JP2009005002A - Portable electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable electronic apparatus with a high waterproofing function which is durable for long-period use. <P>SOLUTION: This portable electronic apparatus is provided with a first housing 10 including: a front case 101 which has an opening on one surface, an end peripheral edge of the opening serving as a joint surface 105; a rear case 102 having a peripheral edge of one surface as a joint surface 106 to be joined to the joint surface of the front case; a gasket 104 disposed between the joint surface of the front case and the joint surface of the rear case and made of an elastic material; and a printed board 103 stored in the inner part covered with the front case and rear case joined with the gasket interposed therebetween. The housing is fixed by screwing a plurality of parts adjacent to positions of the front case and rear case where the gasket is arranged. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable electronic device, and particularly to a portable electronic device having a waterproof structure.

  Since portable electronic devices such as portable communication devices and portable telephones are used outdoors, they may be exposed to rain or may be submerged. Electronic components such as internal electrical and electronic circuits In order to protect the electronic component, it is necessary to store the electronic component in a waterproof storage unit.

Conventionally, waterproofing is performed, for example, by the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. In this case, a storage portion for storing electronic components is formed by a front case and a rear case having an opening, and a packing made of an elastic member is inserted into a recess formed at an opening edge of the rear case. The front case has a convex part at the edge, and when the front case and the rear case are assembled together with screws, it is attached to the concave part of the rear case opening edge with the convex part of the front case edge. A liquid-tight structure is formed by pressing the formed packing and fitting it into the recess.
JP-A-10-52832 (paragraphs [0002] to [0003], FIGS. 8 and 9)

  However, in the above-described prior art, since the screwing is partial, the opening edge portion of the rear case and the edge portion of the front case do not sufficiently adhere to the entire circumference, and a reliable liquid-tight structure can be obtained. There are cases where it is not possible. In particular, since the front case and the rear case are deteriorated and deformed due to aging, there is a problem that the liquid tightness is remarkably impaired after a long period of time.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device having a high waterproof function that can withstand long-term use.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application includes a front case in which an opening is formed on one surface and a peripheral edge of the opening serves as a joint surface, and a peripheral portion on one surface is the front case. A rear case serving as a joint surface to be joined to the joint surface, a packing made of an elastic material disposed between the joint surface of the front case and the joint surface of the rear case, and the gasket is joined via the packing. In a portable electronic device comprising a housing having an electronic component housed inside covered with the front case and the rear case,
The case is characterized in that a plurality of inner portions adjacent to positions where the packings of the front case and the rear case are disposed are fixed with screws.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to the first aspect, the casing constitutes a first casing having a display portion, and the first casing is interposed via a hinge mechanism. Is foldably connected to the second housing,
The front case is disposed in a portion where the first and second housings are folded and not exposed to the outside, and screw insertion holes are formed at positions corresponding to a plurality of locations where the screws are fixed. And
The rear case is disposed at a portion exposed to the outside in a state in which the first and second housings are folded, and a screw that is screwed into a screw at a position corresponding to a plurality of locations where the screw is fixed. A threaded recess is formed,
A plurality of screws are respectively screwed so as to be inserted into the screw insertion holes and screwed into the screw screw recesses.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to the second aspect, a decorative panel is attached to a surface of the front case so as to cover a portion where the screw head is located. And

  By providing the above configuration, the present invention has the following excellent effects. That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the front case and the rear case are joined via the packing, and screws are fixed at a plurality of locations adjacent to the positions where the packings of both cases are disposed and inside the packing. Thus, even when used for a long time, there is no gap that allows liquid to enter between the two cases, and it is possible to provide a housing that maintains high liquid tightness. In particular, since the parts to be screwed are a plurality of places and the inside is adjacent to the packing, for example, it is suitable for maintaining a liquid-tight state more than the case of screwing the outside of the packing or the inside away from the packing by a predetermined distance. It will be something.

