JP2006333072A - Fixing structure of contact terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing structure of a contact terminal capable of reducing the space for mounting the contact terminal, and capable of miniaturizing, thinning, and lowering the cost of a mobile electronic device. <P>SOLUTION: The fixing structure of the contact terminal comprises a contact terminal 30 for contacting to an external feeding terminal, a first case member 20 with a contact hole 23 formed therein for exposing the contact terminal, and a second case member 10, having a backing material 11 to be disposed facing the contact hole of the first case member. The contact terminal is to be mounted in the inner surface of the first case member so as to clog the contact hole, and to be sandwiched between a periphery 24 of the contact hole and the backing material by jointing the first case member and the second case member. Stiffness required for the contact terminal thus becomes small, thereby forming the contact terminal as a state of a thin plate, because the contact terminal can resist to stress to be received from a terminal of an external device by the backing material, when the terminal of the external device is to be inserted into the contact hole and contacted to the contact terminal 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact terminal fixing structure in a portable electronic device or the like.

  Some portable electronic devices using a rechargeable secondary battery as a power source battery have their contact terminals for charging exposed to the surface of the device case through an opening formed in the device case. is there. In such an electronic device, the power supply terminal in the charging base comes into contact with the contact terminal simply by mounting the electronic device on the charging base, so that the electronic device is mounted on the charging base with the connector hole closed and charged. Is possible.

  For example, in the mobile phone described in Patent Document 1, the contact terminal for charging is arranged at the end of the circuit board and is exposed to the outside of the casing through the opening of the case and the opening of the battery lid. ing.

Also, in a portable electronic device that can perform data communication with a personal computer via a cradle on which the electronic device is mounted, the USB connector terminal arranged on the circuit board is connected to the device as in the case of the contact terminal in Patent Document 1. Some are exposed on the outer surface of the device case through an opening formed in the case. The above-mentioned electronic device is simply mounted on the cradle, and the USB communication terminal of the electronic device is connected to the communication terminal in the cradle.
JP 2001-251207 A

  However, in the configuration in which the contact terminal is fixed to the circuit board, it is difficult to provide an opening (contact hole) for exposing the contact terminal away from the circuit board. For this reason, when the contact hole is provided separately from the circuit board, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a holder for holding the contact terminal on the circuit board. When such a holder is provided, a mounting space for the holder is required on the circuit board.

  Moreover, when using a flat metal plate as a contact terminal, it is necessary to make it thick in order to give sufficient rigidity so as not to be deformed when contacting a power supply terminal provided in an external device, It is necessary to fix the base portion attached to the circuit board of the contact terminal so that it does not peel off or fall over from the circuit board at the time of contact with the power supply terminal, which increases the installation space on the circuit board. When the mounting space is increased as described above, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes larger and the cost of parts increases.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a contact terminal fixing structure that can reduce a space for attaching a contact terminal and can reduce the size, thickness, and cost of a portable electronic device.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the invention described in claim 1 includes, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a contact terminal (30) that contacts an external power supply terminal, and a contact hole ( 23) formed with a first case member (outer case 20) and a second case member (inner case 10) having a backing material (11) disposed opposite to the contact hole of the first case member. The contact terminal is attached to the inner surface of the first case member so as to close the contact hole, and the outer periphery (annular) of the contact hole by fitting the first case member and the second case member together The contact terminal fixing structure is characterized in that the contact terminal is sandwiched between the protrusion 24) and the backing material.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the contact terminal is attached to the inner surface of the first case member so as to close the contact hole, and the first case member and the second case member are fitted to each other so that the outer peripheral portion of the contact hole. Since the contact terminal is held between the contact terminal and the backing material, when the terminal of the external device is inserted into the contact hole and brought into contact with the contact terminal 30, the contact terminal is supported against the stress that the contact terminal receives from the terminal of the external device. Since it can be resisted by the material, the rigidity required for the contact terminal is reduced, and the contact terminal can be formed in a thin plate shape. For this reason, the space required for attachment of the contact terminal can be reduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the contact terminal fixing structure according to the first aspect, wherein the first case member and the second case member are fitted in a housing (lower housing 8). The circuit board (12) is accommodated, and the contact terminal is brought into contact with an electrode (electrode pad 15) provided on the circuit board by fitting the first case member and the second case member together. The extension part (35) is extended, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, by fitting the first case member and the second case member, the extension portion extended to the contact terminal comes into contact with the electrode provided on the circuit board. Since the terminal is electrically connected to the electrode of the circuit board, the contact terminal does not need to be provided on the circuit board and can be provided separately. Therefore, the space on the circuit board necessary for conducting the contact terminals can be reduced. Furthermore, since the extension portion is extended to the contact terminal, the degree of freedom of the position of the contact hole with respect to the circuit board can be increased.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the space required for attaching the contact terminal, and to reduce the size, thickness, and cost of the portable electronic device.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, although various technically preferable limitations for implementing the present invention are given to the embodiments described below, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable mobile phone 1 to which the present invention is applied as viewed from the battery lid 27 side. In the mobile phone 1, a display side unit 2 and an operation side unit 3 are connected by a hinge portion 4. FIG. 1 is a view of the mobile phone 1 in a state in which the display side unit 2 and the operation side unit 3 are folded, as viewed from the operation side unit 3 side.

