JP2012186671A - Terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal device having excellent design, in which the upper face of a first case and the upper face of a second case are arranged on an identical plane, without exposure of a connection portion between the first case and the second case on the side faces thereof.SOLUTION: A terminal device 10 comprises: a first case 1; a second case 2 overlaid on the first case 1; a pair of sliders 31, disposed on both sides of the first case 1, sliding to a direction orthogonal to a width direction; and a parallel link, disposed on the top end side of the slider 31 in a slide direction, for connecting between the slider 31 and the second case 2 while maintaining a parallel state therebetween. The parallel link is formed of two connection members 32 mutually disposed apart in the slide direction. The connection members 32 connect between the slider 1 and the second case 2, and rotationally move around an axis orthogonal to the slide direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device provided with a slide mechanism.

  In recent years, multifunctional mobile phones represented by smartphones have been widely used. Many of these multi-function mobile phones have a first housing having an input device such as a numeric keypad or a QWERTY key, a second housing having a display device such as a liquid crystal display device, and the first housing. A slide mechanism that slidably supports the second housing.

  In such a terminal device, when the second housing is slid, the input device of the first housing is exposed, and the user operates the input device while viewing the screen of the display device to execute a desired operation on the terminal device. It becomes possible to make it.

JP 2009-71588 A JP-T 2009-519671 JP 2010-130264 A

  A terminal device in which an upper surface of a first housing and an upper surface of a second housing are arranged on the same plane, and a connecting portion between the first housing and the second housing is not exposed on a side surface and has excellent design. The purpose is to provide.

  According to one aspect of the disclosed technology, the first casing, the second casing overlying the first casing, and the first casing are disposed on both sides in the width direction and orthogonal to the width direction. A pair of sliders that slide in a sliding direction, and parallel links that are respectively arranged on the distal ends in the sliding direction of the pair of sliders and connect the slider and the second casing while maintaining a parallel state. The parallel links are spaced apart from each other in the sliding direction to connect the slider and the second housing, and two connecting members that are rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the sliding direction. There is provided a terminal device formed to include.

  According to the above aspect, the terminal device is deformed from a state in which the first housing and the second housing are overlapped to a state in which the first housing and the second housing are aligned on the same plane. be able to. Moreover, the connection part of a 1st housing and a 2nd housing is not exposed to a side surface, and the design property of a terminal device is excellent.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. 3A to 3C are perspective views of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. 4A to 4C are perspective views of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the terminal device according to the second embodiment. 7A to 7C are perspective views of the terminal device according to the second embodiment. 8A to 8C are cross-sectional views of the terminal device according to the second embodiment. FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating a gap between the first casing and the second casing of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a gap between the first casing and the second casing of the terminal device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a state in which the two connecting members rotate in opposite directions and the parallelism between the first casing and the second casing cannot be maintained in the terminal device according to the second embodiment. FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a connection bar that connects the central portions of two connection members is provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a terminal device according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the terminal device. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, the second casing 2 is shown in an inverted state.

  The terminal device 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped first casing 1 and second casing 2 and a pair of connecting units 3 that slidably connect the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 to each other. . Hereinafter, the front side in the sliding direction of the second housing 2 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) is referred to as the front end side, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear end side. A direction perpendicular to the sliding direction is called a width direction.

  Touch panel liquid crystal display devices 1a and 2a are arranged on the upper surface side of the first casing 1 and the second casing 2, respectively. Characters, images, icons, keyboards (virtual keyboards), etc. are displayed on the screens of these liquid crystal display devices 1a, 2a, or desired operations are performed on the terminal device 10 by touching the icons, keyboards, etc. displayed on the screens. Can be made.

  The connecting unit 3 is arranged in the first housing 1 and moves in the sliding direction, two connecting members 32 arranged on the front end side of the slider 31, and slide assist for assisting the movement of the slider 31. Member 33.

  The first housing 1 is provided with a space 13 for housing the connecting unit 3, and a guide rail 12 extending in the sliding direction is provided at a portion where the slider 31 is disposed. On the other hand, a groove 31 a that engages with the guide rail 12 is provided on the lower surface side of the slider 31, and the slider 31 moves along a predetermined range along the guide rail 12. Further, a groove 21 that can accommodate the slider 31 is provided on the lower surface side (the upper surface in FIG. 2) of the second housing 2.

  The two connecting members 32 are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction) of the slider 31. One end side of these connecting members 32 is rotatably connected to a connecting portion 31 b provided on the tip end side of the slider 31, and the other end side is a connection provided on the tip end side in the groove 21 of the second housing 2. The part 21a is pivotally connected.