  According to the invention of claim 2, in a so-called foldable portable electronic device in which the above-mentioned casing is the first casing, a screw insertion hole is provided in the front case and a screwing recess is provided in the rear case. , By screwing the screw from the front case side formed in the portion that is not exposed in the folded state of this portable electronic device, the screw is pressed by the second housing in the folded state, Liquid tightness in the folded state is maintained.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the head of the screw is covered with the decorative panel, the head of the screw is not exposed to the outside, and high waterproofness can be secured without impairing the aesthetic appearance. it can.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies a foldable mobile phone as a portable electronic device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is specified to this mobile phone. It is not intended and other embodiments within the scope of the claims are equally applicable.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention is unfolded, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing an exploded first housing in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front case and a rear in FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which reversely shows a case.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 1 as the portable electronic device of this embodiment includes a first housing 10, a second housing 20, and the first housing 10 and the second housing 20. And a hinge mechanism 30 that is foldably connected. A display unit 40 including a liquid crystal display panel or the like on which an operation state is displayed is disposed on the development surface of the first housing 10, and operation keys 50 are disposed on the development surface of the second housing 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first housing 10 includes a front case 101 having an opening on one side and a rear case 102 that closes the opening. The front case 101 has a window portion for exposing the display unit 40 on the front surface, and the back surface is formed of a substantially rectangular resin material that is formed with an opening and is a joint surface with the rear case 102. The front surface is made of a substantially rectangular resin material serving as a bonding surface bonded to the back surface of the front case 101. The front case 101 and the rear case 102 are integrated by joining their respective joint surfaces, and the inner space formed by the front case 101 and the rear case 102 is formed by joining the cases 101 and 102 together. The printed circuit board 103 which is an electronic component is accommodated. Further, a joint portion between the front case 101 and the rear case 102, specifically, a peripheral portion on the back surface of the front case 101 (hereinafter referred to as a joint surface 105) and a peripheral portion on the front surface of the rear case 102 (hereinafter referred to as a joint surface 106). Between them, a packing 104 made of an elastic material is inserted, whereby the inside is maintained in a liquid-tight state.

  The front case 101 and the rear case 102 are formed by using polyamide MXD6 reinforced with glass fiber, an inorganic filler or the like as a material, and are excellent in mechanical strength and elastic modulus. It also has excellent heat resistance and oil resistance.

  Next, a configuration for maintaining the inside of the first housing 10 in a liquid-tight state will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  A groove 107 for receiving the packing 104 is formed on the joint surface 105 of the front case 101, and a convex portion that fits into the groove 107 when the rear case 102 is combined with the front case 101 on the joint surface 106 of the rear case 102. 108 is provided. The packing 104 is formed in a loop shape so as to be disposed over the entire circumference between the joint surface 105 of the front case 101 and the joint surface 106 of the rear case 102. The front case 101 and the rear case 102 are assembled together by screwing. At this time, the protrusion 108 formed on the joint surface 106 of the rear case 102 is already disposed in the groove 107 of the front case 101. The pressed packing 104 is pressed and fitted into a groove 107 formed on the joint surface 105 of the front case 101. In FIG. 3, in order to clarify the relationship between the packing 104 and the groove 107, only a part of the packing 104 is stored in the groove 107.

  In the mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment, the front case 101 and the rear case 102 are screwed, so that the groove 107 of the front case 101, that is, a plurality of locations adjacent to the packing 104 and located inside the packing 104. A screw insertion hole 109 is provided, and a screw threading recess 110 is provided at a position corresponding to the screw insertion hole 109 of the rear case 102, and the screw insertion hole 109 is inserted into the screw threading recess 110. A screw fixing structure for fixing both cases 101 and 102 by screws 111 screwed together is provided. In the present embodiment, the screw insertion hole 109 and the screw threading recess 110 are provided at eleven locations with a predetermined interval in pairs.

  The arrangement state of the screw insertion hole 109 and the screw threading recess 110 is 3 in this embodiment along the long sides of the front case 101 and the rear case 102, as is apparent from FIG. Alternatively, four positions are provided, two positions are provided along the short side on the hinge mechanism 30 side, and three positions are provided along the other short side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the printed circuit board 103 has a connector (not shown), and this connector has flexibility for making electrical connection between the first and second housings 10 and 20. One end 61 of a printed circuit board (FPC: Flexible Printed Circuit) 60 is connected. Although omitted in FIG. 3, the other end of the FPC 60 is guided into the second housing 20 via the hinge mechanism 30 and connected to the electronic components in the second housing 20.

  The FPC 60 intersects with the packing 104, and it is preferable that the intersecting portion has an integrally formed structure formed integrally by insert molding. When such a configuration is adopted, there is no possibility that the liquid enters from the position where the FPC 60 of the first housing 10 is attached.

  A display unit 40 is attached to the front surface of the front case 101 of the first housing 10 with the display screen exposed to the outside. In addition, a decorative panel 70 is disposed so as to surround the frame portion of the display unit 40. The decorative panel 70 includes a frame 71 having an opening through which the display unit 40 is exposed at the center. The frame 71 has a function of covering the head of the screw 111 inserted through the screw insertion hole 107 from above, and the screw 111 is not visible from the outside in the assembled state.

  Next, a procedure for assembling the first housing 10 of the mobile phone 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.