The display-side unit 2 has an upper housing 5 composed of an inner case 6 and an outer case 7, and a circuit board (not shown) including a display device is accommodated in the upper housing 5.
The operation side unit 3 has a lower housing 8 composed of an inner case 10 and an outer case 20. An operation portion (not shown) is provided on a surface of the operation side unit that is folded with the display side unit 2, and a key sheet, a key FPC, and the like (not shown) constituting the operation portion are provided in the inner case 10. The circuit board 12 provided with is accommodated (see FIG. 2). The circuit board 12 is connected to the circuit board of the upper housing 5 by an FPC board (not shown) housed in the hinge portion 4.
In addition, the outer case 20 is provided with a battery hole 21 for accommodating a rechargeable battery 28 (see FIG. 4) (see FIG. 3). The outer case 20 is detachably provided with a battery lid 27 that closes the battery hole 21.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner case 10 to which the circuit board 12 is attached as viewed from the side to which the outer case 20 is attached. As shown in FIG. 2, a connector terminal 13 is provided on the surface of the circuit board 12 on the inner case 10 side at the end opposite to the hinge portion 4 side. The connector terminal 13 is disposed at the center of the connector hole 22 of the outer case 20.

A battery terminal 14 is provided on the surface of the circuit board 12 on the outer case 20 side. The battery terminal 14 is connected to a rechargeable battery 28 housed in the battery hole 21.
On the surface of the circuit board 12 on the outer case 20 side, electrode pads 15 are provided at two corners at the end opposite to the hinge portion 4 side. The electrode pad 15 is connected to a power supply circuit (not shown) provided on the circuit board 12. The power supply circuit is a circuit for charging the rechargeable battery 28 and supplying power from the rechargeable battery 28 to the drive circuit of the apparatus.

  A backing material 11 for backing a flat plate portion 33 of a contact terminal 30 to be described later is provided at the end of the inner case 10 opposite to the hinge portion 4. The backing material 11 is formed in a cross-shaped cross section so that the strength necessary for backing the flat plate portion 33 can be obtained.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the outer case 20 and the contact terminal 30 as viewed from the side on which the inner case 10 is attached. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer case 20 is provided with a battery hole 21 in the center. The battery hole 21 is closed by the battery lid 27 in a state where the rechargeable battery 28 is accommodated (see FIG. 4). A connector hole 22 that is closed by a connector cover 29 (see FIG. 1) is provided at the end of the outer case 20 opposite to the hinge portion 4.

  A contact hole 23 for exposing a contact terminal 30 to be described later is provided in the outer case 20 on the left and right side portions of the connector hole 22. A power supply terminal provided in an external device (for example, a charging device) dedicated to the mobile phone 1 is inserted into the contact hole 23. By bringing the power supply terminal into contact with the contact terminal 30, power can be supplied to the mobile phone 1.

  On the outer peripheral portions of the two contact holes 23, annular projections 24 are formed that protrude to the inner case side. A depth is given to the contact hole 23 by the annular protrusion 24, and it is possible to prevent the user of the mobile phone 1 from touching carelessly and soiling the contact terminal 30.

The outer case 20 is provided with positioning protrusions 25 and attachment protrusions 26 for attaching the contact terminals 30 that close the contact holes 23.
The positioning protrusions 25 are provided at the positions closer to the connector holes 22 than the respective annular protrusions 24 of the outer case 20 so as to protrude toward the inner case side. The positioning protrusion 25 is inserted into a positioning hole 34 provided in a contact terminal 30 described later.
The attachment protrusions 26 are provided at positions lateral to the annular protrusions 24 of the outer case 20. The attachment protrusion 26 is inserted into an attachment hole 32 of the contact terminal 30 to be described later, and has a substantially cross-shaped cross section for fitting and fixing the contact terminal 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the two contact terminals 30 are symmetrical with each other, and each has an attachment portion 31, a flat plate portion 33, and an extension portion 35. The fitting portion has a mounting hole 32 into which the mounting protrusion 26 of the outer case 20 is inserted. The shape of the attachment hole 32 is substantially the same cross shape as the cross-sectional shape of the attachment protrusion 26.

