JP2010252237A - Circuit unit and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a circuit unit and electronic apparatus for achieving further downsizing by reducing electronic components to be mounted on a circuit board, without incurring any trouble, by attaining effective utilization of a connector for inspection. <P>SOLUTION: A circuit unit includes a circuit board 140 and a flexible cable 120 connected to the circuit board, wherein the circuit board includes a connector 152 for inspection to be used for signal input/output inspection when manufacturing the circuit unit on a connection plane with the flexible cable and the flexible cable includes a connecting part 124 which is connected to the connector for inspection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a circuit unit on which electronic components are mounted, a circuit unit having a flexible cable, and an electronic apparatus including the circuit unit.

  In recent years, portable electronic devices represented by mobile phones, PHS (Personal Handy phone System), PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and the like have been reduced in size, weight, and thickness to improve portability.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electrical connector having a plug connector and a receptacle connector that can be detachably fitted to each other. According to this, it is said that a reduction in height can be achieved by bringing the terminals of the receptacle connector into contact with lands formed on the PCB of the plug connector.

  The electronic device is provided with a circuit unit including a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted and a flexible cable connected to the circuit board. Such circuit units are also required to be miniaturized.

Special table 2007-517356

  By the way, the circuit board as described above is provided with an inspection connector used for signal input / output inspection when the circuit unit is manufactured. Such an inspection connector is used only at the time of inspection, and is not used at the time of actual use of a circuit unit, and by extension, an electronic device in which the circuit unit is mounted. Ensuring such an arrangement space for the connector for inspection is one of the obstacles to downsizing the apparatus.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a circuit unit and an electronic device that can achieve further miniaturization.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a circuit unit according to the present invention is a circuit unit including a circuit board and a flexible cable connected to the circuit board, and the circuit board includes a flexible cable and a flexible cable. The connection surface is provided with an inspection connector used for signal input / output inspection at the time of manufacturing the circuit unit, and the flexible cable has a connection portion connected to the inspection connector.

  The flexible cable may be connected to the ground via the inspection connector by connecting the connecting portion to the inspection connector.

  The circuit board may further include a wireless communication circuit, and the inspection connector may be an RF connector for inspecting the operation of the wireless communication circuit.

  Said connection part is good to consist of a plate-shaped metal member.

  The connection portion may be a receptacle connector that can be coupled to the inspection connector.

  Said flexible cable has a connection part and a cable side connector in the edge part of the side connected to a circuit board, and a circuit board has a board side connector couple | bonded with a cable side connector on the connection surface with a flexible cable. And a flexible region may be provided between the connection portion and the cable side connector.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a typical configuration of an electronic device according to the present invention includes a circuit unit having a circuit board and a flexible cable connected to the circuit board, and the circuit board includes a flexible cable. The connection surface has an inspection connector used for signal input / output inspection at the time of manufacturing the circuit unit, and the flexible cable has a connection portion connected to the inspection connector.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the circuit unit and electronic device which can achieve further size reduction can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the mobile telephone concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram explaining schematic structure of the mobile telephone concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the mobile telephone concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the connection relation of RF connector which is a test | inspection connector. It is a functional block diagram explaining schematic structure of the mobile telephone concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the mobile telephone concerning 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  In the following embodiments, a mobile phone will be described as an example of an electronic device including a circuit unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the electronic apparatus according to the present invention may be an apparatus including a circuit unit having a circuit board and a flexible cable. For example, a PHS (Personal Handy-pone System) terminal, a personal computer, a notebook The present invention is also applied to various electronic devices capable of acquiring e-mails such as personal computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), digital cameras, music players, car navigation systems, portable TVs, game devices, DVD players, remote controllers, etc. Can do.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of a mobile phone according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram of the mobile phone according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows a detailed structure. In particular, FIG. 3A is a diagram showing details of a circuit board provided in the second housing, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment includes a first casing 110 and a second casing 130 connected to the first casing 110 via a hinge 102. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 100 includes a first casing 110, a flexible cable 120, and a second casing 130.

  The first housing 110 includes a display unit 112, an audio output unit 114, and a first antenna 116. The display unit 112 is configured with a liquid crystal display, an EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and the like, and displays a telephone number of a caller or a caller or a GUI (Graphical User Interface) of an application such as a mailer or a browser.

  The voice output unit 114 is configured by a speaker, and converts the voice signal of the call partner received by the mobile phone 100 into voice and outputs it. The voice output unit 114 can also output a ring tone, an operation confirmation sound of the operation unit 134 described later, an alarm sound, and the like.

