JP2010086127A - Portable electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to easily use a keyboard while viewing a display part by arranging an opened display part at almost the center of the keyboard when portable electronic equipment is used, and to prevent the rattling of the keyboard when a keyboard key is depressed. <P>SOLUTION: The portable electronic equipment 1 includes: a slender pedestal 10; a display board 13 having a display part 14; a first keyboard part 11; and a second keyboard part 12. In a storage state, the first keyboard part 11 and the second keyboard part 12 are positioned between the pedestal 10 and the display part 14, and in a developed state, the first keyboard part 11 slides to the pedestal 10, and the second keyboard part 12 rotates to a direction opposite to the first keyboard part 11, and the display part is positioned at almost the center of the first keyboard part 11 and the second keyboard part 12. Also, the first keyboard part 11 is supported by a first leg part 15, and the second keyboard part 12 is supported by a second leg part 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to portable electronic devices such as notebook computers and PDAs, and more particularly to portable electronic devices including a foldable keyboard and a display unit.

  Portable electronic devices such as notebook computers and PDAs are required to be more compact in order to improve portability. On the other hand, considering the speed of input and ease of input, a full keyboard with a QWERTY layout and adapted to the size of the hand is suitable. However, in a portable electronic device in which the keyboard is combined with a display unit such as a liquid crystal, the size is limited by the width of the keyboard and cannot be reduced in size. In order to meet such demands, Patent Document 1 discloses a portable electronic device including a foldable keyboard and a liquid crystal display unit.

  This portable electronic device is intended to be used as a full keyboard in which the keyboard divided into two is housed in the pedestal in the stowed state, overlapped with the liquid crystal display unit, and partly located outside the pedestal in the unfolded state. It has been done.

US Patent Publication 6,798,649 (FIG. 2A, FIG. 2E, FIG. 5B, etc.)

  However, in this type of foldable keyboard, in the stored state, if the folded keyboard and the display unit do not overlap compactly on the pedestal, there will be a problem with portability. Does not come to the center of the keyboard, and it is difficult for the user to use the keyboard while looking at the display unit.

  Further, when the user presses the key switch of the keyboard located outside the pedestal in the unfolded state, there is a problem that the keyboard is loose due to the space corresponding to the thickness of the pedestal and the operability of the key switch is not good.

  In addition, there is no configuration that closes the divided surface when the divided keyboard is folded, and this causes dust to enter from the divided surface and cause malfunctions, such as circuit boards and flexible connectors provided inside There is a problem that the built-in objects are visible and the appearance is not good.

  Furthermore, if the keyboard layout is English-speaking, the layout can be configured from 4 to 5 columns. However, if the keyboard is mainly Japanese or Kanji-speaking, there is a need for 6 columns. high. Even in the JIS standard, six columns are standardized in JIS X 6002-1980 (hereinafter, a keyboard conforming to this standard is abbreviated as JIS keyboard). When such a 6-row keyboard is divided, the structure of dividing the key arrangement into the right side and the left side becomes very complicated, and the 6-column vertical folding keyboard has not been adopted in portable electronic devices.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and in use, since the opened display unit comes to the approximate center of the keyboard, the user can easily use the keyboard while looking at the display unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device having a folding keyboard, which has a keyboard array of six columns that can input Japanese. It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device having a foldable keyboard that can be stored compactly and prevents the keyboard from rattling when the keyboard key is pressed.

  In order to solve the above problems, a portable electronic device according to the present invention includes a pedestal, a display unit that can be opened and closed with respect to the pedestal, and a foldable keyboard. A key switch for the first keyboard section and the second keyboard section in the storage state, having a movable first keyboard section and a second keyboard section rotatable with respect to the first keyboard section A portable electronic device whose surfaces face each other, wherein the first keyboard portion and the second keyboard portion are positioned between the pedestal and the display unit in the stored state, and the first keyboard unit and the display unit are in the unfolded state. The keyboard part slides beyond the position of the pedestal, approximately half of the long side of the first keyboard is in contact with the pedestal, and the second keyboard part rotates in a direction opposite to the first keyboard part. The second keyboard Substantially half portion in the long side direction is in contact with the base, the display unit with respect to the first keyboard section and a second keyboard section is characterized in that it is located substantially at the center.

