JP2007192284A - Folded-up electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make inconspicuous the joint portion between a second casing and a hinge in a folded-up electronic device in which a first casing can be closed onto the second casing even if the display screen of the first casing is faced upward or downward. <P>SOLUTION: When the first casing 2 is rotated around the axis X of an opening/closing shaft 52, the first casing 2 can be opened and closed from and onto the second casing 3. When the first casing 2 is rotated around the axis Y of a rotating shaft 53 at the position apart from the opening/closing axis 52 when the first casing is twisted, the first casing 2 can be inverted. Even if the display screen 21 faces upward or downward with the first casing 2 closed, support parts 38, 39 and opening/closing shaft covers 59, 60 are hidden at the rear of the rotating shaft covers 57, 58 when viewed from the front. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a foldable electronic apparatus that can be folded regardless of whether the display screen of a first housing is front or back.

In recent years, electronic devices such as mobile phones can be opened and closed with respect to the second housing by connecting the first housing of the display screen to the second housing of the numeric keypad with a hinge structure. The folding structure is applied. Furthermore, by making the hinge structure into a biaxial hinge structure orthogonal to each other, the first casing can be opened and closed with respect to the second casing around the one pivot axis, and the other pivot axis. There has been proposed an electronic device in which the first casing can be reversed with the display screen being front or back folded (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In the electronic devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a protrusion is provided on the surface of the second housing, and the protrusion is configured as a bearing for the one rotation shaft (opening / closing shaft). Yes.
JP 2003-133664 A JP 2005-252539 A

  However, when the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing, when the electronic device is viewed from the first casing side, the protruding portion of the second casing can be seen, and the protruding portion and the hinge The seam part of the structure is visible. In particular, when the first housing is closed with respect to the second housing with the display screen as a front, the hinge structure can be seen at a glance when the projecting portion of the second housing and the joint portion of the hinge structure are visible. Since it stands out, it is not preferable in terms of design.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing regardless of whether the display screen of the first casing is front or back. It is an object of the present invention to make the joint portion between the second casing and the hinge inconspicuous in the folded electronic device.

In order to solve the above problems, the foldable electronic device according to claim 1,
A first housing having a display screen;
A second housing;
A biaxial hinge having two pivots in a twisted relationship with each other,
A first rotation shaft is connected to the first housing between the display screen and the opposite surface, and the first housing is centered on an axis of the first rotation shaft. It is provided to be rotatable,
A second rotation shaft is connected to the second housing between the front surface and the back surface of the second housing, and the first housing and the first rotation shaft are connected to the second housing. The first housing can be opened and closed with respect to the second housing by being provided so as to be rotatable about the axis of the rotation shaft,
When the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing, the second rotating shaft is on the back side of the first rotating shaft as viewed from the first casing side. Features.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are in the torsion position, and the first housing is closed with respect to the second housing. Since the second rotation shaft is on the back side of the first rotation shaft when viewed from the housing side of the first housing, the joint portion of the second housing and the biaxial hinge is on the back side of the first rotation shaft, The joint of the two housings and the biaxial hinge is invisible.

The foldable electronic device according to claim 2 is the foldable electronic device according to claim 1,
The biaxial hinge has a pivot cover that houses the first pivot;
The rotating shaft cover is provided so as to be rotatable about the axis of the second rotating shaft, and the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing. The second rotating shaft is located on the back side of the rotating shaft cover as viewed from the body side.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the first housing is closed with respect to the second housing, the second rotation shaft is located on the back side of the rotation shaft cover when viewed from the first housing side. Therefore, the second rotation shaft is hidden by the rotation shaft cover. For this reason, the joint between the second casing and the biaxial hinge cannot be seen.

The foldable electronic device according to claim 3 is the foldable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the pivot shaft is configured such that the biaxial hinge is orthogonal to the axial direction of the first pivot shaft. An open / close shaft cover protruding from the cover;
The second rotating shaft is housed in the opening / closing shaft cover.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the opening / closing shaft cover protrudes from the rotation shaft cover so as to be orthogonal to the axial direction of the first rotation shaft, and is accommodated in the opening / closing shaft cover. Is connected to the second casing, so that the opening / closing axis cover is located on the back side of the rotation axis cover when viewed from the first casing side when the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing. is there. For this reason, the opening / closing axis cover is not visible, and the joint between the second casing and the opening / closing axis cover is not visible.