  The first antenna 116 is an antenna built in the first housing 110 and performs wireless communication with the base station 104.

  The flexible cable 120 has one end connected to the first housing 110 and the other end connected to the second housing 130 via the hinge portion 102. Thereby, the member provided in the first housing 110 and the member provided in the second housing 130 can be connected. In particular, in the present embodiment, the other end of the flexible cable 120 is connected to the circuit board 140 provided in the second housing 130. The flexible cable 120 and a circuit board 140 described later constitute a circuit unit provided in the mobile phone 100.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the flexible cable 120 includes a cable-side connector 122 and a connection portion 124 at an end portion on the side connected to the circuit board 140. The cable side connector 122 is coupled to the board side connector 150 provided on the circuit board 140.

  In the present embodiment, the connection unit 124 is strongly connected to the ground of the first housing 110. Specifically, apart from the wiring provided in the flexible cable 120, a wide range of conductors (shields) are placed on the surface of the flexible cable, and the connection portion 124 is a land. The connecting portion 124 is connected to an inspection connector 152 provided on the circuit board 140 as will be described later. In this embodiment, the connection part 124 is comprised from a plate-shaped metal member. The connection part 124 is electrically connected to the inspection connector 152 by being pressed by the inside of the second housing 130. Such a configuration is simple in structure and can be manufactured at low cost.

  The second housing 130 includes a voice input unit 132, an operation unit 134, a circuit board 140, and a second antenna 148. The voice input unit 132 includes voice conversion means such as a microphone, and converts a user voice input during a call into an electrical signal that can be processed in the mobile phone 100. The operation unit 134 includes switches such as a keyboard, a cross key, and a joystick, and accepts user operation inputs.

  The second antenna 148 is an antenna built in the second housing 130, is connected to a radio communication unit 146 described later, and performs radio communication with the base station 104. As already described, in the mobile phone 100, the first antenna 116 is built in the first casing 110. Therefore, the mobile phone 100 has two antennas, the first antenna 116 and the second antenna 148. Therefore, it is possible to adopt a so-called diversity method in which a radio signal from the base station 104 is received by two antennas, the radio field intensity is evaluated, and the radio signal of the antenna having the higher radio field intensity is used for communication. As a result, the communication stability of the mobile phone 100 can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the mobile phone 100 includes two antennas including the first antenna 116 and the second antenna 148, but the present invention is not limited to this. Three or more antennas may be provided. If the diversity method is not adopted, it is sufficient to provide one antenna.

  The circuit board 140 is a board on which electronic components are mounted, and constitutes a circuit unit provided in the mobile phone 100 together with the flexible cable 120. The circuit board 140 includes a control unit 142, a memory 144, a wireless communication unit 146, a board-side connector 150, and an inspection connector 152.

  The control unit 142 includes a semiconductor integrated circuit including a central processing unit (CPU), and manages and controls the entire mobile phone 100. Further, using a program stored in the memory 144 described later, a call function, a mail transmission / reception function, an imaging function, a music playback function, and a TV viewing function are also performed. The memory 144 includes a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, a nonvolatile RAM, a flash memory, an HDD, and the like, and stores a program processed by the control unit 142.

  The wireless communication unit 146 is a so-called wireless communication circuit (RF circuit). For example, the wireless communication unit 146 establishes wireless communication with the base station 104 through a wireless communication method based on a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) method, and performs voice communication with a communication partner. Data communication such as communication and acquisition of Web information is executed. The board-side connector 150 is provided on a connection surface of the circuit board 140 with the flexible cable 120 and is coupled to the cable-side connector 122.

  The inspection connector 152 is a connector provided on the connection surface of the circuit board 140 with the flexible cable 120 and used for signal input / output inspection when the circuit unit is manufactured. Generally, the ground terminal 152b of the inspection connector 152 is connected to the ground (not shown) inside the circuit board 140. Therefore, the flexible cable 120 is connected to the ground via the inspection connector 152 when the connection portion 124 is connected to the inspection connector 152. For this reason, the ground wiring in the flexible cable provided in the conventional circuit unit can be reduced.

  Here, in order to connect the connecting portion 124 of the flexible cable and the ground of the circuit board 140, it is conceivable to arrange a tab (contact terminal) on the circuit board 140. However, the inspection connector 152 configured as described above is not used when the mobile phone 100 is actually used (after assembly). Therefore, the tabs can be reduced by using the inspection connector 152 also for connection between the connection portion 124 and the ground. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the circuit board and thus the electronic device.

