JP2006229319A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a load being applied to a wiring cable, as much as possible, when one case and the other case are turned relatively in an electronic apparatus where one case and the other case are coupled rotatably through a double-hinge mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: In the electronic apparatus, a wiring cable for connecting a substrate, arranged in one case with a substrate arranged in the other case, is passed through one side bearing and the other side bearing located on the opposite sides of sandwiching a coupling body and arranged in a mode of traversing the interior of the coupling body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

    The present invention relates to an electronic device in which one housing and the other housing are rotatably connected by a double hinge mechanism, and more specifically, substrates installed in one housing and the other housing are connected to each other. It relates to the layout of the distribution cable.

    For example, in a foldable mobile phone which is an example of an electronic device, the one casing and the other casing are doubled for the purpose of greatly expanding the relative rotation range between the one casing and the other casing. The structure connected by a hinge mechanism is provided (for example, refer patent document 1).

  A conventional mobile phone A that employs a double hinge mechanism shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 includes a lower housing (one housing) B that constitutes a main body having an operation portion Ba and the like, a liquid crystal display portion Ca, and the like. An upper casing (the other casing) C constituting the provided lid body is provided, and a connecting body D is interposed between the lower casing B and the upper casing C.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the lower housing B and the connecting body D are rotatably supported by the left and right lower support shafts (one housing side support shaft) Hb, Hb with respect to the connecting body D, and the connecting body D. The upper housing C and the connecting body D are supported by the left and right upper bearing shafts (the other housing side bearing shafts) Hc and Hc.

  With the double hinge mechanism having the lower support shaft Hb and the upper support shaft Hc as elements, in the mobile phone A having the above-described configuration, the lower housing B and the upper housing are shown in FIGS. 8 and 11A. A first embodiment in which C is closed, a second embodiment in which the upper housing C is opened by a predetermined angle with respect to the lower housing B as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11B, and FIGS. As shown in c), it is possible to displace the lower housing B and the upper housing C into the third form closed back to back.

  On the other hand, in the mobile phone A including the lower casing B and the upper casing C as described above, the one-side board Eb accommodated and installed in the lower casing B and the other accommodated and installed in the upper casing C. The side substrates Ec are connected to each other by, for example, a wiring cable in which a predetermined number of fine coaxial cables are bundled.

In the mobile phone A, as shown in FIG. 12, the wiring cable I for connecting the one-side board Eb and the other-side board Ec is positioned on one side (right side in the figure) on the lower side. While being inserted through the support shaft Hb, it is also inserted through the upper support shaft Hc located on one side (right side in the figure) of the connection body D so as to pass through the interior of the connection body D.
JP 11-303852 A

    By the way, in the mobile phone A that employs the double hinge mechanism as described above, for example, as is apparent from FIG. 11, the lower casing B and the upper casing C span an extremely large rotation range of about 360 °. Since it can be displaced relatively, the wiring cable I that connects the one side board Eb installed in the lower casing B and the other side board Ec installed in the upper casing C is connected to the lower casing B. As a result of relative rotation with the upper housing C, the wire is largely twisted.

  Further, in the above-described conventional mobile phone A, the wiring cable I is inserted through the lower support shaft Hb and the upper support shaft Hc located on one side (right side in the figure) of the connecting body D, so Since I is drawn in a narrow inner space of the connecting body D so as to make a U-turn with a small curvature as shown in FIG. 12, when the lower casing B and the upper casing C are relatively rotated. The wiring cable I is subjected to a very large load. In the worst case, the wiring cable I may be disconnected.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of reducing the load applied to the wiring cable as much as possible with the relative rotation of the one housing and the other housing. There is.

    In order to achieve the above object, an electronic apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 includes one housing and the other housing, and a connecting body interposed between the one housing and the other housing, and is connected to the one housing. The one housing and the other housing can be relatively rotated via one side support shaft that supports the body and the other housing, and the other housing shaft that supports the other housing and the connecting body. In the electronic device connected to the one side supporting shaft, the wiring cable connecting the one side board installed in the one casing and the other side board installed in the other casing with the coupling body interposed therebetween, and It is characterized by being arranged in such a manner that it is inserted through the other side support shaft and traverses the inside of the coupling body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein a guide portion having a smooth guide surface facing the wiring cable is formed inside the coupling body.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the wiring cable is inserted into the one side support shaft and the other side support shaft through a bush made of a flexible material. It is said.

    In the electronic device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the wiring cable is inserted into the one side support shaft and the other side support shaft that are located across the connecting body, and the wiring cable is arranged in a manner that traverses the inside of the connecting body. As a result, the wiring cable can be routed with a gentle curvature that approximates a straight line as much as possible without having to route the wiring cable with a small curvature inside the coupling body. It is possible to reduce the load applied to the wiring cable as much as possible.

