JP2005318248A - Foldable mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foldable mobile terminal that has a connecting member capable of openably/closably interconnecting two cases without a connecting section being projected from the two cases and enhancing the durability of its built-in wire members. <P>SOLUTION: The foldable mobile terminal includes: the connection member having flexibility and foldably connected to one-side ends of two cases spaced by a prescribed interval; a folding member having a restoring force and rigidity returning from a folded state to an open state and fitted to the two cases; and a flexible wire member for electrically interconnecting the two cases, and the folding member and the flexible wire member are overlappingly provided at a position of the connection member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a folding type portable terminal device in which two casings are connected so as to be bent and opened and closed.

  In recent years, a large number of mobile phones have been developed and used. In addition to a straight type having a simple bar shape, various types of folding types that can be opened and closed via a hinge portion have been developed.

  The foldable mobile phone includes an upper housing having a display unit, a lower housing having an operation unit, and a hinge unit that connects the upper and lower housings so that the display unit and the operation unit face each other And the upper and lower housings are relatively rotated and folded around the axis of the hinge portion. Therefore, this hinge part is substantially cylindrical shape, and the outer diameter dimension is generally larger than the thickness dimension of the upper and lower housings having the display part and the operation part. Therefore, the hinge part protrudes from the upper surfaces of the upper and lower housings (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the case of a foldable portable terminal device having such a configuration, for example, for a user who has extended his / her nails, when operating the operation unit, the toe hits the protruding hinge portion and cannot be operated well There is. Under such circumstances, as one solution for making it easy for such a user to operate, it is conceivable to secure a desired distance between the operation unit and the hinge unit. Enlarging the size inevitably increases the length of the entire casing from the upper casing to the lower casing, leading to an increase in the size of the apparatus.

Therefore, for example, a mobile phone (hereinafter, referred to as a foldable band) in which a connecting portion that connects an upper housing having a display unit and a lower housing having an operation unit is thinner than the thickness of the upper and lower housings. This is also called a “folded type mobile phone”) (for example, see Patent Document 2).
JP 2002-111812 A (FIGS. 1 and 2) Design Registration No. 1161572

  By the way, in the folding type mobile phone as described in Patent Document 2, since the upper and lower casings are connected by thin connecting portions, generally, the connecting portions tend to have a fragile structure, and the casing is opened. The upper housing is likely to cause a swinging phenomenon such as a wobbling motion when it is touched.

  However, this Patent Document 2 does not specifically disclose technical means for holding the upper housing firmly and stably when the lower housing having the operation unit is gripped. For this reason, if the upper housing is unstable, for example, it is difficult to confirm the information displayed on the display unit when confirming the time and incoming call information, or when performing mail communication, the lower housing In addition, since the oscillating motion propagates and is not stable, it is difficult to input information such as characters.

In addition, since the folding mobile phone described in Patent Document 2 does not specifically disclose the connecting structure of the hinge portion that connects the upper housing and the lower housing, it is difficult to actually create the hinge mobile phone.
The upper housing and the lower housing are electrically connected by a flexible wiring member such as a flexible printed circuit board, but when the connecting portion is twisted, the flexible wiring member is twisted. If an unreasonable force is applied to the flexible wiring member, there is a possibility that the flexible wiring member may be disconnected. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent such disconnection.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. First, it is possible to connect the casings so that the casings can be opened and closed without protruding from the two casings. Second, the durability of the built-in wiring member is improved. Thirdly, an object of the present invention is to provide a folded type portable terminal device that solves many problems in realizing Patent Document 2, such as ensuring that the closed state is maintained.

  The bending type portable terminal device of the present invention has a foldable flexibility, a connecting member that connects one end of two casings with a predetermined distance therebetween, and a restoring force that returns the folded state to the opened state. A flexible member that is rigid and is mounted across the two housings; and a flexible wiring member that electrically connects the two housings, and is bent at the position of the connecting member. The flexible member and the flexible wiring member are arranged to overlap each other.

  In the bending-type mobile terminal device of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the bendable member has a curved portion.

  In the folding portable terminal device of the present invention, the flexible wiring member is disposed on the concave side of the bending portion.

  In the folding portable terminal device of the present invention, the flexible wiring member is disposed on the convex side of the bending portion.

According to the folding type portable terminal device of the present invention, first, these casings can be foldably connected without providing a hinge projecting from the two casings, so that the two casings are In the opened state, even if a user with a long nail operates the operation unit, the nail is prevented from being locked to the connection unit, and the connection unit does not get in the way during the operation.
Second, the housings can be stably held when these housings are opened. Third, even if a force is applied in a direction in which each housing is separated from the opened state, the predetermined interval does not change. Fourth, when twisting acts in a state where the two housings are opened, the tensile stress is prevented from acting on the flexible wiring member.

  In addition, according to the configuration of the present invention, while the occupation area is not so large and the thickness is relatively thin, the two casings can be stably held in an open state. Various operations can be performed in a stable state, and there is no possibility of reducing the operability.

  Moreover, according to the structure of this invention, the thickness at the time of arrange | positioning a bendable member and a flexible wiring member in piles can be made small.

  Moreover, according to the structure of this invention, the width | variety of a flexible wiring member can be taken wide.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a folding portable terminal device that has no connecting portion protruding on one surface to which a housing is attached and that can maintain a state in which the housing is stably opened at a predetermined angle. Can be provided. If you try to look at the display unit provided on the housing while walking with the housing open, the housing will naturally close, swing or swing further, fold further in the opening direction, and hang down to the rear (further in the opening direction) There is no inversion). Therefore, not only reading of mail becomes easy, but there is an effect that inconvenience does not occur when writing information such as characters using the operation unit, and operability is not impaired.

  In addition, when twisting acts in a state where the two housings are opened, it is possible to prevent a tensile stress from acting on the flexible wiring member, so that the flexible wiring member is flexible even if it is twisted. There is no risk of disconnection in the wiring member.

  In addition, since the cross-sectional shape of the flexible member has a curved portion, the two housings can be stably maintained in an open state while having a relatively small band-like shape that does not occupy a large area and is thin. Therefore, various operations can be performed in a stable state, and there is no possibility of reducing the operability.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the folding portable terminal device of the present invention will be described by being applied to a folding cellular phone which is a kind of openable portable terminal device.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a folded type mobile phone according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the main body of FIG. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are explanatory views showing a state when the folded cellular phone of the present invention is opened and closed, and FIG. 5 is a diagram when the folded cellular phone of the present invention is opened. FIG. 6 is a central cross-sectional view when the folded type mobile phone of the present invention is closed, FIG. 7 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the lower casing of the folded type mobile phone of the present invention, and FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure in the main-body part of this bending type mobile telephone.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the folding mobile phone according to the present embodiment is generally composed of a main body A and a fashion cover B provided on the outer surface of the main body A.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the main body A has a housing composed of an upper housing 1 and a lower housing 2, and upper and lower housings 1 and 2. And a connecting device 3 that can be bent between the two.