  The foldable electronic device according to claim 4 is the foldable electronic device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the outer surface of the first housing is rotated in a state where the display screen is front or back. It is characterized by being flush with the outer surface of the shaft cover.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the outer surface of the first housing is flush with the outer surface of the rotating shaft cover in a state where the display screen is front or back, the outer surface of the first housing is The joint portion of the outer surface of the rotating shaft cover is inconspicuous.

The foldable electronic device according to claim 5 is:
A first housing having a display screen;
A second housing;
A biaxial hinge connecting the first housing and the second housing;
The biaxial hinge is connected to the first casing between the display screen and the surface on the opposite side, and the first pivot shaft is provided with the first pivot shaft. The first portion between the portion, the second portion protruding from the first portion so as to be orthogonal to the axial direction of the first rotation shaft, and the front surface and the back surface of the second housing. A second rotation shaft provided on the second portion so as to be connected to the second housing and to be in a torsional position with respect to the first rotation shaft,
The first housing is provided so as to be rotatable about the axis of the first rotation axis,
The first housing, the first rotation shaft, and the first portion are provided so as to be rotatable about the axis of the second rotation shaft. It can be opened and closed with respect to the second housing,
When the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing, the second rotating shaft and the second portion are behind the first portion when viewed from the first casing side. It is characterized by that.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft are in the torsion position, and the first housing is closed with respect to the second housing. Since the second rotation shaft is on the back side of the first portion when viewed from the housing side, the joint portion between the second housing and the second portion cannot be seen.

The foldable electronic device according to claim 6 is the foldable electronic device according to claim 5,
The outer surface of the first casing is flush with the outer surface of the first portion when the display screen is front or back.

  According to the invention of claim 6, since the outer surface of the first housing is flush with the outer surface of the first portion in a state where the display screen is front or back, the outer surface of the first housing The joint portion with the outer surface of the first portion is inconspicuous.

  According to the present invention, when viewed from the first housing side in a state where the first housing is closed with respect to the second housing, the joint portion between the second housing and the biaxial hinge is hidden on the back side. Inconspicuous. Therefore, when the first housing is closed with respect to the second housing with the display screen as a front view, the biaxial hinge cannot be seen at a glance, so that a folded electronic device with excellent design can be provided. .

  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.

  1 to 4 are perspective views of a mobile phone 1 to which the foldable electronic device of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the mobile phone 1.

  In the mobile phone 1, the first housing 2 is connected to the second housing 3 by a biaxial hinge 5. A display screen 21 is provided on the front surface of the first housing 2, and a numeric keypad (dial key), an off-hook key, an on-hook key, a cursor key (four-way key), a center key ( An operation unit 31 such as a determination key) is provided, and an objective window 32 (shown in FIG. 7) of the digital camera unit is provided on the back surface of the second housing 3.

  The biaxial hinge 5 is provided between the front surface and the back surface of the second housing 3 and between the axis X extending in the width direction of the second housing 3 and between the front surface and the back surface of the first housing 2. And an axis Y extending in the longitudinal direction of the first housing 2. The axis line X and the axis line Y are related to the position of twist. Specifically, the axis X is located at a substantially central portion in the thickness direction of the second casing 3 and at one end in the longitudinal direction of the second casing 3. The axis Y is located at a substantially central portion in the thickness direction of the first housing 2 and at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the first housing 2. The first casing 2 is provided so as to be rotatable about the axis Y by the biaxial hinge 5, and the second casing 3 is provided so as to be rotatable about the axis X by the biaxial hinge 5. Yes. The opening and closing of the first housing 2 with respect to the second housing 3 is performed by rotating the first housing 2 about the axis X, and the front / back inversion of the first housing 2 is centered on the axis Y. The first casing 2 is rotated.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first housing 2 in an exploded state. As shown in FIG. 6, the front side of the first housing 2 is constituted by a front case 23, the back side of the first housing 2 is constituted by a back case 24, and the front case 23 and the back case 24 are bonded together. A housing space is formed inside the first housing 2 by being joined by screws 29, 29. An opening 28 is formed on the end surface of the first housing 2 on the biaxial hinge 5 side.