  Moreover, in the electronic device according to the invention of claim 2, by forming a guide portion having a smooth guide surface facing the distribution cable inside the connection body, the connection body is placed along the guide surface, thereby connecting the connection body. In addition, the shape of the wiring cable inside can be maintained, and since the guide surface is smooth, damage to the wiring cable in contact with the guide surface can be prevented.

  Furthermore, in the electronic device according to the invention of claim 3, the wiring cable is inserted into the one side support shaft and the other side support shaft through the bush made of a flexible material, so that the one side support shaft and the other side support shaft are connected. Inadvertent damage to the wiring cable due to direct contact with the side support shaft can be prevented.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments.
1 to 7 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a foldable mobile phone which is an aspect of an electronic device, and the mobile phone 1 adopting the double hinge mechanism in this embodiment has a main body. A lower casing (one casing) 2 is provided, and an upper casing (other casing) 3 is provided as a lid.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an operation unit 2 a and the like are provided on the front surface of the lower housing 2, while a liquid crystal display unit 3 a and the like are provided on the front surface of the upper housing 3. A connecting body 4 is interposed between the upper housings 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower housing 2 and the connecting body 4 are rotatably supported by the left and right lower support shafts (one housing side support shaft) 6L, 6R with respect to the connecting body 4 and connected to each other. The upper housing 3 and the connecting body 4 are rotatably supported by the left and right upper bearing shafts (the other housing side bearing shafts) 7L and 7R with respect to the body 4.

  Here, the left and right lower support shafts 6L and 6R are positioned on an axis extending in the width direction of the lower housing 2 (the left and right direction in FIG. 4), and the left and right upper support shafts 7L and 7R are It is located on another axis extending in the width direction of the body 3 (left and right direction in FIG. 4), and the lower bearing shafts 6L and 6R and the upper bearing shafts 7L and 7R are arranged on axes parallel to each other. Has been.

  In the mobile phone 1 having the above-described configuration, the lower casing 2 and the upper casing 3 as shown in FIG. 1 are provided by the double hinge mechanism including the lower bearing shafts 6L and 6R and the upper bearing shafts 7L and 7R. 2 in which the upper casing 3 is opened by a predetermined angle with respect to the lower casing 2 as shown in FIG. 2, and the lower casing 2 and the upper casing 3 as shown in FIG. Can be transformed into a third form closed back to back.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, one side substrate 12 is accommodated and installed in the lower casing 2, and the other side substrate 13 is accommodated and installed in the upper casing 3. The substrate 12 and the other substrate 14 are connected to each other by, for example, a wiring cable 10 formed by bundling a predetermined number of thin coaxial cables.

  Further, as is apparent from FIG. 4, the wiring cable 10 that connects the one-side board 12 and the other-side board 14 includes the left lower support shaft 6 </ b> L that is positioned with the coupling body 4 interposed therebetween, and the right upper board. The bearing shaft 7 </ b> R is inserted through the bearing body 7 </ b> R so as to cross the inside of the connecting body 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the connecting body 4 is formed by covering the surface of a die-cast body 5 with a resin cover (not shown). A concave space 5A for accommodating the inserted wiring cable 10 is formed.

  Of the lower support shafts 6L and 6R that pivotally support the connecting body 4 and the lower housing 2, the lower support shaft 6L through which the wiring cable 10 is inserted is, as shown in FIGS. 5 is a cylindrical member that is rotatably fitted to the side of 5 and is screwed to the lower housing 2 so as not to rotate (see FIG. 4).

  Further, a bush 20 made of a flexible material such as a rubber material is fitted into the through hole 6La of the lower support shaft 6L, and the wiring cable 10 is inserted into the lower support shaft 6L via the bush 20. Has been.

  In addition, after the wiring cable 10 is positioned inside the lower support shaft 6L through the slit 5s of the body 5 shown in FIG. 5 and the slit 6s formed in the lower support shaft 6L, The wiring cable 10 is inserted into the lower support shaft 6L via the bush 20 by press-fitting the mounted bush 20 into the through hole 6La from the end of the lower support shaft 6L. .

  On the other hand, of the upper bearing shafts 7L and 7R that pivotally support the connecting body 4 and the upper housing 3, the upper bearing shaft 7R through which the wiring cable 10 is inserted is the same as the lower bearing shaft 6L described above. 5 is a cylindrical member that is rotatably fitted to the side portion of 5, and is screwed to the upper housing 3 so as not to rotate (see FIG. 4).

  Further, the upper bearing shaft 7R has the same basic configuration as the lower bearing shaft 6L except for the position mode. If it is described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the through-hole 7Ra of the upper bearing shaft 7R. For example, a bush 20 made of a flexible material such as a rubber material is fitted, and the wiring cable 10 is inserted through the upper support shaft 7 </ b> R via the bush 20.