  According to the present invention, the position of the first keyboard part and the second keyboard part is changed by sliding and rotating with respect to the display part during the development, and in the developed state, the first keyboard part and the second keyboard part are changed. The display unit is positioned substantially in the center with respect to the first keyboard unit and the second keyboard unit, and as a result, the display unit can be arranged in the center. Improvement can be achieved.

  The portable electronic device according to the present invention includes a pedestal, a display unit that can be opened and closed with respect to the pedestal, and a foldable keyboard. The keyboard is slidable with respect to the pedestal. A portable unit having a keyboard unit and a second keyboard unit rotatable with respect to the first keyboard unit, wherein the key switch surfaces of the first keyboard unit and the second keyboard unit face each other in the stored state. A portable electronic device, characterized in that, in the unfolded state, legs corresponding to the height of the pedestal are positioned at the lower portion of the first keyboard portion and the lower portion of the second keyboard portion.

  According to the present invention, the first keyboard portion and the second keyboard portion located above the pedestal in the unfolded state are provided with leg portions corresponding to the height of the pedestal at locations where the first keyboard portion and the second keyboard portion do not contact the pedestal. It is possible to prevent the two keyboards from rattling due to the space that can be made.

  In the portable electronic device according to the present invention, the leg portion includes a first leg portion provided at a side end of the first keyboard portion, and a second slidable leg provided at one end of the pedestal. Part.

  According to the present invention, both the first keyboard portion and the second keyboard portion located at the upper part of the pedestal are separated by the space formed below the keyboard by the first leg portion and the second leg portion provided respectively. It is possible to prevent the keyboard from rattling. That is, in the stowed state, the first keyboard portion is located above the pedestal and the second keyboard portion is located above the pedestal and above the first keyboard portion, but in the unfolded state, the first keyboard portion is located. Since the keyboard part slides on the pedestal and the second keyboard part can also be rotated and opened away from the first keyboard part, both ends of the pedestal protrude from the first keyboard part and the second keyboard part. The keyboard portion of the keyboard is located, and rattling occurs in the keyboard area where the pedestal is not located. However, when the first leg portion and the second leg portion are located in the keyboard area where the pedestal is not located, such rattling occurs. Can prevent sticking.

  Further, in the portable electronic device according to the present invention, the second leg portion can be put in and out of the leg plate by the urging means, and is always urged by pressing the pedestal. It is characterized by having a mechanism that releases the bias when it is away from the base and protrudes toward the second keyboard portion above the pedestal.

  According to the present invention, the second leg portion can be easily put in and out as needed by having the second leg portion that presses the pedestal in the retracted state and protrudes above the pedestal in the unfolded state. This enables compact storage.

  The portable electronic device according to the present invention is characterized in that the pedestal is formed with a recess capable of accommodating the first leg at the other end.

  According to the present invention, with respect to the first leg portion that is relatively displaced as the first keyboard portion slides, the concave portion formed on the pedestal that protrudes from the first keyboard portion even in the housed state. Since it can be accommodated in a compact, it can be compactly accommodated.

  The portable electronic device according to the present invention is characterized in that the keyboard keys are arranged in six stages.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the portable electronic device which has a folding keyboard which enables the keyboard arrangement | sequence of 6 vertical columns which can input Japanese can be provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the display portion can be positioned substantially in the center of the keyboard in the unfolded state of the keyboard, and the keyboard keys are arranged in six stages. It has a 6-column keyboard layout, and many keys such as special keys can be arranged. In addition, when the keyboard is in the unfolded state, legs corresponding to the height of the pedestal are positioned at the lower part of the first keyboard part and the second keyboard part (the first leg part supporting the first keyboard part). And the second leg part supporting the second keyboard part), it is possible to prevent the rattling of the keyboard when the keyboard key is pressed, and the first leg part and the second leg part can be It can be stored compactly without protruding from.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1A and 1B are diagrams showing a developed state of a portable electronic device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a front view. FIG. 2 is a rear view showing a developed state of the portable electronic device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The portable electronic device 1 includes an elongated base 10, a display board 13 having a display unit 14, a first keyboard unit 11, a second keyboard unit 12, a horizontal plate unit 18, a hinge unit 21 ( 3).

  The pedestal 10 is formed with a cylindrical body 17 in which a rotation shaft (not shown) configured to open and close the display plate 13 is provided. The open / close operation of the display unit 14 is enabled. Further, on the back side of the pedestal 10 and on the left side of the pedestal 10 (see FIG. 2), a second leg portion 16 that is slidable is provided. That is, the base 10 is formed with guide rails 10a and 10a ′ for restricting the sliding of the guide plate 16a of the second leg portion 16 in the lateral direction, and the guide plate 16a along the guide rails 10a and 10a ′. The second leg portion 16 can be slid and projected from the pedestal 10 by sliding. The second leg portion 16 is provided with a guide plate 16a and a leg plate 16b to be urged. These mechanisms will be described later.

