JP2009232339A - Mobile terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure a stable electrical connection state by appropriately conducting casings while a sliding mobile terminal device is in an open state and in a closed state. <P>SOLUTION: A mobile terminal device includes: a first casing 12; a second casing 13; a rail plate 21 which is fixed in the first casing 12 and includes a rail 21a; a slide plate 22 which is fixed in the second casing 13 and fitted with the rail 21a provided on the rail plate 21 fixed in the first casing 12, and couples the first casing 12 and the second casing 13 so as to freely slide the casings; and conduction members 31, 32 constituted of elastic bodies abutted on the terminal of the rail 21a, respectively. While the first casing 12 and the second casing 13 slide and are in an open state and while the first casing 12 and the second casing 13 are in a closed state, the conduction members 31, 32 are also abutted on the slider 22a in addition to the terminal of the rail 21a and conduct the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device, and more particularly to a sliding mobile terminal device in which housings are slidably coupled.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile terminal devices such as mobile phones have been provided with various forms that place importance on operability of operation keys and voice calls. Among the portable terminal devices, a portable terminal device configured by two casings connected to each other is provided in order to satisfy both the demands for voice call use and the operability of operation keys and the miniaturization of the device.

  Conventionally, for example, an operation unit having various operation keys is provided in one casing, and a display unit that occupies most of the casing is provided in the other casing, and the casings are electrically connected. There are foldable and slide-type mobile terminal devices.

  In this sliding portable terminal device, an upper casing as a first casing and a lower casing as a second casing are slidably coupled by a sliding mechanism, and these casings are opened, It is possible to improve the operability according to the use by taking the closed state which is almost overlapped.

  On the other hand, in order to obtain stable wireless performance even when the sliding portable terminal device is in an open state and a closed state, the ground in the upper and lower cases is electrically connected by conducting the inside of the upper and lower cases through a slide mechanism. There has been proposed a technique for configuring such a connection (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, in order to smoothly slide the rail plate 21 fixed to the upper housing (not shown) and the slide plate 22 fixed to the lower housing (not shown). There is a slide mechanism 20 composed of a pair of assist springs 24 provided on the front side. One end of the assist spring 24 of the slide mechanism 20 is wound around and fixed to a spring fixing portion 25 fixed to the rail plate 21, and the other end is fixed to the slide plate 22.

  In the slide type mobile terminal device provided with such a slide mechanism 20, a spring fixing portion 25 fixed to the rail plate 21 is provided in order to obtain stable wireless performance by conducting the upper and lower housings via the slide mechanism 20. There is a method of conducting electrical connection between the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 by using an assist spring 24 wound around and fixed thereto. Thereby, the circuit board etc. which were accommodated in the upper housing | casing fixed to the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22, respectively, and the lower housing | casing can be electrically connected.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the slide mechanism 20 further includes a contact spring 50 that slides in contact with the rail plate 21 in the slide plate 22 of FIG. 5. In the slide type mobile terminal device provided with such a slide mechanism 20, there is a method in which the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 are electrically connected by the contact spring 50 always contacting the rail plate 21 during sliding. Thereby, the circuit board etc. which were accommodated in the upper housing | casing and the lower housing | casing each fixed to the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 can be electrically connected.
JP 2006-333387 A

  In the slide-type portable wireless terminal disclosed in Patent Document 1, a conductive member (slide part) having a conduction performance as a slide mechanism and a rail groove are always in contact with each other when the upper and lower cases are slid. For this reason, as the number of sliding operations between the conductive member and the rail groove increases, there is a problem that wear between the members occurs and the contact state between the members becomes unstable.

  Further, since the assist spring 24 provided in the slide mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 5 is originally provided to smoothly slide the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22, grease or the like is used to improve the slide performance. Lubricant is applied. Since this lubricant has an insulating property, the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 are electrically connected using the spring fixing portion 25 and the assist spring 24 that is wound around and fixed to the upper casing and the lower casing. The body cannot be stably and electrically connected.

  Furthermore, since the contact spring 50 provided in the slide mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 10 is always in a contact state when the upper and lower housings are slid like the slide mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1, the number of sliding operations increases. As a result, there is a problem that the contact state between the members due to wear becomes unstable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when the sliding portable terminal device is in an open state and a closed state, each case is suitably conducted and stored in each case. An object of the present invention is to provide a portable terminal device that can ensure a stable electrical connection state of a circuit board or the like.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a mobile terminal device according to the present invention includes a first housing, a second housing, a rail plate fixed to the first housing, and provided with a rail. The first casing and the second casing are slidable by being fitted to the rail provided on the rail plate fixed to the second casing and fixed to the first casing. A slide plate provided with a slider to be coupled; and a conductive member made of an elastic body abutted on each end of the rail. The conductive member includes the first casing and the second casing. In addition to the end of the rail, the slider is in contact with the slider when the first housing and the second housing are closed. Features.