  Since the lengths of the connecting members 32 are the same, and the distance between the connecting portions 31b and the distance between the connecting portions 21a are set to be the same, the connecting member 32 acts as a so-called parallel link. That is, the distance in the height direction between the second casing 2 and the slider 31 is changed by the rotation of the connecting member 32, but the second casing 2 is always kept parallel to the slider 31.

  An opening 11 extending in the sliding direction is provided at a position corresponding to the connecting member 32 on the upper surface side of the first casing 1. For this reason, the connecting member 32 can move in the sliding direction while the slider 31 and the second casing 2 are connected. The opening 11 is provided with a cover 14 that engages with a convex portion 31 c provided at the rear end portion of the slider 31 and moves together with the slider 31. Even if the slider 31 moves, the cover 11 moves from the opening 11 to the first. The inside of the housing 1 is not exposed.

  The slide assist member 33 has a plurality of coil springs, one end of which is rotatably connected to a fulcrum 13 a provided on the center side in the first housing 1, and the other end is disposed behind the slider 31. It is rotatably connected to the vicinity of the end side. The slide assist member 33 always urges the slider 31 in a direction away from the fulcrum 13a.

  Note that the electronic circuit on the first housing 1 side and the electronic circuit on the second housing 2 side are electrically connected via a flexible cable disposed along the slider 31.

  FIGS. 3A to 3C are perspective views of the terminal device 10, FIGS. 4A to 4C are perspective views of the terminal device 10, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are the same. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the terminal device 10. FIG. 5A to 5C show cross sections of the slider portion.

  The terminal device 10 according to the present embodiment is deformed as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C by moving the movable housing 2 relative to the fixed housing 1.

  FIG. 3A shows a state in which the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 overlap each other. Hereinafter, this state is referred to as a closed state. Even in the closed state, the terminal device 10 of the present embodiment can be operated by touching an icon displayed on the display device 2a of the second housing 2 when the power is on.

  In the terminal device 10 of this embodiment, a force in a direction away from the fulcrum 13 a is applied to the rear end portion of the slider 31 by the slide assist member 33. Therefore, in the closed state, the slider 31 is located on the rear end side of the slidable range as shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A and is housed in the first housing 1. . At this time, the connecting member 32 is connected to the movable housing 2 while standing substantially perpendicular to the slider 31.

  When opening the terminal device 10, the user pushes the second casing 2 toward the distal end side (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3A). When the user pushes out the second casing 2, the second casing 2 slides toward the distal end side against the urging force of the slide assist member 33. As the second housing 2 moves, the slide assist member 33 is compressed, and a repulsive force is accumulated in the slide assist member 33.

  Then, when the second casing 2 exceeds approximately the middle point of the slidable range, the slide assist member 33 starts to expand, and the repulsive force accumulated in the slide assist member 33 is released. As a result, a force toward the distal end side is applied to the slider 31, and the second casing 2 slides to the distal end side of the slidable range as shown in FIGS. 3 (b), 4 (b), and 5 (b). To do. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the connecting member 32 maintains a vertical state, and there is a step between the upper surface of the first housing 1 and the upper surface of the second housing 2. .

  Next, for example, when the user pushes down the second housing 2 with his / her finger diagonally downward (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 5B), FIG. 3C, FIG. 4C, and FIG. Thus, the connecting member 32 falls and becomes horizontal, and the slider 31 is accommodated in the groove 21 on the lower surface side of the second casing 2. At this time, the thickness of the slider 31 and the depth of the groove 21 are set in advance so that the upper surface of the first housing 1 and the upper surface of the second housing 2 are aligned on the same plane. In this way, the terminal device 10 can be opened.

  When the terminal device 10 is opened, for example, a keyboard displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display device 1a of the first housing 1 is touched to input characters or the like on the screen of the liquid crystal display device 2a of the second housing 2. Can do. Further, for example, by touching an icon or other image displayed on the liquid crystal display device 1a of the first housing 1, the image displayed on the liquid crystal display device 2a of the second housing 2 can be controlled.

  When the terminal device 10 is closed, an operation opposite to the above operation is performed. That is, after the second casing 2 is lifted until the connecting member 32 is in a vertical state, the second casing 2 is slid to the rear end side. When the second casing 2 is slid to the substantially middle point in the sliding direction, the slider 31 is moved to the rear end side of the slidable range by the urging force of the slide assist member 33. In this way, the terminal device 10 can be closed.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, after the second casing 2 is slid to the distal end side of the slidable range, the connecting member 32 is tilted horizontally, whereby the upper surface of the first casing 1 is moved to the second position. The upper surface of the housing 2 can be arranged on the same plane. Thereby, for example, when the terminal apparatus 10 is placed on a flat desk and operated, the terminal apparatus 10 is stabilized and good operability is obtained.