  The display board 13 has a display unit 14 composed of an LCD display or the like, and further, supports 13 a and 13 b that support a rotating shaft (not shown) provided inside the cylindrical body 17 are formed at both ends.

  In the first keyboard unit 11, a plurality of key switches 20 are arranged on a support 11a. Similarly, in the second keyboard section 12, a plurality of key switches 20 are arranged on the support 12a. That is, the keyboard divided into the first keyboard portion 11 and the second keyboard portion 12 has a horizontally long rectangular shape in the unfolded state, and the first keyboard portion 11 and the second keyboard portion 12 are flexible connectors or the like. It is electrically connected via. Note that, in the six-stage keyboard keys, the divided surfaces of the first keyboard portion 11 and the second keyboard portion 12 are as shown in FIG. 5, and according to the keyboard conforming to the JIS standard, the keyboard key arrangement is a grid. It is wavy without being aligned in the shape of the eyes.

  On the back surface of the support 11a of the first keyboard portion 11 (the surface opposite to the surface on which the keyboard switch is disposed), guide ridges 11b that regulate the sliding direction with respect to the base 10 are provided. In addition, a guide groove 10b is formed on the base 10 corresponding to the position of the guide protrusion 11b. Note that an engagement convex portion 11c is provided at the right end (see FIG. 2) of the support 11a to engage and close the open end of the guide recess 10b in the stored state. The engaging protrusion 11c is provided apart from the guide protrusion 11b. When the engaging protrusion 11c is engaged with the guide recess 10b, the portable electronic device 1 is opened from the open end of the guide recess 10b. Prevents foreign matter such as dust and dirt from entering inside.

  A first leg portion 15 is provided on the back surface of the support 11 a of the first keyboard portion 11. The height h1 of the first leg portion 15 is substantially the same as the length of the bottom surface of the base 10 from the bottom surface of the first keyboard portion 11, and when the key switch 20 of the first keyboard portion 11 is pressed, This prevents the keyboard part 11 from wobbling. The pedestal 10 is provided with an accommodation recess 10c for accommodating the first leg 15 in the pedestal 10 in the accommodated state, and the first leg 15 is accommodated in the pedestal 10 for an aesthetic appearance. Prevent damage.

  The horizontal plate portion 18 is connected between the pedestal 10 and the hinge portion 21, and is attached so as to move up and down as the second keyboard portion 12 rotates. As shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal plate portion 18 is formed wider than the sum of the thicknesses of the pedestal 10 and the first keyboard portion 11 in the stored state, and in the stored state when the keyboard is folded, Interference between the switches 20 is prevented, and a foreign plate such as dust or dust enters the portable electronic device 1 from the open ends of the pedestal 10 and the first keyboard unit 11 with the horizontal plate unit 18 serving as a lid. To prevent. Also, the built-in object 30 of the portable electronic device can be hidden from the point of view of beauty.

  Referring to FIG. 3 (a), the hinge portion 21 has a long hinge hand 21a and a hinge plate 21b integrally formed in a U-shape, and the hinge hand 21a side has a second keyboard portion 12 and a hinge plate. The side 21b is in communication with the horizontal plate portion 18 respectively. The shape of the hinge plate 21b has a concavo-convex surface corresponding to the number of steps of the key switch 20 of the keyboard, and is formed symmetrically with the divided shape of the second keyboard portion 12, so that the second state in the stored state is the second. The division | segmentation shape of the keyboard part 12 and the hinge board 21b which has an uneven surface can be contact | abutted. The uneven shape of the hinge plate 21 b is the same as the divided shape of the first keyboard portion 11. As described above, the reason why the first keyboard portion 11 and the hinge portion 21 have an uneven surface is that the keyboard key arrangement conforming to the JIS standard is not arranged in a grid pattern but has a stepped wave shape. It is.

  In addition, a connection mode between the first keyboard portion 11 and the second keyboard portion 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3B and 3C. In FIGS. 3B and 3C, illustration of key switches of the keyboard is omitted.