  The portable terminal device according to the present invention can ensure a stable electrical contact state between the housings when the two housings slidably coupled are in an open state and a closed state.

  An embodiment of a portable terminal device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an external configuration of a sliding mobile phone 1 which is an example of a mobile terminal device according to the present invention. 1A is a perspective view showing an external configuration when the slide type mobile phone 1 is closed, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the slide type mobile phone 1 opened. The perspective view showing the composition of the appearance when it is set as the state is shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the mobile phone 1 has an upper housing 12 and a lower housing 13 that are slidably coupled via a slide mechanism (not shown). The upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 are provided so that the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 can slide in the direction of the arrow X with respect to each other via a slide mechanism. The upper casing 12 and the lower casing 13 are slid relative to each other along the longitudinal direction to close the cellular phone 1 in the closed state in FIG. It takes two forms of the open state of (B).

  The upper housing 12 configured in a rectangular shape is provided with a display 14 that occupies most of its surface. The display 14 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL display (ElectroLuminescence Display), an inorganic EL display (inorganic electroLuminescence Display), or a SED (Surface-Condition Display). The display 14 displays the reception state of the radio wave, the remaining battery level, the destination name and telephone number registered as a telephone directory, the transmission history, etc., as well as the contents of the e-mail, a simple homepage, and the like.

  A receiver (receiver) 15 is provided at a predetermined position on the upper portion of the display 14, so that the user can make a voice call. Note that a speaker (not shown) as an audio output unit other than the receiver 15 is also provided at a predetermined position of the mobile phone 1.

  A sub operation key 16 is provided at the bottom of the display 14. The sub operation keys 16 are arranged with various operation keys such as a call key and an end key that are mainly required when the mobile phone 1 is in a closed state. For example, when it is desired to receive an incoming call even when the cellular phone 1 is closed, a call key to which the incoming call is assigned is arranged or a key function is assigned on the user side as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the lower casing 13 is provided with operation keys 17 on the surface thereof that are exposed and usable when the cellular phone 1 is in an open state. Various instructions can be input using the key 17. A microphone 18 is provided below the operation key 17, and the microphone 18 collects the user's voice during a call. In addition, a transmitting / receiving antenna (not shown) is provided at a predetermined position inside the lower housing 13 and transmits and receives radio waves to and from the base station via the built-in antenna. The lower housing 13 has a battery pack (not shown) attached to the back side. For example, when the call end / power key is pressed to the on state, power is supplied from the battery pack to each circuit unit. To start operation.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the upper casing 12, the lower casing 13, and the slide mechanism 20 of the mobile phone 1. A rail plate 21 of the slide mechanism 20 provided between the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 is fixed to the back side of the upper housing 12 via a screw (not shown) and is housed inside the upper housing 12. The circuit board is electrically connected. Further, the slide plate 22 of the slide mechanism 20 is fixed to the front side of the lower housing 13 via screws (not shown) and is electrically connected to a circuit board housed in the lower housing 13. In the mobile phone 1, the upper casing 12 and the lower casing 13 slide in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 1) through the slide mechanism 20 to be in an open state and a closed state.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the slide mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the slide mechanism 20, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the slide mechanism 20 shown in FIG.

  4A and 4B are diagrams showing another external configuration of the slide mechanism 20, wherein FIG. 4A is a plan view showing the external appearance of the slide mechanism 20 in FIG. 3B, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the slide mechanism 20. FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the slide mechanism 20 in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4D is an enlarged view of the rail 21a in FIG. 4C.

  FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the slide mechanism 20.

  The slide mechanism 20 includes a rail plate 21 and a slide plate 22 that is slidable with respect to the rail plate 21. The rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 are coupled via an assist spring 24. The rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 are composed of members having electrical conductivity.

  The rail plate 21 has a rectangular flat plate portion 21 b extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper housing 12. A pair of rails 21a extending along the longitudinal direction is formed on the left and right side edges of the flat plate portion 21b. The rail 21a is covered with a rail cover 21c made of resin, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D in order to prevent wear due to contact with the slide plate 22 during sliding.