  In particular, in this embodiment, an RF connector for inspecting the operation of the wireless communication circuit (wireless communication unit 146) is used as the inspection connector 152. The RF connector receives an RF (Radio Frequency) signal for checking the operation of a wireless communication circuit (wireless communication unit 146) provided on the circuit board 140.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the connection relationship of the RF connector which is the inspection connector 152. As shown in FIG. 4, the first antenna 116 and the second antenna 148 are connected to the wireless communication unit 146 (RF circuit), and the inspection connector 152 (RF connector) is wirelessly communicated on the circuit board 140. Branching from the wiring pattern of the portion 146 and the second antenna 148 is provided. The ground terminal 152b of the inspection connector 152 is connected to the ground. Since the connection between the inspection connector 152 (RF connector) and the ground (not shown) is very strong, an RF connector can be used as the inspection connector 152 as in the present embodiment via the flexible cable 120. This is most preferable because the member on the first casing 110 side can be strongly connected to the ground.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the flexible cable 120 is provided with the cable-side connector 122 and the connection portion 124, and the circuit board 140 has the board-side connector 150 coupled to the cable-side connector 122 and the connection portion 124. The inspection connector 152 (RF connector) to be connected to is provided. When these are connected and connected, first, as shown by the one-dot chain line on the left of FIG. And it is made to contact | abut to the part provided with the connector 152 for a test | inspection. As a result, the flexible cable 120 and the circuit board 140 are in the state shown on the right in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 3B, the cable side connector 122 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 3B) is fitted into the board side connector 150, and these are coupled. The connection portion 124 is in contact with the upper portion of the inspection connector 152. Therefore, the member on the first housing 110 side and the member on the second housing 130 side can be connected via the flexible cable 120, and in particular, the connection portion 124 and the inspection connector 152 can be connected, and the flexible cable 120 can be connected via the flexible cable 120. The member on the first housing 110 side can be connected to the ground.

  In this embodiment, the inspection connector 152 is a coaxial connector and includes a signal pin 152a at the center and a substantially cylindrical ground terminal 152b around the signal pin 152a. The ground terminal 152b is formed in a shape protruding upward from the signal pin 152a. Therefore, when the connection portion 124 is pressed against the inspection connector 152, the connection portion 124 contacts only the ground terminal 152b and does not contact the signal pin 152a.

  As described above, according to the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment, the inspection connector 152 that is not conventionally used when the circuit unit is actually used and the flexible cable 120 (connection portion 124) are connected, and the inspection connector is connected. 152 can be used effectively. As a result, the inspection connector 152 can be used for a function other than its original purpose, and other electronic members having the function can be reduced. Therefore, the electronic components provided on the circuit board 140 can be reduced, and the circuit board 140 and thus the circuit unit can be downsized.

  In addition, by strongly connecting the grounds of the first housing 110 and the second housing 130, the reference potentials of both can be matched to high frequencies. Accordingly, it is possible to stabilize the operation of each LSI, liquid crystal module, and the like, and obtain a resonance frequency as designed when the first antenna 116 provided in the first housing 110 is a λ / 4 ground antenna. Therefore, the first antenna 116 can exhibit desired performance.

[Second Embodiment]
A second embodiment of the mobile phone according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a mobile phone according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a detailed structure of the mobile phone according to the second embodiment. In addition, since the external appearance of the mobile phone according to the second embodiment is the same as the external appearance of the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment, illustration is omitted. Further, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the difference between the mobile phone 200 according to the second embodiment and the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment is a connection portion 224 and a flexible region 120a provided in the flexible cable 120. Therefore, hereinafter, the connection part 224 and the flexible region 120a will be described in detail.

  The connection unit 224 is connected to an inspection connector 152 provided on the circuit board 140. In the present embodiment, the connection portion 224 is configured by a receptacle connector that can be coupled to the inspection connector 152. Thereby, since the inspection connector 152 is coupled with the receptacle connector in a fitted state, the connection strength between the inspection connector 152 and the connection portion 224 can be increased. Further, since the contact area between the inspection connector 152 and the connection portion 224 is increased, the stability of electrical connection can be improved.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the flexible cable 120 is provided with a flexible region 120 a between the connection portion 224 and the cable-side connector 122. Thereby, both the connection part 224 and the cable side connector 122 can be reliably connected to the corresponding connectors.