  In the middle of deployment, the second keyboard 12 is rotated clockwise by sliding the first keyboard 11 to the left, or the second keyboard 12 is rotated clockwise. The first keyboard part 11 and the second keyboard part 12 change the opening / closing angle of the both through the connecting shafts located at the connection points A and A ′, such as the first keyboard part 11 sliding leftward. . As the opening / closing angle of both keyboards increases (0 ° → 180 °), the hinge hand 21a approaches gradually so as to be positioned in parallel with the pedestal 10, and the horizontal plate portion 18 enters a descending state.

  In the middle of storage, the second keyboard unit 12 is rotated counterclockwise by sliding the first keyboard unit 11 in the right direction, or the second keyboard unit 12 is rotated counterclockwise. Thus, the first keyboard part 11 and the second keyboard part 12 can open and close their opening / closing angles via the connecting shafts located at the connecting points A and A ′. Change. As the opening and closing angles of both keyboards become smaller (180 degrees → 0 degrees), the hinge hand 21a is positioned on the first keyboard section 11 so as to be gradually parallel to the base 10, and the horizontal plate section 18 is in an upright state. Become. At this time, the support body 11a of the first keyboard portion 11 is integrally formed with a thin plate portion protruding toward the second keyboard portion 12 from the connection points A and A ′, and the tip of the thin plate portion is a horizontal plate. Abuts against the portion 18. The first keyboard portion 11 does not have the connection points A and A ′ as the final ends, but forms a thin plate portion ahead of the connection points A and A ′ and extends the final ends. This is because the shape of the eleven division surfaces is uneven, and the length of the convex portion (the portion corresponding to the key switch of the alphabet “U” in FIG. 5) is also taken into consideration.

  As described above, the portable electronic device 1 includes the pedestal 10, the display unit 14 that can be opened and closed with respect to the pedestal 10, and the keyboards 11 and 12 that can be folded. The first keyboard portion 11 is slidable, and the second keyboard portion 12 is rotatable with respect to the first keyboard portion 11. The key switch surfaces of the keyboard unit 12 face each other. The pedestal 10 and the second keyboard portion 12 are connected by a hinge portion 21 having an uneven surface shape symmetrical to the shape of the divided surface of the second keyboard portion 12, and in the stored state, the divided surface and the uneven surface And abut. As a result, since the split surface of the second keyboard portion 12 and the concave and convex surface of the hinge portion 21 have a symmetrical shape, the split surface and the concave and convex surface can be brought into contact with each other in the stored state, and dust from the outside Is difficult to enter, and the built-in object 30 of the portable electronic device 1 can be hidden from the point of view of beauty.

  In the portable electronic device 1, a lateral plate portion 18 that can move up and down with the rotation of the second keyboard portion 12 is attached to the other end of the pedestal 10. Is configured to cover the pedestal 10 and the divided surface of the first keyboard portion 11, and according to this, the thickness of the pedestal 10 is obtained when the horizontal plate portion 18 stands up with respect to the pedestal 10. Since the open end formed in the direction and the thickness direction of the first keyboard portion 11 can be covered with the horizontal plate portion 18, it is difficult for dust from the outside to enter in the stored state, and it is also portable from the point of view of beauty. The built-in object 30 of the electronic device 1 can be hidden.

  As described above, the first keyboard portion 11, the second keyboard portion 12, the hinge portion 21, and the lateral plate portion 18, and the first keyboard portion 11 and the second keyboard portion 12 with respect to the pedestal 10 and the display board 13. Positioning is done. In particular, the first keyboard portion 11 is slid by approximately half of the lateral length of the pedestal 10, so that the divided surfaces of the first keyboard portion 11 and the second keyboard portion 12 become the pedestal 10 and the display board. 13, the first keyboard unit 11 and the second keyboard unit 12 connected to the display board 13 (display unit 14) are arranged at the approximate center.

  In the present embodiment, the first keyboard portion 11 and the second keyboard portion 12 that are slidably connected to the display board 13 may be arranged at substantially the center. Since the frame rail etc. which slide the board 13 are needed separately and a structure becomes complicated, it is preferable to make the 1st keyboard part 11 slide.