  In addition, after the wiring cable 10 is positioned inside the upper support shaft 7R through the slit 5s of the body 5 shown in FIG. 5 and the slit 7s formed in the upper support shaft 7R, it is attached to the wiring cable 10 in advance. The wiring cable 10 is inserted into the upper support shaft 7R via the bush 20 by press-fitting the bush 20 into the through hole 7Ra from the end of the upper support shaft 7R.

  As described above, the wiring cable 10 inserted through the lower support shaft 6L located on the left side of the connection body 4 and the upper support shaft 7R located on the right side of the connection body is connected as apparent from FIG. A gentle curve that is laid around the inside of the body 4, specifically, in the concave space 5 </ b> A of the body 5 along the diagonal direction of the connecting body 4, and whose shape approximates a straight line as much as possible. Is drawn.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the body 5 of the coupling body 4 is formed with a guide portion 5G having a smooth guide surface 5g so as to protrude into the concave space 5A, and is in contact with the guide surface 5g. Thus, the shape of the wiring cable 10 in the concave space 5A is maintained.

  In the mobile phone 1 having the above-described configuration, the wiring cable 10 is inserted through the lower support shaft 6L and the upper support shaft 7R located with the connecting body 4 interposed therebetween, and the wiring cable 10 crosses the inside of the connecting body 4. By arranging in such a manner, the wiring cable 10 can be routed with a gentle curvature as close to a straight line as possible without being routed with a small curvature inside the coupling body 4. When the upper housing 3 is relatively rotated, the load applied to the wiring cable 10 can be reduced as much as possible.

  Further, in the mobile phone 1 having the above-described configuration, the guide cable 5G having the smooth guide surface 5g facing the wiring cable 10 is formed inside the coupling body 4, so that the wiring cable 10 is placed along the guide surface 5g. As a result, the shape of the wiring cable 10 inside the coupling body 4 can be maintained, and since the guide surface 5g is smooth, damage to the wiring cable 10 in contact with the guide surface 5g can be prevented. it can.

  Further, in the mobile phone 1 having the above-described configuration, the lower support shaft is formed by inserting the wiring cable 10 through the lower support shaft 6L and the upper support shaft 7R through the bush 20 made of a flexible material. Inadvertent damage to the wiring cable 10 due to direct contact with the 6L and the upper support shaft 7R can be prevented.

  In the mobile phone of the above-described embodiment, the one side board and the other side board are connected by a wiring cable in which a predetermined number of fine coaxial cables are bundled. For example, a flexible flat cable (from a flexible printed wiring board) It goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied effectively to a mobile phone that connects one side board and the other side board by a cable).

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a foldable mobile phone is shown. However, as long as the electronic device has one housing and the other housing connected by a double hinge mechanism, the folding in the embodiment is used. Needless to say, the present invention can be effectively applied to various electronic devices without being limited to the cellular phone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a first form of a foldable mobile phone that is an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention. The external appearance perspective view which shows the 2nd form of the foldable mobile telephone shown in FIG. The external appearance perspective view which shows the 3rd form of the foldable mobile telephone shown in FIG. The conceptual front view which shows the layout of the double hinge mechanism and wiring cable in the foldable mobile telephone shown in FIG. The front view which shows the connection body periphery in the foldable mobile phone shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the support shaft periphery in the foldable mobile telephone shown in FIG. VII-VII sectional view taken on the line in FIG. The external appearance perspective view which shows the 1st form of the conventional electronic device which employ | adopted the double hinge mechanism. The external appearance perspective view which shows the 2nd form of the conventional electronic device shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing a third form of the conventional electronic device shown in FIG. 8. (a), (b), (c) is a conceptual side view which shows the operation | movement aspect of the conventional electronic device shown in FIG. The front view which shows notionally the layout of the double hinge mechanism and wiring cable in the conventional electronic device.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Mobile phone (electronic equipment)
2 ... Lower housing (one housing),
3 ... Upper housing (other housing),
4 ... Connected body,
5 ... Body,
5G ... Guide part,
5g ... guide surface,
6L, 6R ... Lower bearing shaft (one housing side bearing shaft),
7L, 7R ... Upper support shaft (other housing side support shaft),
10: Wiring cable,
12: One side substrate,
13 ... the other side substrate,
20 ... Bush.

Claims (3)

A one-side support shaft that includes one casing and the other casing, and a connecting body interposed between the one casing and the other casing, and that rotatably supports the one casing and the connecting body; In the electronic device formed by connecting the one housing and the other housing in a relatively rotatable manner via the other support shaft that rotatably supports the other housing and the connecting body,
The one-side support shaft and the other-side support shaft, which are arranged with the wiring cable connecting the one-side substrate installed in the one housing and the other-side substrate installed in the other housing sandwiching the coupling body. An electronic device, wherein the electronic device is arranged so as to cross the inside of the coupling body. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a guide portion having a smooth guide surface facing the wiring cable is formed in the connection body. 2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wiring cable is inserted into the one side support shaft and the other side support shaft through a bush made of a flexible material.

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