  Among these, the upper housing 1 includes a receiver (receiver) 11 that is a first audio output unit, a speaker 12 (see FIG. 5) that is a second audio output unit, a display unit 13, and a permanent magnet 14. The first printed circuit board 15 (see FIG. 5) and the like are accommodated. The first printed circuit board 15 is provided with an LCD or the like that constitutes a display unit 13 to be described later.

  On the other hand, the lower housing 2 is detachable with a transmitter (microphone) 21, an operation unit 22, a vibrator unit 23 (see FIG. 5), a camera unit 24 (see FIG. 5), and a hall element 25. The battery 26 (see FIG. 5) and the second printed circuit board 27 (see FIG. 5) are accommodated. 5 and 8, the second printed circuit board 27 includes a transmission / reception unit 271, a data conversion unit 272, an audio processing unit 273, an image processing unit 274, an information recording unit 275, and a control unit 270. .

  The connecting device 3 is configured to fix the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 sandwiching a bendable connecting portion, and is mainly composed of a sheet-like member and a flexible member, and an antenna 34, A flexible wiring member (for example, a flexible substrate) 35 is accommodated.

Next, each component included in the folding mobile phone according to the present embodiment will be described more specifically.
About main part A:
In addition, the housing | casing which is one of the components of the main-body part A here is comprised from the upper housing | casing 1 and the lower housing | casing 2 as mentioned above. On the other hand, the connecting device 3, which is another component of the main body A, connects the lower end surface side of the upper housing 1 and the upper end surface side of the lower housing 2. It is connected so that it can be bent by the connecting portion 3A (in the direction of arrow P in FIGS. 1 and 5 and in the opposite direction).
That is, when not in use, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper housing 1 is folded and used so as to face (oppose) the lower housing 2 in a state where the main body A is closed. On the other hand, during use, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the main body A is used with the user's face facing the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2.

(1) Upper housing 1;
The receiver 11 serving as a receiver is provided on the main surface 1A of the upper housing 1 that faces the lower housing 2 when the main body A is closed, and is arranged so that sound is output from the main surface 1A. Yes. When the folded type mobile phone of this embodiment is normally used, the voice of the communication partner is output. On the other hand, in FIG. 5, the speaker 12 is provided on the back surface 1B opposite to the main surface 1A of the upper housing 1, and outputs a ringtone from the back surface 1B when waiting for mail or telephone. They are arranged as follows. The receiver 11 and the speaker 12 have a first permanent magnet (not shown), a coil part (not shown), a diaphragm (not shown), and the like inside, and the first current is supplied to the coil part. A diaphragm provided on one permanent magnet vibrates to generate sound.

  The display unit 13 is the main surface 1 </ b> A of the upper housing 1, and is provided closer to the coupling unit 3 </ b> A than the receiver 11. Further, a window frame portion 13A is formed on the main surface 1A of the upper housing 1 at a position corresponding to the display portion 13, and the transparent window 13B is adhesively fixed to the window frame portion 13A. The user can recognize characters and the like displayed on the display unit 13 from the outside of the upper housing 1 through the transparent window 13B. The display unit 13 can be configured by a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like, and displays characters, symbols, numbers, images, maps, and the like.

The casing permanent magnet 14 is disposed on the lower end surface side of the upper casing 1 (near the coupling device 3).
The receiver 11, the speaker 12, and the display unit 13 are provided on the first printed circuit board 15, and are electrically connected to the control unit 270 and the like as shown in FIG.

(2) Lower housing 2;
The microphone 21 and the operation unit 22 of the transmitter are provided on the main surface 2A of the lower housing 2 that faces the main surface 1A of the upper housing 1 when the main body A is closed.

  Among these, the microphone 21 is disposed near the end opposite to the end facing the connecting portion 3A.

  A user's finger F that operates the operation unit 22 is indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The user operates the operation unit 22 to, for example, receive and end calls, adjust the volume output from the receiver 11 and the speaker 12, input characters, symbols, and numbers, operate the camera unit 24, and manner mode. Can be switched to. Since the hinge portion having a substantially cylindrical cross section as in the past does not protrude from the main surface 2A in front of the user's finger F, the operation of the operation portion 22 can be performed even when the tip of the fingernail is long, for example. Will not be disturbed.

  The vibrator unit 23 notifies the incoming call by vibration by oscillating the incoming call.

  The camera unit 24 is provided on the back surface 2B (see FIG. 5) opposite to the main surface 2A of the lower housing 2 along with a battery 26 that can be attached to and detached from the lower housing 2. The subject behind 22 can be imaged. Incident light from a subject captured by the camera unit 24 passes through a lens group, is converted from an optical signal to an electrical signal by a photoelectric conversion element such as a CCD (charge coupled device), and image information is generated. In FIG. 8, this image information is processed by an image processing unit 274 described later, and then an image is generated on the display unit 13.

  For this reason, the camera unit 24 and the display unit 13 are connected to an image processing unit 274, and image information captured by the camera unit 24 is recorded in an information recording unit 275 described later when a predetermined operation is performed. . In addition to this image information, the information recording unit 275 also includes telephone number information, audio information, image information other than the image information of the captured image (received image information, etc.), mail that is being created or transmitted / received, etc. Character information can be recorded.

The hall element 25 is a means for detecting the magnetic field of the casing permanent magnet 14 and is provided on the second printed circuit board 27 so as to face the casing permanent magnet 14 when the main body A is in a closed state. ing.
In the closed state in which the main body A is closed, the hall element 25 detects the magnetic field of the housing permanent magnet 14 and detects the detection signal to the control unit 270 described later. Is output. In addition, the Hall element 25 generates a detection signal because the permanent magnet 14 for the casing is separated if the main body A is in an open state, and the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 14 for the casing cannot be detected. do not do.

  That is, when the Hall element 25 detects the casing permanent magnet 14, the main body A is in a closed state, and when it cannot be detected, it is in an open state. In the folded type mobile phone of this embodiment, when the case is closed, nothing is displayed on the display unit 13 in the reception standby state, and no power is consumed. In addition, illumination means (not shown) for illuminating the display unit does not emit light. In the open state, a mark indicating the received electric field strength, remaining battery capacity information, time information, incoming call information, and the like are displayed, and illumination by the illumination means is performed.

