phone terminal of the second embodiment, as shown in the side view of FIG. 11, the upper communication mechanism unit 110 and the lower communication mechanism unit 100 are substantially coincident with each other in the center of the circle. The center of the circle is arranged so as to be substantially coincident with the center of rotation of the rotary hinge mechanism, the surface on which the ring contacts of the lower communication mechanism unit 100 are provided, and the brushes of the upper communication mechanism unit 110 The rotary hinge mechanism is incorporated in a state in which the surface on which the terminal is provided is in contact with the surface so as to be rotatable.

  Thus, according to the mobile phone terminal of the second embodiment of the present invention, the above-described ring contacts for power supply, ground and data transmission / reception, and brush terminals respectively corresponding to them in the rotary hinge mechanism And the lower communication mechanism unit 100 and the upper communication mechanism unit 110 are pivotably contacted about the rotation axis of the rotary hinge mechanism while keeping the corresponding ring contact and brush terminal in contact with each other. By providing the configuration described above, the ring-shaped contact and the brush terminal are always in contact with each other no matter which direction the upper housing 1 rotates relative to the lower housing 2 or any number of 360 ° or more. An electrically connected state can be maintained. Therefore, according to the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment, it is possible to always supply power from the lower housing 2 to the upper housing 1 and simultaneously transmit and receive data.

[Specific example of rotating hinge mechanism]
12 and 13 show a configuration example of the rotary hinge mechanism. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view around the rotary hinge mechanism when the inter-housing communication mechanism described in FIGS. 5 to 8 is provided in the rotary hinge mechanism as an example. In the example of FIG. 12, hatching that represents a cross section of each part is omitted for the sake of simplicity. FIG. 13 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the rotary hinge mechanism of the present embodiment. The examples of FIGS. 12 and 13 are merely examples, and the rotary hinge mechanism of the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this example. 12 and 13, devices having the same functions as those in FIGS. 5 to 7 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  12 and 13, the rotary hinge mechanism of the present embodiment includes a lower rotary hinge mechanism main body 130 and an upper rotary hinge mechanism main body 140, and the above-described upper communication mechanism 70 and lower communication mechanism 60. It is configured.

  The upper communication mechanism unit 70 has an end corresponding to the opening of the cylindrical recess 73 fixed to the mounting member 160, and the mounting member 160 is fixed to the upper housing 1 with screws or the like (not shown). Similarly, the lower communication mechanism 60 has an end corresponding to the opening of the cylindrical recess 63 fixed to the mounting member 150, and this mounting member 150 is fixed to the lower housing 2 with screws or the like (not shown). Has been.

  The upper rotary hinge mechanism main body 140 includes a cylindrical portion 141 and an attachment member 143 fixed to one end of the cylindrical portion 141. The attachment member 143 includes a circular hole 142 into which the cylindrical portion of the upper communication mechanism unit 70 is rotatably inserted. The cylindrical portion 141 has an inner diameter that is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the circular hole portion 142, and the outer peripheral portion is rotatable with the fitting portion 134 of the cylindrical portion 131 of the lower rotary hinge mechanism main body 130. The fitting part 144 fitted in the state is provided. On the other hand, in the lower rotary hinge mechanism main body 130, a cylindrical portion 131 and an attachment member 133 fixed to one end of the cylindrical portion 131 are integrally formed. The attachment member 133 includes a circular hole (not shown) into which the cylindrical portion of the lower communication mechanism 60 is rotatably inserted. The cylindrical portion 131 includes a fitting portion 134 whose inner peripheral portion is fitted to the fitting portion 144 of the cylindrical portion 141 of the upper rotary hinge mechanism main body 140 in a rotatable state. In the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment, the cylindrical portion 131 of the lower rotary hinge mechanism main body 130 is in the upper state in a state where the upper rotary hinge mechanism main body 140 and the lower rotary hinge main body 130 are combined. It is inserted in a circular hole (not shown) provided in the housing 1 and the lower housing 2 so as to be rotatable.

  In the mobile phone terminal according to the present embodiment, the upper communication mechanism unit 70 and the lower communication mechanism unit 60 described above are provided inside the upper rotation hinge mechanism main body 140 and the lower rotation hinge mechanism 130 having the above-described configuration. Is rotatably arranged. Accordingly, the upper communication mechanism unit 70 and the lower communication mechanism unit 60 can be rotated inside the rotary hinge mechanism, and between them, power supply and data communication can be performed as described above.

[Summary]
As described above, according to each embodiment of the present invention, the power supply and the ground can be connected via the ring-shaped contact and the brush terminal. The power can be supplied regardless of whether the rotation is performed at an angle or 360 degrees. Further, according to each embodiment of the present invention, since data transmission / reception is performed wirelessly or via a ring-shaped contact and a brush terminal, the upper casing 1 and the lower casing 2 are rotated at any angle. Even if it is rotated 360 degrees, data can be transmitted and received.