  A circuit board 26, a liquid crystal display panel, and the like are mounted on the middle case 25. The middle case 25 is accommodated in the first casing 2 together with the circuit board 26, the liquid crystal display panel, and the like. Are fixed to the first casing 2 by. A part of the front surface of the first housing 2 is transparent, and the liquid crystal display panel is opposed to the transparent part, so that the transparent part is the display screen 21. The display screen 21 is rectangular, and the longitudinal direction of the display screen 21 is parallel to the axis Y direction as is the longitudinal direction of the first housing 2. In FIG. 6, since the liquid crystal display panel is provided on the back side of the circuit board 26, the illustration is omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second housing 3 in an exploded state. As shown in FIG. 7, the front side of the second housing 3 is constituted by a front case 33, the back side of the second housing 3 is constituted by a back case 34, and the front case 33 and the back case 34 are bonded together. The housing space is formed inside the second housing 3 by being joined by screws 49, 49. The end of the second housing 3 on the biaxial hinge 5 side is provided in a bifurcated state, and an opening 40 is formed on a surface of the bifurcated portion facing the other support portion 39 of the one support portion 38. The opening 41 is also formed on the surface of the other support portion 39 facing the one support portion 38.

  The circuit board 36, the digital camera unit 37, and the like are mounted on the middle case 35. The middle case 35 is accommodated in the second casing 3 together with the circuit board 36, the digital camera unit 37, and the middle case 35 includes screws 49, 49 ... It is being fixed to the 2nd housing | casing 3 by.

  8 to 9 are perspective views of the biaxial hinge 5, and FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the biaxial hinge 5. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the biaxial hinge 5 includes a base member 51, an opening / closing axis (second rotation axis) 52, a rotation axis (first rotation axis) 53, and an operation unit mounting member 54. , 55, a display unit mounting member 56, rotating shaft covers 57, 58, and opening / closing shaft covers 59, 60.

  The base member 51 extends in a direction perpendicular to both the axis X and the axis Y, the opening / closing shaft 52 is connected to one end of the base member 51, and the rotation shaft 53 is connected to the other end of the base member 51. The opening / closing shaft 52 extends in the direction of the axis X, the axis of the opening / closing shaft 52 is the axis X, and the opening / closing shaft 52 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the base member 51 about the axis X. An operation portion attachment member 54 is attached to one end portion of the opening / closing shaft 52, and an operation portion attachment member 55 is attached to the other end portion of the opening / closing shaft 52. The rotation shaft 53 extends in the axis Y direction, the axis of the rotation shaft 53 is the axis Y, and the rotation shaft 53 is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the base member 51 about the axis Y. A display attachment member 56 is attached to the tip of the rotation shaft 53.

  The front side of the biaxial hinge 5 is constituted by a rotary shaft cover 57, the rear side of the biaxial hinge 5 is constituted by a rotary shaft cover 58, and the rotary shaft cover 57 and the rotary shaft cover 58 are bonded together to screw 69, 69 is joined. The rotation shaft cover 58 is formed with a notch 62, and the notch 62 is covered with the opening / closing shaft cover 59 and the opening / closing shaft cover 60, and the opening / closing shaft cover 59 and the opening / closing shaft cover 60 protrude from the rotation shaft cover 57. It is provided in the state. The opening / closing shaft cover 59 is fixed to the rotation shaft cover 57 and the opening / closing shaft cover 60 by engagement of the claws, and the opening / closing shaft cover 60 is fixed to the rotation shaft cover 57 by engagement of the claws. A solid is the housing of the biaxial hinge 5.

  An accommodation space is formed inside the rotation shaft cover 57 and the rotation shaft cover 58, an accommodation space is formed inside the opening / closing shaft cover 59 and the opening / closing shaft cover 60, and an accommodation space inside the rotation shaft covers 57 and 58 is formed. The notch 62 leads to the accommodation space inside the opening / closing shaft covers 59, 60. A part of the base member 51 is accommodated in the accommodating space inside the rotary shaft covers 57, 58, and the other part of the base member 51 is accommodated in the accommodating space inside the opening / closing axis covers 59, 60. The covers 57 to 60 are fixed to the base member 51 by engaging the covers 57 to 60 with the base member 51 with the claws.

  A part of the rotation shaft 53 is accommodated in an accommodation space inside the rotation shaft cover 57 and the rotation shaft cover 58, and an opening 61 is formed on the end surfaces of the rotation shaft cover 57 and the rotation shaft cover 58. A dynamic shaft 53 passes through the opening 61 and protrudes outward from the rotary shaft covers 57 and 58. A part of the opening / closing shaft 52 is housed in a housing space inside the opening / closing shaft covers 59, 60, and openings 64, 65 are formed on both end surfaces of the opening / closing shaft cover 59 and the opening / closing shaft cover 60, respectively. 64 and 65 project outward from the opening and closing shaft covers 59 and 60.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the display unit mounting member 56 is connected to the middle case 25 by screw coupling, rivet coupling, or pin coupling, and the display unit mounting member 56 is accommodated in the first housing 2, and the rotation shaft 53. Passes through the opening 28.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the operation portion mounting portions 54 and 55 are connected to the middle case 35 by screw connection, rivet connection or pin connection, and the operation portion mounting portion 54 is accommodated in the second housing 3 by the support portion 38. The opening / closing shaft 52 passes through the opening 40, the operation portion mounting portion 55 is accommodated in the second housing 3 in the support portion 39, and the opening / closing shaft 52 passes through the opening 41. Further, the protruding portion of the front surface of the biaxial hinge 5, that is, the open / close shaft covers 59, 60 are inserted between the support portion 38 and the support portion 39. The width from the side end surface of the support portion 38 to the side end surface of the support portion 39 is substantially equal to the width of the rotating shaft cover 58.