  The slide plate 22 is formed by a flat plate portion 22b and a pair of substantially concave sliders 22a provided on the left and right side edges. As shown in FIG. 4C, the slide plate 22 has a substantially concave cross-sectional shape, and the slider 21a provided on the left and right edges of the slide plate 22 is connected to the rail 21a of the rail plate 21. Combined. Thus, the slide plate 22 is slidably coupled with the flat plate portion 22b of the slide plate 22 facing the flat plate portion 21b of the rail plate 21. The slide plate 22 is configured to be slidable within the range of the rail 21a in the longitudinal direction.

  One end of a pair of retractable assist springs 24 arranged symmetrically about the axis of the rail plate 21 is attached to a substantially central portion of the rail plate 21. As shown in FIG. 5, one end of the assist spring 24 is wound around and fixed to a spring fixing portion 25 fixed to the flat plate portion 21 b of the rail plate 21. The other end of the assist spring 24 is wound around and fixed to a spring fixing portion 26 fixed to the flat plate portion 22 b of the slide plate 22.

  The rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 coupled by the assist spring 24 maintain the state and smoothly slide by using the expansion and contraction force of the assist spring 24.

  When the mobile phone 1 is in a closed state, the assist spring 24 applies an expansion / contraction force in a direction in which the mobile phone 1 is always closed to the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22. Further, in the open state, the expansion and contraction force in the direction always in the open state is applied to the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22. Further, when displacement is performed from the closed state to the open state and from the open state to the closed state, the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 perform smooth sliding by applying an expansion / contraction force in the displacement direction. Do.

  Specifically, when the cellular phone 1 is operated so as to shift from the closed state to the opened state, the cellular phone 1 is closed until the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 are relatively displaced by a predetermined amount. The expansion / contraction force of the assist spring 24 works in the direction of the state. Thereafter, when the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 are displaced by a predetermined amount, the direction of the expansion / contraction force of the assist spring 24 changes in the reverse direction, and the expansion / contraction force acts toward the direction in which the mobile phone 1 is opened. . At this time, the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 are urged by the expansion and contraction force of the assist spring 24 and smoothly transition to the open state. Further, when shifting from the open state to the closed state, the opposite stretching force is applied from the assist spring 24, and the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 slide smoothly.

  On the other hand, a rail plate mounting portion is provided on the back surface of the upper housing 12.

  FIG. 6 is an external configuration diagram of the rear side of the upper casing 12, and the upper casing 12 to which the slide mechanism 20 and a pair of the upper conductive member 31 and the lower conductive member 32 are attached is shown on the rear side (lower casing). It is the perspective view seen from the surface which opposes the surface side of 13). FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the upper housing 12, the slide mechanism 20, and the upper conductive member 31. Note that description is made with the X-axis direction shown in FIG.

  A rail plate attachment portion 30 to which the rail plate 21 is attached by screws 33 is provided on the back side of the upper housing 12 shown in FIG. The rail plate mounting portion 30 is formed lower than the back surface of the upper housing 12 so that the rail plate 21 has substantially the same height as the back surface of the upper housing 12 when the rail plate 21 is mounted.

  The length of the rail plate mounting portion 30 in the longitudinal direction is configured to be approximately the same as the length of the rail plate 21 in the longitudinal direction. The dimension in the short side direction is configured to be larger than the short side direction of the rail plate 21, and when the rail plate 21 is attached to the rail plate attachment portion 30 as shown in FIG. A gap is provided so that the slide plate 22 fitted to the rail 21a is slidable.

  In addition to the rail plate 21, a set of an upper conductive member 31 and a lower conductive member 32 are attached to the rail plate mounting portion 30 as shown in FIG.

  When the rail plate 21 is attached to the rail plate attachment portion 30, the upper conductive member 31 is attached at a position where it comes into contact with the upper tip portion 21d of the rail 21a. The upper conductive member 31 is located when the slide plate 22 fitted to the rail 21a of the rail plate 21 and slidably coupled is positioned on the upper end portion 21d side of the rail 21a, that is, with the cellular phone 1 closed. In some cases, the slider 22 a provided on the slide plate 22 is attached at a position where it abuts on the upper end 22 d.

  The upper conductive member 31 is attached so that a part of the upper conductive member 31 protrudes from the inner direction of the upper casing case 35 constituting the back side of the upper casing 12 to the rail plate mounting portion 30.