  The above description of the embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made according to the design or the like as long as the technical idea according to the present invention is not deviated.

  For example, the electronic device of the present invention is not limited to a mobile phone terminal, and can be applied to various electronic devices such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Further, the present invention is not limited to a use such as a rotary open type, and can also be applied to a so-called nail clipper type hinge portion in which a folding mechanism and a rotary hinge mechanism are integrated.

It is an external view of the state which opened the mobile telephone terminal of embodiment of this invention. It is an external view of the mobile phone terminal of the embodiment of the present invention when the upper housing and the lower housing are rotated 90 degrees around the rotary hinge mechanism. It is an external view of the state which closed the mobile telephone terminal of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure inside the mobile telephone terminal of this embodiment. The figure which looked at the communication mechanism part provided in the lower housing | casing side from the front (surface of the side corresponding to the communication mechanism part of an upper housing | casing) among the rotation hinge mechanisms of the mobile telephone terminal of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. Is shown. The figure which looked at the communication mechanism part provided in the upper housing | casing side from the front (surface of the side corresponding to the communication mechanism part of a lower housing | casing) among the rotation hinge mechanisms of the mobile telephone terminal of 1st Embodiment is shown. Yes. It is the figure which looked at the state which the communication mechanism part of the lower housing | casing of the rotation hinge mechanism of 1st Embodiment, and the contact part of the upper housing | casing contacted from the side surface. It is a figure used for description of the structure which provided the lens in the front surface of the infrared rays light emitting element. The figure which looked at the communication mechanism part provided in the lower housing | casing side from the front (surface of the side corresponding to the communication mechanism part of an upper housing | casing) among the rotation hinge mechanisms of the mobile telephone terminal of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Is shown. The figure which looked at the communication mechanism part provided in the upper housing | casing side from the front (surface of the side corresponding to the communication mechanism part of a lower housing | casing) among the rotation hinge mechanisms of the mobile telephone terminal of 2nd Embodiment is shown. Yes. It is the figure which looked at the state which the communication mechanism part of the lower housing | casing of the rotation hinge mechanism of 2nd Embodiment and the communication mechanism part of the upper housing | casing contacted from the side surface. It is sectional drawing which shows one structural example of the periphery of the rotation hinge mechanism with which the mobile telephone terminal of 1st Embodiment was equipped. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows one structural example of the rotation hinge mechanism periphery with which the mobile telephone terminal of 1st Embodiment was equipped.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper housing | casing, 2 Lower housing | casing 3, Display, 4,48 Speaker, 5 Disc type jog dial, 6 Call key, 7 End key, 912 key, 10, 49 Microphone, 11 Antenna storage part, 41 Control part, 42 Antenna, 43 Communication circuit, 44 Audio signal processing unit, 45 Display unit, 46 Operation unit, 47 RAM, 50 Imaging control unit, 51 Camera, 52 Inter-chassis communication mechanism unit, 53 ROM, 54 Power management IC, 55 Battery, 60, 100 Lower communication mechanism, 61 Ground ring contact, 62 Power ring contact, 63 Cylindrical recess, 64, 74 Infrared light emitting element, 65, 75 Infrared light receiving element, 68, 78 Lens, 69 Infrared light, 70, 110 Upper communication mechanism part, 76 brush terminal for ground, 77 brush terminal for power supply 101 data communication ring contact, the brush terminal for 112 data communication

Claims (3)

In an electronic device in which a first housing that does not include a power source and a second housing that includes a power source are coupled so as to be rotatable about the axis of the rotary hinge mechanism.
The rotating hinge mechanism is
A ring-shaped contact centering on the rotation axis of the rotary hinge mechanism, and a brush terminal that slides on the ring-shaped contact in response to rotation in the direction around the axis, the ring-shaped contact and the brush contact being Power supply means for supplying power from the second casing to the first casing,
An electronic apparatus comprising: data communication means for performing data communication between the first casing and the second casing. The electronic device according to claim 1,
The data communication means includes an infrared communication means on the first casing side and an infrared communication means on the second casing side, the infrared communication means on the first casing side and the infrared communication means on the second casing side. An electronic device characterized in that data communication using infrared rays is performed. The electronic device according to claim 1,
The data communication means includes a ring-shaped contact centered on the rotation axis of the rotary hinge mechanism, and a brush terminal that slides on the ring-shaped contact in response to rotation around the axis. An electronic device that performs data communication between the first casing and the second casing through a contact and a brush contact.

Images