  By the way, when the Hall element 25 detects the casing permanent magnet 14, the opposing surfaces of the two casings 1, 2 are displaced in the rotational direction or the longitudinal direction (X direction in FIG. 11) or between the opposing surfaces. Even if a minute clearance occurs, it is necessary to reliably detect the closed state. That is, in the closed state of the main body A, the opposing surfaces of the two casings 1 and 2 are displaced in the rotational direction and the longitudinal direction, and a minute clearance is generated between the opposing surfaces, so that the casings 1 and 2 are opened unnecessarily. When the LCD backlight is turned on, power is wasted, and when a device that operates only when it is closed is installed, the chassis 1 and 2 that are misaligned and opened when the device is used Will interfere with use.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the amount of displacement in the rotational direction and the longitudinal direction of the facing surfaces of the two casings 1 and 2 is grasped in advance, and even when a slight clearance occurs between any of the displacements and the facing surfaces. The Hall element 25 is disposed at a position where the housing permanent magnet 14 can be detected.

  FIGS. 10 to 13 show a permanent magnet 14 that can reliably detect the closed state even when the rotational surfaces of the two casings 1 and 2 are displaced in the rotational direction or a minute clearance is generated between the opposing surfaces. The example of arrangement | positioning with the Hall element 25 is shown.

  In this example, the Hall element 25 and the casing permanent magnet 14 are arranged closer to the connecting portion 3A, and specifically, closer to the connecting portion 3A than the center line Y of the main body portion A in the closed state, preferably 2 This is an example in which the hall element 25 and the casing permanent magnet 14 are arranged closer to the connecting portion 3A than the radius R1 which is half of the radius R2 in which the two casings 1 and 2 are displaced in the rotation direction.

  10A is a diagram showing a state in which the main body is closed, FIG. 10B is a right side view of FIG. 10A, and FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the upper housing is displaced by ΔX in the X direction. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state in which the upper housing is rotated by ΔP in the P direction and closed with approximately O as the center, and FIG. 13 is closed so that a minute clearance is formed at the tip of each housing. It is a figure which shows a state.

  In FIG. 11, a point A1 indicates the position of the Hall element 25 in the present embodiment. Point B1 indicates the position of the permanent magnet 14 in the present embodiment. As an example in which the permanent magnet 14 and the Hall element 25 are arranged at positions different from those of the embodiment of the present invention, for example, a point A2 indicates a state where the Hall element is placed at the tip of the upper housing 1, and a point B2 indicates two points. The permanent magnet arrange | positioned in the position facing a Hall element of A2 when a housing | casing is closed is shown.

  At this time, it is assumed that the upper housing 1 is shifted by ΔX in the longitudinal X direction with respect to the lower housing 2. In this case, the distance L1 between the point A1 and the point B1 and the distance L2 between the point A2 and the point B2 are equal to each other. Therefore, when the housing is displaced in the X direction, the Hall element or the permanent magnet is arranged at any position. But the gap between the two is universal. (ΔX = L1 = L2)

  12 shows a state in which the upper housing 1 is rotated by ΔP in the direction of the arrow about the axis O with respect to the lower housing 2. At this time, the distance L3 between the points A1 and A2 is smaller than the distance L4 between the points A2 and B2. That is, since the point A1 and the point B1 are close to the rotation center O, when a deviation in the rotation direction occurs, it is possible to minimize the spread of the distance between them. (L3 <L4)

  In FIG. 13, the upper housing 1 is rotated with respect to the lower housing 2 by ΔR about the axis O in the direction of the arrow, and is closed so that a minute clearance is formed at the tip of each housing. Show. At this time, the distance L5 between the points A1 and B1 is smaller than the distance L6 between the points A2 and B2. That is, since the point A1 and the point B1 are close to the center of rotation, if a deviation in the rotational direction occurs, the spread of the distance between the two can be minimized. (L5 <L6)

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the permanent magnet and the Hall element are disposed in the vicinity of the connecting member, so that even when there is a housing shift caused by an external force when the two housings are in the closed state, it is ensured. It is possible to detect the closed state. Thereby, the open state of the casing is not detected unnecessarily in the closed state, and the backlight of the liquid crystal is not turned on, which has an effect of preventing waste of power. In addition, when a device that operates only when the device is closed is installed, use of the device is not hindered by the displacement or opening of the housing that occurs when the device is used. Further, according to the present invention, since the magnetic force of the permanent magnet can be made as small as possible, the card can be prevented from being damaged when a magnetic card or the like is sandwiched between the casings.

  In addition, in order to expand the area in which the Hall element 25 detects the casing permanent magnet 14, the area or number of one of the Hall element 25 and the casing permanent magnet 14 may be increased.

  The vibrator unit 23, the operation unit 22, the microphone 21, the camera unit 24, the hall element 25, and the battery 26 described above are mounted on the second printed board 27 and electrically connected to the control unit 270 and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 270 is connected to the transmission / reception unit 271, the data conversion unit 272, and the information recording unit 275 in addition to the vibrator unit 23, the operation unit 22, the hall element 25, and the display unit 13. These controls are performed. Further, the control unit 270 is also connected to the battery 26.

  The transmission / reception unit 271 is connected to the antenna 34 and is configured to process data received by the antenna 34 and output the processed data to the data conversion unit 272. On the other hand, the data conversion unit 272 is connected to the audio processing unit 273, and the audio processing unit 273 is connected to the receiver 11, the speaker 12, and the microphone 21, respectively.

  Therefore, the data conversion unit 272 converts the reception data from the antenna 34 into audio data via the transmission / reception unit 271 and the control unit 270 and outputs the audio data to the audio processing unit 273. On the other hand, the audio processing unit 273 generates audio signals by decoding the audio data, and then outputs them to the receiver 11 and the speaker 12. On the other hand, the receiver 11 and the speaker 12 output sound corresponding to the sound signal transmitted from the sound processing unit 273.

  In addition, the voice processing unit 273 encodes the voice received by the microphone 21 to generate voice data, and then outputs the voice data to the data conversion unit 272. The data conversion unit 272 converts the input voice data into communication data, and then outputs the communication data to the transmission / reception unit 271. The transmission / reception unit 271 processes the received communication data and transmits it as a radio wave from the antenna 34.

(3) connecting device 3;
The connecting device 3 is bent when the main body part A is closed, and is released from the bent state when the main body part A is opened. The connecting device 3 has flexibility and is vertically separated with the connecting part 3A at the center part therebetween. A sheet-like member that secures the two cases 1 and 2 and a restoring force and rigidity that return to a flat state (the state before the bend) when bent, and a flexibility that fixes the upper and lower cases 1 and 2 And a member.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the coupling device 3 of the present embodiment includes a first coupling member 31, a second coupling member 32, and a third coupling member 33. Among these, the 1st connection member 31 and the 3rd connection member 33 comprise a sheet-like member, and the 2nd connection member 32 comprises the bendable member.