  8A and 8B are diagrams showing an external configuration of the rear side of the upper casing 12, FIG. 8A is a plan view showing an external configuration of the rear side of the upper casing 12 in FIG. 7, and FIG. It is sectional drawing between BB of the upper housing | casing 12 of 8 (A). 8C is a perspective view showing a cross-sectional view between B and B on the back side of the upper housing 12 in FIG. 8A, and FIG. 8D is an upper conducting member 31 in FIG. 8B. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, only the protruding portion 31 a of the upper conductive member 31 protrudes from the rail plate mounting portion 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the slide plate 22 is positioned at the upper end portion 21d of the rail 21a, the upper end portion 22d of the slider 22a and the protruding portion 31a come into contact with each other.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another external configuration of the rear side of the upper housing 12, and particularly illustrates the slide mechanism 20 when the mobile phone 1 is in an open state.

  When the rail plate 21 is attached to the rail plate attachment portion 30, the lower conductive member 32 is attached at a position where the lower conduction member 32 comes into contact with the lower end portion 21e of the rail 21a. Further, the lower conductive member 32 is in a state where the slide plate 22 fitted to the rail 21a of the rail plate 21 and slidably coupled is positioned at the lower end portion 21e of the rail 21a, that is, the mobile phone 1 is opened. In this case, the slide plate 22 is attached to a position where it abuts on the lower end portion 22e of the slider 22a.

  Here, the upper conductive member 31 and the lower conductive member 32 will be described.

  Conventionally, when the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 are slid and the mobile phone 1 is shifted from the open state to the closed state, and when the mobile phone 1 is shifted from the closed state to the open state, the assist spring 24 is used. In order to buffer the impact and impact sound received from the slider 22a due to the contact pressure generated by sliding vigorously using the expansion / contraction force, a stopper having a cushioning property is provided at a position where the slider 22a abuts. .

  This stopper is composed of an elastic body such as an elastomer capable of buffering an impact or impact sound received from the slider 22a.

  In the present embodiment, a stopper as a conventional member provided so as to come into contact with the tip of the slider 22a is configured with a member having conductivity, thereby further providing a function as a conduction member. Furthermore, by configuring the rail 21a and the tip of the slider 22a to be conducted via a conducting member, electrical contact between the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 can be ensured.

  The upper conducting member 31 and the lower conducting member 32 are configured by members having conductivity and cushioning properties. For example, it is composed of conductive rubber or an elastic body such as Emastra in which a metal film is formed by vapor deposition or plating.

  Next, an electrical contact state between the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 when the cellular phone 1 according to the present embodiment is in an opened state and a closed state will be described.

  When the mobile phone 1 is in a closed state in which the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 shown in FIG. 1A are substantially overlapped, the slide mechanism 20 attached to the back side of the upper housing 12 is shown in FIG. It is like (A). At this time, the upper conductive member 31 comes into contact with the upper tip portion 21 d of the rail 21 a of the rail plate 21. Further, the upper conductive member 31 comes into contact with the upper end portion 22d of the slider 22a of the slide plate 22 that is fitted to the rail 21a of the rail plate 21 and is slidably coupled. For this reason, the upper end portion 21d of the rail 21a and the upper end portion 22d of the slider 22a are both in contact with the upper conductive member 31, and as a result, the rail plate including the rail 21a via the upper conductive member 31 having conductivity. 21 and the slide plate 22 including the slider 22a can be electrically connected. Therefore, it is possible to ensure electrical contact between the fixed upper casing 12 that is electrically connected to the rail plate 21 and the fixed lower casing 13 that is electrically connected to the slider 22a.

  When the mobile phone 1 shifts from the closed state of the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 shown in FIG. 1A to the slid open state shown in FIG. The slide mechanism 20 attached to the back surface side of 12 is as shown in FIG. At this time, the lower conductive member 32 comes into contact with the lower tip portion 21e of the rail 21a of the rail plate 21. Further, the lower conductive member 32 abuts on the lower end portion 22e of the slider 22a of the slide plate 22 that is fitted to the rail 21a of the rail plate 21 and is slidably coupled. For this reason, both the lower end portion 21e of the rail 21a and the lower end portion 22e of the slider 22a are in contact with the lower conductive member 32, and as a result, the rail plate including the rail 21a via the lower conductive member 32 having conductivity. 21 and the slide plate 22 including the slider 22a can be electrically connected. Therefore, it is possible to ensure electrical contact between the fixed upper casing 12 that is electrically connected to the rail plate 21 and the lower casing 13 that is electrically connected and fixed to the slider 22a.

  According to this mobile phone 1, a set of upper conductive members 31 that are in contact when the mobile phone 1 is in a closed state, and a set of lower conductive members 32 that are in contact when the mobile phone 1 is in a closed state. Through this, the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 can be stably conducted. As a result, for example, it is possible to stabilize the wireless performance that changes depending on the conduction state between the slide plate 22 and the rail plate 21 fixed to the lower housing 13 including the antenna.