  In the biaxial hinge 5, the rotation shaft covers 57 and 58 are the first portions provided with the rotation shaft 53, and the opening / closing shaft covers 59 and 60 are in the direction of the axis Y of the rotation shaft 53. The second portion protrudes from the first portion so as to be orthogonal to each other.

  One end of the flexible wiring board is connected to the circuit board 26, and the flexible wiring board passes through the openings 28 and 61 and passes through the insides of the covers 57 to 60 to open the openings 65 and 41 (or the openings 64 and 40). The other end of the flexible wiring board is connected to the circuit board 36 through the second housing 3.

  In the mobile phone 1 described above, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first casing 2, the covers 57 to 60, the base member 51, and the rotation shaft 53 are arranged around the axis X of the opening / closing shaft 52. When the second casing 3 is rotated, the first casing 2 can be opened with respect to the second casing 3. When the first housing 2 is rotated with respect to the covers 57 to 60, the base member 51, the opening / closing shaft 52 and the second housing 3 around the axis Y of the rotation shaft 53, as shown in FIG. The display screen 21 can be in a state where the display screen 21 is directed to the front, or the display screen 21 can be directed rearward as shown in FIG. The outer surface of the first housing 2 is flush with the outer surfaces of the rotary shaft covers 57 and 58 regardless of whether the display screen 21 faces the front or the display screen 21 faces the rear. 2 and the pivot shaft covers 57, 58, the step portion does not occur, and the joint portion is not conspicuous.

  When the first housing 2 is closed with respect to the second housing 3 around the axis X of the opening / closing shaft 52 from the state of FIG. 1, the display screen 21 and the operation unit 31 face each other as shown in FIG. The mobile phone 1 can be folded in the state. When the first casing 2 is closed with respect to the second casing 3 around the axis X of the opening / closing shaft 52 from the state shown in FIG. 2, the display screen 21 faces the front as shown in FIG. The mobile phone 1 can be folded. Whether the display screen 21 is opposed to the operation unit 31 or the display screen 21 is exposed to the front, the support units 38 and 39 and the opening / closing shaft covers 59 and 60 are pivoted when viewed from the front. It is hidden behind the covers 57 and 58. Therefore, when the first housing 2 is viewed from the front in a state where the first housing 2 is closed with respect to the second housing 3, the opening / closing shaft 52, the support portions 38 and 39, and the opening / closing shaft cover. 59 and 60 are behind the rotary shaft covers 57 and 58, and the joint portions of the support portions 38 and 39 and the open / close shaft covers 59 and 60 are hidden and cannot be seen. Therefore, at first glance, it does not look like a hinge structure, the outer surface of the mobile phone 1 looks smooth, and the design of the mobile phone 1 is excellent. In particular, when the first casing 2 is closed and the display screen 21 is used with the display screen 21 facing the front, the appearance is good, and when the display screen 21 is viewed with the display screen 21 lying sideways, the support portions 38, 39 and the opening / closing shaft covers 59 and 60 are hidden behind the rotating shaft covers 57 and 58, so that the right and left design screens of the display screen 21 are well balanced. Of course, even when the cellular phone 1 is folded, the outer surface of the first housing 2 is flush with the outer surfaces of the rotation shaft covers 57 and 58, and the joint between the first housing 2 and the rotation shaft covers 57 and 58 is provided. There is no step in the part.