  In addition, the antenna 34 and the flexible wiring member 35 are accommodated in the gap between the first connecting member 31 and the third connecting member 33 together with the second connecting member 32. In addition, one end (feeding portion 34A) of the antenna 34 is connected to the feeding portion of the second printed circuit board 27, and the other end extends to the upper housing 1 side. On the other hand, the linear flexible wiring member 35 is overlapped with the second connecting member 32, one end is connected to the first printed circuit board 15 via the connector 35A, and the other end is connected to the second via the connector 35B. It is connected to the printed circuit board 27.

  As described above, the first connecting member 31 constitutes the connecting portion 3 </ b> A that connects the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 together with the third connecting member 33. In particular, the first connecting member 31 of the present embodiment constitutes the surface of the connecting portion 3A (the surface side in the same direction as the main surface 1A of the upper housing 1 and the main surface 1B of the lower housing 2), The outer surface of the upper housing 1 and the outer surface of the lower housing 2 are integrally formed (the outer surfaces of the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 are also used).

  The second connecting member 32 is provided across the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2. The second connecting member 32 is made of a thin steel material (such as carbon tool steel or stainless steel) having flexibility and rigidity.

  The third connecting member 33 is attached to the first connecting member 31 so as to integrally connect the back surface 2B of the lower housing 2 and cover the second connecting member 32 and the flexible wiring member 35.

  The first connecting member 31 and the third connecting member 33 are made of a flexible material such as thermoplastic polyester / ether / elastomer or polyurethane resin. Moreover, the material which forms this 1st connection member 31 and the 3rd connection member 33 is not restricted to the material mentioned above, What is necessary is just to form in a sheet form with the material which has flexibility and elasticity.

  The inner surface 1C of the main surfaces 1A and 2A of the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 formed by the first connecting member 31 is made of an inner surface portion 1C using another material such as ABS resin different from the forming material of the main surfaces 1A and 2A. 2C is formed. That is, the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 are integrally configured by a different material molding method (for example, insert molding or the like) integrally formed of different materials.

Here, the reason why the first and second casings 1 and 2 and the first connecting member 31 of the connecting device 3 are integrally formed using a different material forming method will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the third connecting member 33 is screwed into the prepared holes 332 </ b> A formed in the inner surface portion 2 </ b> C of the lower housing 2 and the respective substrates 27 with tapping screws 331 </ b> A. However, when screws are tightened with a desired tightening torque to obtain a predetermined axial force (tightening force), the lower hole 332A is damaged if the allowable shear stress of the lower hole 332A is small.
Here, it is generally known that the allowable shear stress of the ABS resin is larger than that of the thermoplastic polyester / ether / elastomer, and in this embodiment, it is provided on the inner surface 2C side of the lower housing 2 (the operation unit 22). By forming the pilot hole 332A portion made of ABS resin, the fracture of the pilot hole 332A at the time of screw tightening can be avoided.

  When the main surface 1A of the upper casing 1 and the window frame portion 13A are formed of thermoplastic polyester / ether / elastomer, generally, the thermoplastic polyester / ether / elastomer is inferior in adhesiveness. Even if an attempt is made to adhere the provided transparent window 13B to the window frame portion 13A, it is not firmly adhered. In this case, for example, when the folded mobile phone is dropped, there is a possibility that it may be peeled off due to an unexpected situation.

  For these reasons, in the present embodiment, the outer surfaces of the upper casing 1 and the lower casing 2 formed of thermoplastic polyester / ether / elastomer (actually, the first connecting member 31 is used). By integrally forming 1A, 2A and the window frame portion 13A formed of ABS resin, the above-described problems are solved. Further, by integrally configuring the first connecting member 31 together with the outer surfaces of the upper and lower housings 1 and 2, the curvature R1 (see FIG. The upper and lower casings 1 and 2 and the first connecting member 31 can have a sense of unity. Specifically, when the opened main body part A is further expanded, there is no curvature in the case where it is molded separately, so that it is between the first connecting member 31 and the upper and lower casings 1 and 2. A gap is created. This gap does not feel a sense of unity. Moreover, since water may enter from this gap, it is unsuitable for a portable terminal device that may be used even in rainy weather.

  The first connecting member 31 and the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 do not necessarily have to be formed integrally using a different material molding method. For example, the first connecting member 31 and the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 The outer surface and the inner surfaces of the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 may be formed separately, and the inner surfaces of the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 may be integrated by mechanical coupling means (fastening, welding, or the like). Further, even when the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 and the first connecting member 31 are made of the same material (thermoplastic polyester / ether / elastomer), the third connecting member 33 is fixed to the upper and lower casings 1 and 2. For the method of fixing the transparent window 13B to the window frame portion 13A, other appropriate methods may be used.

Next, the second connecting member 32 constituting the bending member of the connecting device 3 will be described in detail with reference mainly to FIG.
4A and 4B are explanatory views showing the second connecting member 32 of the main body part A mainly of the connecting device 3. FIG. 4A is a state in which the connecting device 3 of the main body part A is opened, and FIG. The state which the connection apparatus 3 closed is shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the second connecting member 32 is linearly extended from the upper housing 1 toward the lower housing 2, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is a thin plate having a width W <b> 1 and a curvature R <b> 2. It is formed in a circular arc shape and has a curved portion 323. The center of the curvature R2 is on the main surface 1A side of the upper housing 1 (or the main surface 2A side of the lower housing 2), and this center is indicated by a point O (FIG. 4A). A through hole 320 (see FIG. 14) is provided at the approximate center of the arc in the vicinity of both ends of the second connecting member 32, and is fixed to the tip of the boss 322 on the inner surface side of the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 by fastening screws 321. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, in a state where the connecting device 3 of the main body A is opened, the second connecting member 32 is lowered from the upper housing 1 while maintaining the arc shape of the cross section of the curvature R2 from one end to the other end. It extends linearly toward the housing 2 and maintains a stable state. Here, even if it is going to bend in the direction opposite to the arrow P in order to further open (expand) from the state in which the coupling device 3 of the main body part A is opened (the state in FIG. 1), a curved state is formed. The rigidity in the direction of releasing the curved state (further releasing the main body part A from the flat open state) is enhanced, and a force for holding the open state (hereinafter referred to as “ This is called “curvature holding force”). Therefore, the force (reverse bending force) required to open the main body part A in the direction of further opening the main body A from the open upper body, that is, the convex back curved surface (positive curved surface) direction opposite to the concave curved surface (negative curved surface) direction. Is much larger than the force (folding force) required to close the main body in the P direction, so it is difficult to bend. This difficulty in bending is determined from the fixing method of the second connecting member 32, the second moment of section, the Young's modulus, and the like.

  On the other hand, when bent in the direction of arrow P (see FIG. 5) with a predetermined force or more, the central portion of the second connecting member 32 bends in the direction in which the connecting device 3 of the main body A closes due to the jumping phenomenon. When the applied force is eliminated without plastic deformation, the restoring force restores the original flat open state, and the connecting device 3 of the main body A returns to the opened state. In other words, the second connecting member 32 also functions as a means for preventing an easy bending operation in the direction of the arrow P from the state in which the main body portion A is opened.