  Further, when the mobile phone 1 shifts to the open state and the closed state, the slider 22a of the slide plate 22 collides with the upper conductive member 31 and the lower conductive member 32 by using the expansion and contraction force of the assist spring 24. The slider 22a, the upper conducting member 31, and the lower conducting member 32 are pressed against each other, and the connection state can be kept good by this contact pressure.

  Furthermore, since the upper conducting member 31 and the lower conducting member 32 are further provided with conductivity as a function of a conventional stopper, a member for conducting the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 is not particularly required. Thus, an increase in the number of parts can be avoided and productivity can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the contact with the conductive member for conducting the rail plate 21 and the slide plate 22 is not performed at the time of sliding to shift the state of the mobile phone 1, the sliding does not occur due to the contact at the time of sliding. Even if the number of times increases, a stable contact state can be maintained. It is also effective in that the member is not scraped by wear and the appearance is not impaired.

  In addition, the upper conductive member 31 and the lower conductive member 32 have been described as being attached to the back side of the upper housing 12, but the upper conductive member 31 and the lower conductive member 32 are not limited thereto, and the upper distal end portion 21 d and the lower distal end portion of the pair of rails 21 a of the rail plate 21 are not limited thereto. You may make it attach to 21e.

  The mobile terminal device according to the present invention can be applied to a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a personal computer, a portable game machine, a portable music player, a portable video player, and other portable terminal devices in addition to the cellular phone. Can be applied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the structure of the external appearance of the slide-type mobile telephone which is an example of the portable terminal device which concerns on this invention, (A) is a perspective view of the state which closed the mobile telephone, (B) is the state of opening the mobile telephone Perspective view. The disassembled perspective view of the mobile telephone in this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the external appearance of the slide mechanism of the mobile telephone in this embodiment, (A) is a perspective view which shows the structure of the external appearance of a slide mechanism, (B) is the back of the slide mechanism of FIG. The perspective view which shows the structure of an external appearance. It is a figure which shows the structure of the other external appearance of the slide mechanism of the mobile telephone in this embodiment, (A) is a top view which shows the external appearance of a slide mechanism, (B) is a side view of a slide mechanism, (C) is FIG. Sectional drawing between AA of the slide mechanism of (A), (D) is an enlarged view of the rail of FIG.4 (C). The disassembled perspective view of the slide mechanism of the mobile telephone in this embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of the external appearance of the back side of the upper housing | casing of the mobile telephone in this embodiment. The disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the back side of the upper housing | casing of the mobile telephone in this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the external appearance on the back side of the upper housing | casing of the mobile telephone in this embodiment, (A) is a top view of the back side of an upper housing | casing, (B) is an upper housing | casing of FIG. Sectional drawing between BB of FIG. 8, (C) is a figure which shows perspectively the sectional view between BB of the upper housing | casing of FIG. 8 (A), (D) is an upper conduction member of FIG. 8 (B). The figure which expanded especially. The figure which shows the structure of the other external appearance of the back side of the upper housing | casing of the mobile telephone in this embodiment. The perspective view which shows the structure of the external appearance of the conventional slide mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile telephone 12 Upper housing | casing 13 Lower housing 14 Display 15 Receiver 16 Sub operation key 17 Operation key 18 Microphone 20 Slide mechanism 21 Rail plate 21a Rail 21b Flat plate portion 21c Rail cover 21d Upper tip portion 21e Lower tip portion 22 Slide plate 22a Slider 22b Flat plate portion 22d Upper tip portion 22e Lower tip portion 24 Assist springs 25, 26 Spring fixing portion 30 Rail plate mounting portion 31 Upper conduction member 31a Projection portion 32 Lower conduction member 33 Screw 35 Upper housing case

Claims (4)

A first housing;
A second housing;
A rail plate fixed to the first housing and provided with rails;
Fixed to the second casing and fitted to the rail provided on the rail plate fixed to the first casing, so that the first casing and the second casing are slidably coupled. A slide plate provided with a slider to be
A conductive member made of an elastic body in contact with each end of the rail,
The conductive member is in a state where the first casing and the second casing are slid open and in a state where the first casing and the second casing are closed In addition, in addition to the end portion of the rail, the portable terminal device is in contact with the slider. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member is a member provided with a metal coating. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the conductive member is made of conductive rubber. The first casing and the second casing are further provided with an elastic body that imparts an expansion / contraction force to the slide plate when the first casing and the second casing are slid to be opened and closed. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1.

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