  Specifically, as described in detail in the first embodiment, the board-side connector 150 and the inspection connector 152 are provided on the plate-like circuit board 140. Since the board-side connector 150 and the inspection connector 152 are not necessarily the same height, when they are arranged on the circuit board 140, the upper end of the board-side connector 150 and the upper end of the inspection connector 152 are different from each other. May be in a different position. For example, in FIGS. 2A and 6A, the upper end of the inspection connector 152 is higher than the upper end of the board-side connector 150.

  At this time, it is assumed that the connection portion 224 and the cable side connector 122 that are not provided with the flexible region 120a are connected to the inspection connector 152 and the board side connector 150. Then, when the connector (inspection connector 152 in this embodiment) provided on the circuit board 140 and having a high upper end is connected to the corresponding member (connection portion 224) on the flexible cable 120 side, the upper end is The connection between the connector at the lower position (board-side connector 150) and the member facing it (cable-side connector 122) will be incomplete.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, the flexible region 120 a is provided between the connection portion 224 and the cable side connector 122. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6B, the flexible region 120 a is deformed in accordance with the arrangement of the connection portion 224 and the cable-side connector 122 provided in the flexible cable 120. Therefore, it is possible to completely connect the connector whose upper end is low and the member facing the connector (the other of the connection portion or the cable side connector).

  As described above, according to the mobile phone 200 according to the second embodiment, similarly to the mobile phone 100 according to the first embodiment, the inspection connector 152 is effectively used to be provided on the circuit board 140. Electronic parts can be reduced. Therefore, the circuit board 140, and thus the circuit unit, can be downsized. Further, by providing the flexible region 120a, the connection portion 224 and the cable side connector 122 can be reliably connected (coupled) to the corresponding connector.

  Further, since the connector 224 is a receptacle connector, the connector 224 can be used for signal input / output instead of or simultaneously with the ground connection. For example, when the inspection connector 152 is an RF connector, the wiring in the flexible cable 120 is similarly reduced by connecting the signal pins of the RF connector to the feeding point of the antenna. To reduce the attenuation of the received signal.

  Further, if the inspection connector 152 is a power supply connector for inspection, power may be supplied to the first housing 110 via the connection portions 124 and 224. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the number of power lines that normally require a plurality of cables in the flexible cable 120 and to reduce the width of the flexible cable 120.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  The present invention can be used as a circuit unit having a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted and a flexible cable, and an electronic apparatus including the circuit unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Mobile phone 102 ... Hinge part 104 ... Base station 110 ... 1st housing 112 ... Display part 114 ... Audio | voice output part 116 ... 1st antenna 120 ... Flexible cable 120a ... Flexible area 122 ... Cable side connector 124 ... Connection part 130 ... second housing 132 ... voice input unit 134 ... operation unit 140 ... circuit board 142 ... control unit 144 ... memory 146 ... wireless communication unit 148 ... second antenna 150 ... board-side connector 152 ... inspection connector 152a ... signal pin 152b ... Ground terminal 200 ... mobile phone 224 ... connection part

Claims (7)

A circuit unit comprising a circuit board and a flexible cable connected to the circuit board,
The circuit board has a connector for inspection used for signal input / output inspection at the time of manufacturing the circuit unit on the connection surface with the flexible cable,
The circuit unit, wherein the flexible cable has a connection portion connected to the inspection connector.   The circuit unit according to claim 1, wherein the flexible cable is connected to a ground via the inspection connector when the connection portion is connected to the inspection connector. The circuit board further includes a wireless communication circuit,
The circuit unit according to claim 1, wherein the inspection connector is an RF connector for inspecting an operation of the wireless communication circuit.   4. The circuit unit according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion is made of a plate-shaped metal member. 5.   4. The circuit unit according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion is a receptacle connector that can be coupled to the inspection connector. 5. The flexible cable has the connection part and a cable side connector at an end part on a side connected to the circuit board,
The circuit board has a board-side connector coupled to the cable-side connector on a connection surface with the flexible cable,
The circuit unit according to claim 1, wherein a flexible region is provided between the connection portion and the cable-side connector. A circuit board;
A flexible cable connected to the circuit board;
Comprising a circuit unit having
The circuit board has a connector for inspection used for signal input / output inspection at the time of manufacturing the circuit unit on the connection surface with the flexible cable,
The flexible device has a connection portion connected to the inspection connector.

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