  Next, the mechanism of the second leg portion 16 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a view for explaining the mechanism of the second leg portion 16 of the portable electronic device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In the second leg portion 16, a guide plate 16a and a leg plate 16b are rotatably connected by the same rotation shaft 23, and a spring body 24 is wound around the rotation shaft 23 to attach the leg plate 16b. It is fast. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the leg plate 16b presses the pedestal 10 by urging. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the leg plate 16b is slid to move away from the pedestal 10 and the urging is released. The leg plate 16b protrudes upward (substantially in the vertical direction). The height h2 of the leg plate 16b is substantially the same as the length from the bottom surface of the second keyboard portion 12 to the bottom surface of the base 10 (see FIG. 1B), and when the key switch 20 of the second keyboard portion 12 is pressed. In addition, the second keyboard unit 12 is prevented from wobbling. Further, in the retracted state of the second leg portion 16, the protruding leg plate 16b can be retracted substantially in parallel with the guide plate 16a, so that the appearance is not impaired.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the keyboard is firmly fixed by the first leg portion 15 and the second leg portion 16, and the play caused by pressing of the keyboard key due to the gap between the base 10 and the keyboard is generated. Can prevent sticking. Moreover, when storing, the 1st leg part 15 and the 2nd leg part 16 are put in the base 10, and it becomes a compact shape and prevents impairing aesthetics.

  In addition, by forming the shape of the hinge portion 21 symmetrically with the divided surface of the divided keyboard, the divided surface can be almost filled in the stored state, so that it is difficult for dust from the outside to enter, From this point, the built-in object of the portable electronic device 1 can be hidden.

  Further, the horizontal plate portion 18 formed wider than the sum of the thicknesses of the pedestal 10 and the first keyboard portion 11 prevents the mutual key switches 20 from interfering with each other when the keyboard is folded. 1 to prevent foreign matter such as dust and dirt from entering the portable electronic device 1 from the open end of the keyboard portion 11.

  In addition, since the keyboard layout has six levels in the vertical direction, Roman letters and special key layouts are possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first leg portion 15 provided at the side end of the first keyboard portion 11, the second leg portion 16 provided at one end of the pedestal 10 and slidable, However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a first leg 15 ′ and a second leg 16 that are slidable at both ends of the base 10 are provided. Thus, even if these leg portions 15 'and 16 are configured to be slidable in opposite directions, it is possible to prevent the two keyboards from rattling due to the space formed below the keyboard. 15′a has the same configuration as 16a, and 15′b has the same configuration as 16b.

It is the figure which showed the expansion | deployment state of the portable electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the rear view which showed the expansion | deployment state of the portable electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a partial expansion perspective view of a hinge part. It is a figure for demonstrating the mechanism of the 2nd leg part of the portable electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the division | segmentation surface of a 1st keyboard part and a 2nd keyboard part. It is a figure which shows the modification of the portable electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable electronic device 10 Base 11 1st keyboard part 12 2nd keyboard part 13 Display board 14 Display part

Claims (6)

A pedestal, a display unit that can be opened and closed with respect to the pedestal, and a foldable keyboard;
The keyboard includes a first keyboard portion that is slidable with respect to the pedestal, and a second keyboard portion that is rotatable with respect to the first keyboard portion. A portable electronic device in which the key switch surfaces of the keyboard portion and the second keyboard portion face each other,
In the stored state, the first keyboard and the second keyboard are positioned between the pedestal and the display unit, and in the unfolded state, the first keyboard unit slides relative to the pedestal, and The second keyboard unit rotates in a direction opposite to the first keyboard unit, and the display unit is positioned substantially in the center with respect to the first keyboard unit and the second keyboard unit. A portable electronic device. A pedestal, a display unit that can be opened and closed with respect to the pedestal, and a foldable keyboard;
The keyboard includes a first keyboard portion that is slidable with respect to the pedestal, and a second keyboard portion that is rotatable with respect to the first keyboard portion. A portable electronic device in which the key switch surfaces of the keyboard portion and the second keyboard portion face each other,
In the unfolded state, the portable electronic device is characterized in that legs corresponding to the height of the pedestal are positioned on the lower part of the first keyboard part and the lower part of the second keyboard part.   The leg portions are a first leg portion provided at a side end of the first keyboard portion, and a second leg portion slidably provided at one end of the pedestal. The portable electronic device according to claim 2.   The second leg portion can be loaded and unloaded by the urging means, and is normally urged by pressing the pedestal. When the leg plate is separated from the pedestal by sliding movement, the urging is released and the pedestal is moved upward. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, further comprising a mechanism that protrudes toward the second keyboard portion.   5. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the pedestal is formed with a recess capable of accommodating the first leg at the other end.   6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard has six-stage keyboard keys.

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