  When the connecting device 3 of the main body A is closed, the second connecting member 32 is a connecting portion 3A that is a central portion between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2, as shown in FIG. Bends. At this time, the connecting portion 3A, which is the central portion of the second connecting member 32, is elastically deformed into a flat shape with a circular arc cross section, and the width W2 of the connecting portion 3A is larger than the width W1 before elastic deformation. Both ends undergo elastic deformation approaching a flat shape.

  When elastically deforming, the second connecting member 32 generates a force to restore the original arc shape and linear shape. That is, when the connecting device 3 of the main body A is closed, the second connecting member 32 bends while acting to recover linearly (force to return the width W2 to the width W1).

  In the present embodiment, the second connecting member 32 is made of a steel material having a thickness of 0.1 mm, the width W1 is 20 mm, the curvature radius R1 is R25 mm, and the distance L1 between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 is L1 = It was 30 mm.

Similarly, when the screen is further opened in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow P from the opened state, the maximum stress is generated at the time of jumping.
Accordingly, the width W1 and the curvature R1 may be determined so that the stress at the time of jumping does not exceed the allowable stress of the selected material.

  The second connecting member 32 of the present embodiment has a bending start force ("closing force" described later) F1 of about 0.6 [N (Newton)] when the connecting device 3 starts to bend in the arrow P direction from the opened state. When the connecting device 3 of the main body A is closed, the return force F2 for returning to the opened state of the connecting device 3 of the main body A is about 1.5 [N]. The force to bend further in the direction of the arrow P from the state in which 3 is opened ("reverse bending force" described later) F3 was about 2 [N].

In this way, the second connecting member 32 having a circular arc shape in cross section and disposed so that the center O of the arc is located on the main surface 1A side of the upper housing 1 is a part of the flexible member of the connecting device 3. Used as. As a result, the force (which is referred to as “reverse bending force”) F3 that makes a reverse bending state that is not performed as a use mode is usually a user's action (a force for closing (this is referred to as “closing”). It is called “force” and can be larger than F1).
Accordingly, if the closing force F1 and the reverse bending force F3 are appropriately set, the main body A can be easily closed from the opened state, and it can be easily opened and not reversely warped. The coupling device 3 that realizes good usability can be provided.

14 to 17 show an example in which both ends of the second connecting member 32 are screwed and fixed to the boss portions 322 of the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2.
A through hole 320 is provided at the approximate center of the arc in the vicinity of both ends of the second connecting member 32, and is fixed to the tip of each boss 322 on the inner surface side of the upper and lower housings 1, 2 by fastening screws 321. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the spherical portion 324 is formed at the tip of the boss portion 322 so that the curved portion 323 of the second connecting member 32 becomes flat when the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 are opened and closed. 2 (two-dot chain line in FIG. 15), the second connecting member 32 is configured not to contact the edge portion at the tip of the boss portion 322 when it is curved. When the main body portion A is bent, a bend R (curvature) formed by the bent portion of the second connecting member 32 is formed along the spherical portion. In the case of an edge portion, the bending R becomes zero (or close to a right angle), and the stress generated during bending increases. Accordingly, since the bending R (curvature) is formed along the spherical portion, the durability of the second connecting member 32 can be improved. Further, when the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 are opened and closed, the second connecting member 32 also curves in the longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. By forming the R portion 325 on the inner side of each boss portion 322 on the inner surface side opposite to each other, the second connecting member 32 is the edge of the tip end of the boss portion 322 when the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 are opened and closed. Since it can be made not to contact a part, durability of the 2nd connecting member 32 can be improved.

Here, the third connecting member 33 will be further described.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the third connecting member 33 has a one surface (outer surface) side corresponding to the connecting portion 3 </ b> A in the length direction over a predetermined length L <b> 1 (see FIG. 6). A thin portion 33A (which constitutes a closing force generating means) which is depressed and thinned is formed. In addition, the thinnest portion 33A further includes a thinnest portion (concave portion; further reliable closing force generating means) linearly along the width direction of the casing (the depth direction in FIGS. 5 and 6). ) 33B is provided.

  In this way, the thin portion 33A is formed with respect to the main body portion A, and further thinned by the thinnest thin portion 33B, the entire thin portion 33A is easily bent in the closing direction of the main body portion A. When the main body part A is closed, the thinnest part 33A is bent while slightly extending and the gap with the first connecting member 31 is changed narrowly, and at the same time, the thinnest part 33B is uniformly expanded, It is bent linearly along the width direction in which 33B is formed. If the opening angle of the thinnest portion 33B before the third connecting member 33 shown in FIG. 5 expands (before the main body part A bends) is an angle θ, the third connecting member 33 in FIG. The opening angle after the part A is bent is an angle (θ + Δ).

  When the upper casing 1 is intentionally twisted in the direction of the arrow α shown in FIG. 4B when the main body A is closed, the expansion angle of the third connecting member 33 is not uniform. When the intentional torsion is released, the expansion returns uniformly. That is, the thinnest portion 33B of the third connecting member 33 regulates the position where the connecting portion 3A bends when the main body portion A is folded and closed. Therefore, if the thinnest portion 33B of the third connecting member 33 is not provided, the upper housing 1 may be arbitrarily twisted in the arrow α direction with respect to the lower housing 2 when the main body portion A is closed.

  As described above, the flexible wiring member 35 is overlapped with the second connecting member 32. When the twist described above occurs, the flexible wiring member 35 is similarly twisted.

  Here, it demonstrates using a figure. FIG. 9 is a front view showing a state of the second connecting member and the flexible wiring member when the upper housing is twisted with respect to the lower housing, and (a) is flexible in front of the second connecting member. (B) is a state in which the flexible wiring member is disposed on the right side of the second connecting member (both are not overlapped). In FIG. 9A, since the flexible wiring member 35 overlaps the second connecting member 32 as described above, when the upper housing is twisted approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the lower housing 2, The flexible wiring member 35 is twisted by the same degree together with the second connecting member 32. In FIG. 9B, when the upper housing is twisted approximately 90 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the lower housing 2, the second connecting member 32 formed of a steel plate is twisted without expanding and contracting. On the other hand, the flexible wiring member 35 rotates about the second connecting member 32 and twists, and the connector 35 </ b> A of the flexible wiring member 35 is positioned on the back side of the second connecting member 32. Since the flexible wiring member 35 does not expand and contract, the connector 35A is at a position lower than (a) by β.