  Further, the terminal device 10 of this embodiment is excellent in design because the slide mechanism and the coupling mechanism are not exposed when the terminal device 10 is in the closed state. Furthermore, since the terminal device 10 of the present embodiment is provided with the slide assist member 33 that assists the movement of the slider 31, if the second casing 2 is slid to some extent, the second casing 2 is then slid. It automatically moves to the front end side or rear end side of the possible range. Thereby, the terminal device 10 can be easily opened and can be easily closed.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the terminal device according to the second embodiment. 7A to 7C are perspective views of the terminal device, and FIGS. 8A to 8C are cross-sectional views of the terminal device. 6-8, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to FIG. 1-FIG.

  As with the first embodiment, the terminal device 30 according to the present embodiment is provided with guide rails 12 on both sides in the width direction inside the first housing 1. A groove 41a is provided on the lower surface side of the slider 41. With the groove 41a engaged with the guide rail 12, the slider 41 slides in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction).

  Two connecting members 42 are arranged on the tip end side of the slider 41 so as to be separated from each other in the sliding direction. One end side of these connecting members 42 is pivotally connected to a connection portion provided on the tip end side of the slider 41, and the other end side is a connection portion provided on the tip end side in the groove 21 of the second housing 2. 21a is rotatably connected. On the rear end side of the slider 41, a convex portion 41c that engages with the cover 14 is provided.

  Also in this embodiment, the two connecting members 42 connected to the same slider 41 function as parallel links. And even if the distance of the height direction of the 2nd housing 2 and the slider 41 changes by rotation of the connection member 42, the 2nd housing 2 always maintains a parallel state with respect to the slider 41. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, a coil spring 43 is connected to the connecting member 42 on the distal end side. The coil spring 43 biases the upper part of the connecting member 42 toward the rear end side. As shown in FIG. 8A, a stopper 41d is provided on the front end side of the slider 41 to prevent the connecting member 42 from falling over a predetermined angle. In a state where the terminal device 30 is closed, the connecting member 42 is in contact with the stopper 41d and is slightly inclined toward the rear end side.

  When opening the terminal device 30, as shown in FIG. 8B, the second casing 2 is slid to the tip side of the slidable range. Thereafter, the user moves the second casing 2 so as to push it further toward the distal end. Thereby, the 2nd housing 2 moves along the circle (circle shown with a dashed-dotted line in Drawing 8 (b)) which connecting member 42 draws. FIG. 8C shows a state in which the second casing 2 is moved until the connecting member 42 becomes substantially horizontal.

  When the second casing 2 is further moved downward from this state, the slider 41 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the groove 21 as shown in FIG. At this time, the thickness of the slider 41 and the depth of the groove 21 are set so that the upper surface of the first housing 1 and the upper surface of the second housing 2 are positioned on the same plane. In this way, the terminal device 30 can be opened.

  In the terminal device 10 according to the first embodiment described above, the connecting member 32 is in a state of standing perpendicular to the slider 31 when the terminal device 10 is closed. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, after the second housing 2 is slid to the tip side of the slidable range, the connecting member 32 is rotated 90 degrees from the vertical state to the horizontal state. I am letting. Therefore, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A, the distal end portion of the first housing 1 is a curved surface having the same curvature as the rotation radius of the connecting member 32.

  In this case, when the terminal device 10 is opened, a relatively large gap is generated between the front end portion of the first housing 1 and the rear end portion of the second housing 2 as shown in FIG. 9B. .

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the connecting member 42 is slightly inclined toward the rear end when the terminal device 30 is closed, when the terminal device 30 is opened, as shown in FIG. The distance between the first housing 2 and the first housing 1 increases once, and then the second housing 2 descends along the circumference. For this reason, the terminal device 30 of this embodiment can make the clearance gap between the front-end | tip part of the 1st housing 1 and the rear-end part of the 2nd housing 2 small like FIG.10 (b).

  The terminal device 30 according to the present embodiment can obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment, and in addition, the front end portion of the first housing 1 and the rear end of the second housing 2 when opened. There is an advantage that the gap between the portions is small and the design is further improved.