  The flat plate portion 33 is provided with a positioning hole 34 into which the positioning protrusion 25 of the outer case 20 is inserted. When the attachment protrusion 26 is inserted into the attachment hole 32 and the positioning protrusion 25 is inserted into the positioning hole 34, the contact terminal 30 is attached to the outer case 20 so that the flat plate portion 33 closes the contact hole 23. The flat plate portion 33 serves as a contact point that contacts the power supply terminal of the external device.

The extension portion 35 protrudes from the end portion of the flat plate portion 33 near the hinge portion 4 and is bent toward the inner case 10. When the inner case 10 and the outer case 20 are fitted together to form the operation side unit 3, the extension portion 35 comes into contact with and presses the electrode pad 15 of the circuit board 12 attached to the inner case 10 ( (See FIG. 4). The pressed extension 35 is elastically deformed. Since the tip of the extension part 35 contacts the electrode pad 15 by elastic force, the contact terminal 30 and the electrode pad 15 can be reliably conducted.
Since the extension portion 35 protrudes from the flat plate portion 33 and is provided to be bent, the flat plate portion 33 serving as a contact point is separated from the circuit board 12 provided with the electrode pad 15 by the length of the extension portion 35. It is possible.

  4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. In the state in which the inner case 10 and the outer case 20 are fitted, the contact terminal 30 has a flat plate portion 33 that closes the contact hole 23 as shown in FIG. Is backed by. For this reason, even when the power supply terminal provided in the external device for the mobile phone 1 is inserted into the contact hole 23 and brought into contact with the flat plate portion 33 of the contact terminal 30, the flat plate portion 33 receives the force from the power supply terminal. It is possible to prevent deformation.

  In a state where the inner case 10 and the outer case 20 are fitted, the extension portion 35 of the contact terminal 30 contacts the electrode pad 15 of the circuit board 12 as shown in FIG. Therefore, by bringing the power supply terminal provided in the external device into contact with the contact terminal 30, it is possible to supply power from the power supply terminal to the power supply circuit provided on the circuit board via the contact terminal 30 and the electrode pad 15.

  As described above, the contact terminals 30 are not fixed to the circuit board 12 and are brought into conduction by being brought into contact with each other. Therefore, the contact terminals 30 do not need to be provided on the circuit board 12 and can be provided separately. Further, by providing the electrode pad 15 on the circuit board 12, the contact terminal 30 can be conducted to the circuit board 12, so that the space on the circuit board 12 necessary for conducting the contact terminal 30 can be reduced. it can.

  Furthermore, by extending the extension portion 35 to the contact terminal 30, the degree of freedom of the position of the flat plate portion 33 with respect to the circuit board 12 can be increased. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the position of the contact hole 23 can be increased, and the portable electronic device can be reduced in size, thickness, and cost.

  In the above-described embodiment, the contact terminal 30 is attached to the outer case 20 by inserting the positioning protrusion 25 and the attachment protrusion 26 of the outer case 20 into the attachment hole 32 and the positioning hole 34 of the contact terminal 30, respectively. However, these shapes and arrangements can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, you may attach by the other arbitrary methods, such as adhere | attaching the flat plate part 33 on the cyclic | annular protrusion 24, for example.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the contact terminal 30 is used for charging and is brought into contact with the power supply terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, for transmitting / receiving data between the contact terminal and an external device (cradle). You may make it contact a communication terminal.

  In the above embodiment, the cellular phone 1 has been described as an example. However, a notebook personal computer, a digital camera, a wristwatch, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), an electronic notebook, a portable radio, and other electronic devices The present invention may be applied to the contact terminal 30.

1 is a perspective view of a mobile phone 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a battery lid 27 side. It is the perspective view which looked at the inner side case 10 where the circuit board 12 of FIG. 1 was attached from the side where the outer side case 20 is attached. It is the disassembled perspective view which looked at the outer side case 20 and the contact terminal 30 of FIG. 1 from the side in which the inner side case 10 is attached. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

8 Lower housing (housing)
10 Inner case (second case member)
11 Backing material 12 Circuit board 15 Electrode pad (electrode)
20 Outer case (first case member)
23 contact hole 24 annular projection 30 contact terminal 33 flat plate part 35 extension part

Claims (2)

A contact terminal that contacts an external power supply terminal;
A first case member formed with a contact hole for exposing the contact terminal;
A second case member having a backing material disposed opposite to the contact hole of the first case member,
The contact terminal is attached to the inner surface of the first case member so as to close the contact hole, and the outer periphery of the contact hole and the backing are fitted by fitting the first case member and the second case member together. A contact terminal fixing structure characterized by being sandwiched between materials. A circuit board is housed inside a housing in which the first case member and the second case member are fitted,
The extension part which contacts the electrode provided in the circuit board by extending the 1st case member and the 2nd case member is extended in the contact terminal, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The contact terminal fixing structure according to 1.

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