  Therefore, in the latter case, tension (stress) acts on the flexible wiring member 35 together with twist (stress). As a result, tensile stress is also generated in the connectors 35A and 35B, and the connectors 35A and 35B may be disconnected or damaged from the first printed circuit board 15 or the second printed circuit board 27, and sometimes the flexible wiring member 35 is disconnected. There is a fear. Therefore, in order to avoid these unforeseen circumstances, the flexible wiring member 35 is disposed by being superimposed on the second connecting member 32.

  Here, by disposing the flexible wiring member 35 on the concave side of the curved portion 323, the thickness when the second connecting member 32 and the flexible wiring member 35 are arranged in an overlapping manner can be reduced. On the contrary, by disposing the flexible wiring member 35 on the convex side of the bending portion 323, the width of the flexible wiring member 35 can be increased.

  In addition, when the main-body part A is closed, the force which tries to return to the linear open state also acts on the 1st, 3rd connection members 31 and 33, but the same thing which arises in the 2nd connection member 32 formed with the thin steel material. Since the force (hereinafter referred to as “returning force”) F2 is sufficiently smaller than the force F2, the opening / closing force of the main body A is substantially determined only by the second connecting member 32. The same is true when the main body part A is closed from the opened state and when the main body part A is further expanded, and is determined uniquely only by the second connecting member 32.

  In summary, when the main body A is opened, the first, second, and third connecting members 31 to 33 are in a straight (straight) open state, and this state is maintained by the rigidity of the second connecting member 32. . That is, when the lower casing 2 is held in the hand, the upper casing 1 is held in an open state and is stationary, so that it does not bend in the direction of the arrow P and does not hang down in the opposite direction. Moreover, the main body A can be easily closed.

Since the connecting portion 3A is at substantially the same level as the back surface 1B of the upper housing 1 and the back surface 2B of the lower housing 2, the curvature R3 (see FIG. 6) formed by the connecting portion 3A when the main body portion A is closed. , Approximately equal to half the sum of the thickness of the upper housing 1 and the thickness of the lower housing 2.
Therefore, when the main body A is closed, the antenna 34 and the flexible wiring member 35 disposed inside the connecting portion 3A are also bent at the same time, but the curvature R3 is sufficiently large so that the antenna 34 and the flexible wiring member 35 are generated. Stress does not increase.
As a result, it is not necessary to use a member with a high bending life and a high durability for the antenna 34 and the flexible wiring member 35, and an increase in cost can be avoided. 4 shows the antenna 34 and the flexible wiring member 35 when the main body A is open and closed.

Next, the fashion cover B will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, 6, and 7, the fashion cover B covers the outer surface of the base member 4A and the base member 4A, and is made of natural fibers such as cotton and linen, acrylic, nylon, urethane, etc. An exterior portion 4B made of a fashionable material (outer skin) such as a synthetic fiber or a leather member, and an edge winding portion 4C formed by connecting the same material on the outer peripheral surface of the base member 4A and the exterior portion 4B. Has been.

  The base member 4A is formed of an appropriate material having flexibility, such as thermoplastic polyester, ether, elastomer, and polyurethane resin. On the inner surface, an upper housing back surface portion 4D that forms the back surface 1B of the upper housing 1 and a battery cover portion 4E that covers the battery 26 are integrally formed upright with ABS resin. That is, the base member 4A is also made of a different material. Further, in order to form a bendable protrusion that protrudes outward from the outer shape of the casings 1 and 2 when the back surface of the base member 4A is mounted on the upper and lower casings 1 and 2, a curved portion is formed at the center. 4F is provided. A lower hole 332B is provided in the upper casing back surface portion 4D and is screwed to the upper casing 1 by a tapping screw 331B. For example, engaging claws 4G (four locations) as engaging portions formed on, for example, the battery cover portion 4E of the base member 4A with respect to the hooking claws 2D (shown in FIG. 3: four locations) formed on the lower housing 2. And is detachably mounted. When the inner surface side of the base member 4A (the back surface of the external appearance portion 4B) is attached to the main body portion A, the curved portion 4F is separated from the connecting portion 3A.

  The outer appearance part 4B (outer skin) provided on the outer surface of the base member 4A is positioned by adhering and fixing the outer skin 4B to the base member 4A in advance in order to prevent the outer skin 4B from moving relative to the base member 4A. Is done. Next, the belt member 6 is sewn to the outer skin 4B together with the base member 4A with the thread 5A, and then the edge winding portion 4C is sewn to the outer skin 4B together with the base member 4A with the thread 5B. When sewing the edge winding portion 4C, a flat portion is required by a predetermined distance L2 from the end surface of the base member 4A in order to press the material and feed the material by the sewing machine. In this embodiment, the distance L2 is secured. Although a bent portion exists between the distances L2, since the base member 4A is formed of a flexible material as described above, the base member 4A is deformed so as to become flat during sewing.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. When the back surface side of the base member 4A is attached to the main body part A, the base member 4A protrudes while the edge winding part 4C falls outside the outer shape of the main body part A. The edge winding part 4C before falling is shown by a two-dot chain line. The protruding edge winding portion 4C has flexibility as described above, and can be bent in a direction approaching the upper and lower casings 1 and 2. When gripping the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 by hand, the edge winding portion 4C can be deformed so as to approach the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 so that the width of the main body A when gripped is increased. I do not feel. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the user holds the lower housing 2 in his hand, and the user's hand is indicated by G. Furthermore, since the user's hand G only touches the outer appearance part 4B, the user gets a feeling of material. Therefore, if the outer appearance part 4B is formed of a soft material, when the resin is gripped as in the past (hardware) Soft feeling).

  The external portion 4B is provided with a first opening 4H that allows the sound output from the speaker 12 to pass therethrough and a second opening 4J that opens in front of the camera unit 24. As described above, the outer skin 4B is sewn after being attached to the base member 4A. Affixing before sewing stabilizes the sewing position and prevents movement (displacement) of the external portion with respect to the base member 4A when grasped, so that the camera part 24 is covered by the displacement during grasping. This prevents the camera from being unable to shoot, and does not make the hand holding it feel uncomfortable.

  Further, a magnetic metal fitting 6B having one end sewn and a convex portion 6A formed in the center is provided on one end side (near the back side of the battery cover) of the appearance portion 4B of the fashion cover B. A belt member 6 is attached. In addition, an engaging portion 4M having a second permanent magnet 4K inside and a recess 4L formed in the center is provided on the other end side (the side near the back side of the receiver) of the outer appearance portion 4B.

  Thereby, when the main body part A is closed, the belt member 6 can be bent and the metal fitting 6B can be attracted and engaged with the engaging part 4M provided near the other end part of the appearance part 4B. At this time, the edge winding portion 4C falls in the direction approaching the main body portion A, and the belt member 6 is stretched while being bent, so that the metal fitting 6B and the engaging portion 4M are engaged, and the main body portion A is substantially in close contact. So that it is closed.