(Modification)
In the second embodiment described above, when the rear end side of the second casing 2 is lifted while the terminal device 30 is open, the two connecting members 42 rotate in the opposite directions as shown in FIG. The parallelism between the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 cannot be maintained. In order to avoid this, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, a connecting bar 44 that connects the central portions of the two connecting members 42 may be provided. Thereby, the 1st housing 1 and the 2nd housing 2 can always be maintained in parallel.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the touch panel type liquid crystal display device is arranged in each of the first casing and the second casing has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a QWERTY key (mechanical key) may be disposed on the first housing 1 and a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device may be disposed on the second housing 2.

  Further, in both the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the terminal device is a mobile phone is described. However, the disclosed technology is not limited to other terminal devices such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or a portable game machine. You may apply to.

  The following additional notes are disclosed with respect to the above embodiments.

(Appendix 1) a first housing;
A second housing overlying the first housing;
A pair of sliders arranged on both sides in the width direction of the first housing and sliding in a direction perpendicular to the width direction;
A parallel link that is arranged on the tip side in the sliding direction of the pair of sliders and connects the slider and the second housing while maintaining a parallel state;
The parallel link includes two connecting members that are spaced apart from each other in the sliding direction, connect the slider and the second housing, and are rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the sliding direction. A terminal device formed of

  (Supplementary note 2) The second casing is slid to the tip end side in the sliding direction of the first casing by the slider, and the upper surface of the second casing is flush with the upper surface of the first casing by the rotation of the connecting member. The terminal device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the terminal device moves to a position above the terminal device.

  (Supplementary note 3) The terminal device according to Supplementary note 1 or 2, wherein the second casing is provided with a groove capable of accommodating the slider.

  (Additional remark 4) It has a slide assist member connected between the rotation center in the said 1st housing, and the rear-end side of the said slider, and urges | biases the said slider in the direction away from the said rotation center, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The terminal device according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 3.

  (Supplementary note 5) Any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 4, wherein the connecting member is rotatable in an angle range of 90 degrees from a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction to a direction parallel to the sliding direction. The terminal device described in 1.

  (Additional remark 6) The said connection member can rotate the angle range larger than 90 degree | times including the range of 90 degree | times from the direction perpendicular | vertical to the said slide direction to the direction parallel to the said slide direction, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The terminal device according to any one of appendices 1 to 4.

  (Supplementary note 7) The terminal device according to supplementary note 6, wherein an intermediate portion of the two coupling members is coupled by a coupling bar.

  (Supplementary note 8) In any one of supplementary notes 1 to 7, wherein an input device is disposed on an upper surface of the first housing, and a display device is disposed on an upper surface of the second housing. The terminal device described.

  (Supplementary note 9) The terminal device according to any one of supplementary notes 1 to 7, wherein a touch panel display device is arranged on each of the upper surfaces of the first casing and the second casing.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st housing, 1a ... Touch panel type liquid crystal display device, 2 ... 2nd housing, 2a ... Touch panel type liquid crystal display device, 3 ... Connection unit, 10 ... Terminal device, 11 ... Opening part, 12 ... Guide rail, 13a ... fulcrum, 14 ... cover, 21 ... groove, 21a ... connector, 30 ... terminal device, 31 ... slider, 31a ... groove, 31b ... connector, 32 ... connecting member, 33 ... slide assist member, 41 ... slider, 41a ... groove, 42 ... connecting member, 43 ... coil spring, 44 ... connecting bar.

Claims (5)

A first housing;
A second housing overlying the first housing;
A pair of sliders arranged on both sides in the width direction of the first housing and sliding in a direction perpendicular to the width direction;
A parallel link that is arranged on the tip side in the sliding direction of the pair of sliders and connects the slider and the second housing while maintaining a parallel state;
The parallel link includes two connecting members that are spaced apart from each other in the sliding direction, connect the slider and the second housing, and are rotatable about an axis orthogonal to the sliding direction. A terminal device formed of   The second casing is slid by the slider to the distal end side of the first casing in the sliding direction, and the upper surface of the second casing is located on the same plane as the upper surface of the first casing by the rotation of the connecting member. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein   The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the second housing is provided with a groove in which the slider can be accommodated.   2. A slide assist member connected between a rotation center in the first casing and a rear end side of the slider, and biasing the slider in a direction away from the rotation center. 4. The terminal device according to claim 1.   The connecting member is capable of rotating an angle range larger than 90 degrees including a range of 90 degrees from a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction to a direction parallel to the sliding direction. The terminal device according to any one of 4.

Images