[Modification]
In the mobile phone 1 of the above embodiment, the opening / closing shaft covers 59 and 60 are sandwiched between the support portions 38 and 39, but the mobile phone 1A of the modified example shown in FIG. The support portion 38A provided in the housing 3 is structured to be sandwiched between the second portion 59A and the second portion 60A of the biaxial hinge 5A. Here, the second portion 60A is provided so that a part of the opening / closing shaft 52A is accommodated, and the operating portion mounting member 54A is attached to the opening / closing shaft 52A, and the operating portion mounting portion 54A is an opening of the support portion 38A. And is attached to the middle case 25 in the second housing 3. Similarly, the second portion 59A is provided so that a part of the opening / closing shaft is accommodated therein, and the operation portion attaching member 55A is attached to the opening / closing shaft, and the operation portion attaching portion 55A opens the opening 41A of the support portion 38A. It passes through and is attached to the middle case 25 in the second housing 3. The second portion 59A and the second portion 60A are configured by assembling a plurality of opening / closing shaft covers. Since this mobile phone 1A is configured in the same manner as the mobile phone 1 except for the above, in FIG. 11, the same parts as those of the mobile phone 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the same as the mobile phone 1A. Description of this part is omitted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment or modification, and various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
In the above embodiment, the portable telephone 1 is described as an example of the foldable electronic device, but a notebook personal computer, a digital still camera, a digital video camera, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), an electronic notebook, a portable wireless The present invention may also be applied to a machine and other folding electronic devices.

It is a perspective view of the mobile phone in a state where the first housing is opened with the display screen as a front. It is a perspective view of the mobile phone in a state where the first housing is opened with the display screen on the back. It is a perspective view of the mobile phone in a state where the first housing is closed with the display screen on the back. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the mobile phone in a state in which a first casing is closed with a display screen as a front view. It is a disassembled perspective view of the mobile telephone in the state which separated the 1st housing | casing, the 2nd housing | casing, and the biaxial hinge. It is a perspective view of the 1st case and the biaxial hinge in the state where the 1st case was disassembled. It is a perspective view of the 1st case in the state where the 2nd case was disassembled, the 2nd case, and a biaxial hinge. It is a perspective view of a biaxial hinge. It is a perspective view of a biaxial hinge. It is a disassembled perspective view of a biaxial hinge. It is a disassembled perspective view of the mobile phone of the modification in the state which separated the 1st housing | casing, the 2nd housing | casing, and the biaxial hinge.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A mobile phone 2 1st housing | casing 3 2nd housing | casing 5 Biaxial hinge 52, 52A Opening-shaft shaft 53 Turning shaft 57, 58 Turning-shaft cover, 2nd part 59, 60 Opening-closing shaft cover, 1st 1 part 59A, 60A 2nd part

Claims (6)

A first housing having a display screen;
A second housing;
A biaxial hinge having two pivots in a twisted relationship with each other,
A first rotation shaft is connected to the first housing between the display screen and the opposite surface, and the first housing is centered on an axis of the first rotation shaft. It is provided to be rotatable,
A second rotation shaft is connected to the second housing between the front surface and the back surface of the second housing, and the first housing and the first rotation shaft are connected to the second housing. The first housing can be opened and closed with respect to the second housing by being provided so as to be rotatable about the axis of the rotation shaft,
When the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing, the second rotating shaft is on the back side of the first rotating shaft as viewed from the first casing side. A foldable electronic device. The biaxial hinge has a pivot cover that houses the first pivot;
The rotating shaft cover is provided so as to be rotatable about the axis of the second rotating shaft, and the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing. 2. The foldable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second rotation shaft is located on a back side of the rotation shaft cover when viewed from the body side. An open / close shaft cover protruding from the rotating shaft cover so that the biaxial hinge is orthogonal to the axial direction of the first rotating shaft;
The foldable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the second rotation shaft is accommodated in the opening / closing shaft cover.   4. The foldable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein an outer surface of the first housing is flush with an outer surface of the rotating shaft cover in a state where the display screen is front or back. 5. . A first housing having a display screen;
A second housing;
A biaxial hinge connecting the first housing and the second housing;
The biaxial hinge is connected to the first casing between the display screen and the surface on the opposite side, and the first pivot shaft is provided with the first pivot shaft. The first portion between the portion, the second portion protruding from the first portion so as to be orthogonal to the axial direction of the first rotation shaft, and the front surface and the back surface of the second housing. A second rotation shaft provided on the second portion so as to be connected to the second housing and to be in a torsional position with respect to the first rotation shaft,
The first housing is provided so as to be rotatable about the axis of the first rotation axis,
The first housing, the first rotation shaft, and the first portion are provided so as to be rotatable about the axis of the second rotation shaft. It can be opened and closed with respect to the second housing,
When the first casing is closed with respect to the second casing, the second rotating shaft and the second portion are behind the first portion when viewed from the first casing side. A foldable electronic device characterized by that.   6. The foldable electronic device according to claim 5, wherein an outer surface of the first casing is flush with an outer surface of the first portion in a state where the display screen is front or back.

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