  Thus, when the main body part A is closed, the main body part A tries to open by the return force F2 of the second connecting member 32, but the metal part 6B engages with the engaging part 4M, so that the main body part A Even if the return force F2 is applied, the main body A can be prevented from being opened.

  When the engagement between the metal fitting 6B and the engaging portion 4M is released, the tip of the belt member 6 may be pulled up in the arrow S direction. That is, when a force that pulls out the convex portion 6A fitted in the concave portion 4L is applied, the engagement is easily released. When the return force F2 is applied to the main body portion A in the engaged state, the convex portion 6A is only moved in the radial direction of the concave portion 4L and thus cannot be easily removed. The return force F2 of the second connecting member 32 is set to be smaller than the weight of the upper casing 1 or the lower casing 2 itself with the main body A closed, so that the folding can be performed without using the belt member 6. You may comprise so that a state can be hold | maintained.

  The metal fitting 6B of the belt member 6 may be provided with a concave portion 4L, and a convex portion 6A may be provided on the other end side of the external appearance portion 4B so that both are attracted and engaged by magnetic force.

Next, the operation of the folding mobile phone according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.
In the folded-type mobile phone of the present embodiment configured as described above, when not normally used, the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 are closed by being closed by the belt member 6 so that the connecting portion 3A. The main body A is opened by the return force F2 of the second connecting member 32 when the engaged state between the metal fitting 6B of the belt member 6 and the engaging portion 4M is released for use. Then, it returns to a substantially flat state and stops, and this open state is stably held by the curved holding force (action) of the second connecting member 32.

  Accordingly, it is possible to send and receive a call in a stable state with the main body part A opened, to read a mail by looking at the display unit 13, and to write a mail while operating the operation unit 22. In this case, even if the user looks at the display unit 107 while gripping the vicinity of the lower housing 2, the upper housing 1 does not hang down due to the curved holding force (rigidity) of the second connecting member 32. Can be used with only one hand, so there is no inconvenience.

  In addition, when the main body A is open, the distance between the receiver 11 and the microphone 21 is maximized. Therefore, when holding the main body A by hand and receiving the vicinity of the receiver 11 against the ear, the microphone 21 is placed near the mouth. As you get closer, you can hear clear voice and send a voice. Here, in a state where the vicinity of the receiver 11 is placed on the ear, there is a possibility that the reverse bending force F3 that the main body portion A tries to further expand may act, so the user places his / her hand on the back surface 1B side of the upper housing 1. If you hold it with you, you can send and receive in a more stable state.

  In FIG. 4, when the width W1 of the second connecting member 32 is increased or the curvature R1 is decreased to increase the bending holding force of the second connecting member 32, the main body A is further opened from the state of the arrow. You may make it raise the effect | action which makes it hard to open to P direction.

  On the other hand, when not in use (in a reception standby state), a closing force F1 or more is applied to the main body A so that the main surface 1A of the upper housing 1 and the main surface 2A of the lower housing 2 face each other, and the belt member 6 can be engaged with the engaging portion 4M, and the main body portion A can be closed. In a state in which the main body A is closed, the curved portion 4F of the fashion cover B is bent slightly while approaching the third connecting member 33, and the edge winding portion 4C approaches the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 Therefore, the projection area in the vertical direction with respect to the main surfaces 1A and 2A of the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 is minimized, which is suitable for portability.

  When the main body A is closed, the thinnest portion (concave portion) 33B of the third connecting member 33 is expanded (see FIG. 5), and the central portion of the second connecting member 32 corresponding to the connecting portion 3A is Flatten. At this time, a force is applied to the thinnest portion 33B of the third connecting member 33 to cancel the expanded state of this portion, and the central portion 128 of the second connecting member 32 returns from a flat shape to a curved shape. As described above, the force to be applied continues to be applied, but as described above, the fitting 6B provided on the belt member 6 of the first connecting member 31 of the fashion cover B is engaged with the engaging portion 4M to be closed. Is maintained.

  Here, the operation when the fashion cover B is attached to the main body A will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5.

  As shown in the figure, first, the upper casing 1 of the main body A is assembled to the upper casing rear surface portion 4D of the fashion cover B. Next, the fashion cover B is pulled in the direction of arrow T so that the curved portion 4F of the fashion cover B is substantially flat. The state pulled in the direction of arrow T is indicated by a two-dot chain line. If the fashion cover B is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow T direction while the engagement claw 4G formed on the battery cover portion 4E of the fashion cover B is hooked on the hook claw 2D formed on the main body portion A, The mating claw 4G and the hooking claw 2D are engaged, and the attachment of the fashion cover B to the main body A is completed.

  As another method, after assembling the upper casing 1 of the main body A to the upper casing rear surface portion 4D of the fashion cover B, the fashion cover B is changed to the arrow by further expanding the main body A in the direction of arrow P. An extra length sufficient to move in the T direction is generated. Thereafter, as described above, when the fashion cover B is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow T direction while the engaging claw 4G is hooked on the hooking claw 2D formed in the main body A, the pulling with the engaging claw 4G is performed. The hook 2C is engaged, and the attachment of the fashion cover B to the main body A is completed.

  As described above, the fashion cover B can be easily attached to and detached from the main body A by providing the fashion cover B with the curved portion 4 </ b> F or expanding the connecting device 3. Moreover, the operation method is extremely simple.

  In this way, when the fashion cover B is firmly attached to the main body A, the edge winding portion 4C protrudes outward from the outer shape of the main body A, and the inner surface side of the base member 4A is the back surface (main The surface opposite to the surface 1A) and the back surface of the lower housing 2 (the surface opposite to the main surface 2A) can be covered in close contact.

  The battery cover part 4E side of the fashion cover B is detachably attached to the main body part A. When the fashion cover B is removed from the main body part A (when the battery is attached / detached), the reverse order of the attaching operation is performed. You can go to

  As described above, conventionally, the upper and lower housings are configured to rotate around the axis of the hinge device, but the present invention connects the two housings with a connecting device that can be bent at one end. It is configured to do. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the coupling device 3 does not protrude from the main surface 1A of the upper housing 1 or the main surface 2A of the lower housing 2, so that even a person with a long nail operates the operation unit 22 In addition, the toe does not hit the coupling device 3.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the conventional hinge apparatus is not used, there is no bulging volume feeling and the small connecting device 3 can be provided. Furthermore, in order to be able to maintain the open state of the upper and lower housings, the connecting device 3 includes a second connecting member 32 having an arc-shaped cross section. Specifically, when the main body A is in an open state, the center of the arc portion faces the main surface 1A side of the upper housing 1 (or the main surface 2A side of the lower housing 2). It is arranged with. As a result, the second connecting member 32 can stably hold the open state of the main body portion A while having a relatively small shape such as a strip-like shape that does not occupy a large area and is thin. In this state, various operations can be performed, and there is no possibility of causing a decrease in operability.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the 1st connection member 31 was set as the structure which connected the upper housing | casing 1 and the lower housing | casing 2 continuously, the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 are provided with a sense of unity. Can do. If the fashion cover B can be attached to and detached from the upper housing 1 (similar to the battery cover), the user can freely replace the fashion cover B according to his / her preference. It is possible to provide a unique folding type mobile phone according to the user's preference. Of course, when the fashion cover B becomes dirty, it can be replaced and washed, so that freshness and cleanliness can always be maintained.