  First, the printed circuit board 103 is attached inside the front case 101, and one end 61 of the FPC 60 is connected to the connector of the printed circuit board 103. At the same time, the packing 104 is fitted into the groove 107 of the front case 101, and the rear case 102 and the front case 101 are joined so that the joining surface 106 of the rear case 102 is in close contact with the joining surface 105 of the front case 101. Let Accordingly, the packing 104 is pressed and fitted into the groove 107 of the front case 101 by the convex portion 108 of the rear case 102, thereby forming a liquid-tight structure.

  Then, the screws 111 are inserted into the respective screw insertion holes 109 from the front side of the front case 101 and screwed into the screw screw recesses 110. In this way, the front case 101 and the rear case 102 are united to form the first housing 10.

  Thereafter, the decorative panel 70 is attached to the edge portion of the front surface (front surface) of the front case 101 by bonding. As a result, the head of the screw 111 is covered with the frame 71 of the decorative panel 70.

  According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of screw insertion holes 109 are provided on the inner side adjacent to the position where the packing 104 of the front case 101 is disposed, and the screw insertion holes 109 of the rear case 102 are formed in the holes 109. Since the screw screw recess 110 is provided at the opposite position, the screw 111 is inserted into the screw screw hole 109 so that the opening of the front case 101 is screwed into the rear case. 102. These screw insertion holes 109 and screw screw recesses 110 are provided at eleven locations at a predetermined interval, and pressure is evenly applied to the packing 104 disposed over the entire circumference between the joint surface 105 and the joint surface 106. Press to add. Therefore, the liquid tightness of the first housing 10 is maintained. In addition, since the first housing 10 is screwed at a plurality of locations on the inner part adjacent to the packing 104, the pressure applied to the packing 104 is reduced due to the deformation of the front case 101 and the rear case 102 over a long period of use. Therefore, the liquid tightness is not lowered and the waterproof effect is not impaired.

  In addition, since the head of the screw 111 is covered with the frame 71, it is possible to reliably prevent liquid from entering the internal space of the first housing 10 formed by the front case 101 and the rear case 102 by screwing. . That is, the frame 71 prevents water from entering through the gap when a gap is generated between the screw 111 and the screw insertion hole 109.

  Moreover, since the head of the screw 111 is sealed using the frame 71 of the decorative panel 70, the head of the screw 111 is not exposed to the outside, and the aesthetic appearance is not impaired. Moreover, the sealing operation can be performed simultaneously with the attaching operation of the decorative panel 70.

  Furthermore, since the screw 111 is inserted and screwed from the front case 104 side, the head of the screw 111 is pressed by the second housing 20 when the cellular phone 1 is folded. As a result, there is no risk of liquid intrusion into the first housing 10 when the cellular phone 1 is folded.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the screw insertion hole 109 and the screw threading recess 110 which are paired are provided at a total of 11 positions with a predetermined interval, but based on the size and shape of the mobile phone 1. It is preferable to provide 5-15 pieces at predetermined intervals.

  In the embodiments of the present invention, a foldable mobile phone has been described as an example of the mobile phone 1. However, for example, a slide-type portable electronic device or a portable electronic device including only one housing may be used. It is obvious that a high waterproof function can be achieved by adopting the above configuration.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention is developed. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the first housing in FIG. 1 in an exploded manner. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the front case and the rear case in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cellular phone 10 1st housing | casing 20 2nd housing | casing 30 Hinge mechanism 40 Display part 50 Operation key 60 FPC
70 decorative panel 71 frame 101 front case 102 rear case 103 printed circuit board 104 packing 105 (front case) joint surface 106 (rear case) joint surface 107 groove 108 convex portion 109 screw insertion hole 110 screw screw concave portion 111 screw

Claims (3)

A front case having an opening on one surface and a peripheral edge of the opening serving as a joint surface; a rear case having a peripheral surface on one surface joining the joint surface of the front case; and the front case A packing made of an elastic material disposed between the bonding surface of the rear case and the bonding surface of the rear case, and an electronic component housed inside the front case and the rear case bonded via the packing In a portable electronic device provided with a housing having
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of inner portions of the housing adjacent to the positions where the packings of the front case and the rear case are disposed are fixed with screws. The housing constitutes a first housing having a display portion, and the first housing is foldably connected to the second housing via a hinge mechanism,
The front case is disposed in a portion where the first and second housings are folded and not exposed to the outside, and screw insertion holes are formed at positions corresponding to a plurality of locations where the screws are fixed. And
The rear case is disposed at a portion exposed to the outside in a state in which the first and second housings are folded, and a screw that is screwed into a screw at a position corresponding to a plurality of locations where the screw is fixed. A threaded recess is formed,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of screws are screwed so as to be inserted into the screw insertion holes and screwed into the screw screw recesses. The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein a decorative panel is attached to a surface of the front case to cover a portion where the head of the screw is located.

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