  In recent years, there has also been developed a device in which a second display portion is formed on the back side of the upper housing, which is exposed on the outer surface even in a closed state and can confirm specific information such as incoming call information and time information. For convenience, in the present embodiment, the second display section is not arranged in the main body section A.

  However, also in this embodiment, the second display unit can be provided on the back surface 1B of the upper housing 1 or the like. That is, for example, the fashion cover B may be provided with a transparent portion at a position corresponding to the second display portion so that displayed characters can be visually recognized from the outside, or a third opening portion may be provided.

  Further, in order to prevent the second display unit from being seen by a third party, for example, an opening / closing cover that covers the transparent unit and the third opening is formed, and the user views the second display unit. Sometimes, the display information may be confirmed by turning.

  Further, the casing and the connecting device (sheet-like member and flexible member) of the present invention are the upper and lower casings 1 and 2 and the first, second, and third connecting members 31 and 32 of the present embodiment as described above. , 33 is not limited thereto. For example, two housings are unitized and one connector terminal is provided on the bottom surface of these housings for connection with electronic components inside the housings, and the sheet-like member has an antenna together with a flexible member. Or a flexible wiring member (for example, a flexible substrate) is inserted, and the other connector terminal for connecting to the one connector terminal described above is provided. When fixing to the shaped member, the connector terminals may be assembled so as to be connected to each other.

  In the present embodiment, the fashion case B is described as being separable from the main body A. However, the fashion cover and the second connecting member are integrally formed, and the second connecting member is separated from the main body. It is good also as composition to do.

  In the present embodiment, the state in which the main body A is opened is described as being linear (180 degrees). However, the angle between the upper housing and the lower housing in the opened state is 180 degrees or less. The connecting member 32 may be attached in a flat state. Further, the second connecting member 32 is formed with an angle, or is bent in advance and attached to the main body A, so that the opened state of the main body A is set to an arbitrary angle of 180 degrees or less. It may be configured.

In addition, the second connecting member has been described as an arc-shaped spring in order to ensure the opened state. However, if it can be satisfied with moderate stability, a spring obtained by bending a flat steel material at a predetermined angle is used. May be. However, since this spring exerts a large stress on the arc-shaped spring described in the present embodiment, it may be used for products that may have a short open / close life.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  The folding mobile terminal device of the present invention is configured to be able to bend two housings without using a hinge device and to connect the two housings, and to connect the two housings at a predetermined angle. It can be easily folded in one direction and difficult to bend in the opposite direction, and can be folded like a mobile phone, PDA, mobile PC, or notebook PC if lighter It is suitable for application to a connecting part in a small electronic device.

The perspective view which shows the external appearance of the bending type mobile telephone which concerns on this invention 1 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. The perspective view which looked at the main-body part of FIG. 1 from the back surface (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the main-body part of the open state of the bending type | mold mobile phone which concerns on this invention, and the connection apparatus provided in this, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the main-body part closed. Central sectional view when the folding cellular phone according to the present invention is opened Central sectional view when the folded-type mobile phone according to the present invention is closed Cross-sectional view of the lower housing of a folding mobile phone according to the present invention The block diagram which shows the electric constitution in the main-body part of the bending type | mold mobile phone which concerns on this invention The front view (a) showing the state of the second connecting member and the flexible wiring member when the upper housing is twisted with respect to the lower housing is shown with the flexible wiring member being stacked in front of the second connecting member. (B) is a state in which a flexible wiring member is disposed on the right side of the second connecting member (they do not overlap). (A) is a figure which shows the state which the main-body part closed, (b) is a right view of (a). The figure which shows the state which the upper housing | casing shifted | deviated by (DELTA) X in the X direction. The figure which shows the state which the upper housing | casing rotated only (DELTA) P to the P direction centered on about O, and was closed. The figure which shows the state closed so that a minute clearance may be formed in the front-end | tip of each housing | casing The perspective view which shows a mode that the 2nd connection member is screwed to each boss | hub part of a 1st housing | casing and a 2nd housing | casing. It is the figure which made the front-end | tip of the boss | hub part spherical. The figure for demonstrating a contact part with the bending part of the 2nd connection member of the front-end | tip of a boss | hub part. The figure which provided R part in the contact part with the bending part of the 2nd connecting member of the tip of a boss part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper housing | casing 1A Main surface of upper housing | casing 1B Back surface of upper housing | casing 1C Inner surface part 11 Receiver 12 Speaker 13 Display part 13A Window frame part 13B Transparent window 14 Permanent magnet 15 1st printed circuit board 2 Lower housing | casing 2A Lower housing Main surface 2B back surface of lower housing 2C inner surface 2D hook claw 21 microphone 22 operation unit 23 vibrator unit 24 camera unit 25 hall element 26 battery 27 second printed circuit board 270 control unit 271 transmission / reception unit 272 data conversion unit 273 audio processing Unit 274 Image processing unit 275 Information recording unit 3 Connecting device 31 First connecting member (sheet-like member)
31A Flange portion 32 Second connecting member (flexible member)
323 curved portion 33 third connecting member (sheet-like member)
331 Tapping screw 332 Pilot hole 34 Antenna 34A Power supply part 35 Flexible wiring member 35A, 35B Connector 3A Connection part (central part)
33A Thin part (closing force generating means)
33B Thinnest part (concave part) (closing force generating means)
4A Base member 4B Appearance part 4C Edge winding part 4D Upper housing back surface part 4E Battery cover part 4F Curved part 4G Engagement claw 4H First opening part 4J Second opening part 4K Second permanent magnet 4L Concave part 4M Engaging part (closing) means)
5A, 5B Thread 6 Belt member 6A Convex part 6B Bracket A Body part B Fashion cover F User's finger G User's hand

Claims (4)

  A flexible member that can be bent, and has a connecting member that connects one end of the two housings at a predetermined interval, and has a restoring force and rigidity for returning from the folded state to the open state. And a flexible wiring member that is electrically connected between the two casings, and the flexible member and the flexible wiring member overlap each other at the position of the connecting member. A folded type portable terminal device characterized by being arranged.   The bending type mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the bendable member has a curved portion.   The bending type mobile terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the flexible wiring member is disposed on the concave side of the bending portion.   3. The folding portable terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the flexible wiring member is disposed on the convex side of the bending portion.

Images