JP2012216977A - Foldable mobile radio apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foldable mobile radio apparatus which keeps high antenna performance and capable of stable opening and closing operation even after repetitive opening and closing operation, without increase in size of a frame.SOLUTION: The foldable mobile radio apparatus is provided with an antenna element 121 within a first frame 101, a radio circuit 113 within a second frame 102, and a hinge 100 connecting the two frames. The first frame 101 is provided with a cylindrical bearing 101b. A metal plate 117 is disposed near the cylindrical bearing 101b and electrically connected with the antenna element 121. The cylindrical bearing 101b and an insulating cylindrical axis 104 slide on a rotary sliding surface 104a. A metal member 105 is fixed to the inside of the insulating cylindrical axis 104, has an exposed surface 105a at a position adjacent to the rotary sliding surface 104a, and is capacitively coupled with a metal plate 117 at the portion.

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable wireless device such as a mobile phone, and more particularly to a foldable portable wireless device in which two housings are connected via a hinge part so as to be freely opened and closed.

  In recent years, portable wireless devices such as mobile phones have been widely used that have a foldable structure. Such a structure generally has a structure in which an upper housing and a lower housing are connected via a hinge so as to be openable and closable, and there are two forms of an open state and a closed state. I can take it.

Such a foldable portable radio can take a compact form when folded, so it can be easily stored in a bag or pocket of clothes, and when opened, the display screen and operation unit can be placed in the upper and lower casings. The surface area of the usable part can be increased.
For this reason, there is an advantage that the operability can be improved by enlarging the display screen and improving the visibility, or by giving a margin to the layout of the operation buttons. In addition, antennas have been built in to make the casing thinner and smaller.

As an example of incorporating an antenna, in Patent Document 1, a plate-like element that operates as an antenna and a transmission / reception circuit that is built in a second housing are connected by a feeder line. Some forms have been proposed. However, since the feed line has a structure that passes through the hinge portion, there is a problem that the feed line is affected by other conductive wires and the antenna portion is deteriorated due to the influence of the hinge portion.
On the other hand, Patent Document 2 has a structure in which a signal is transferred through a metal hinge portion instead of connecting a power feeding line from a power feeding portion in one housing to an antenna element in the other housing. Proposed.

  In general, power is supplied from a power supply means provided in the lower casing and connected to the radio section of the circuit board having a ground pattern, and the hinge is connected to the frame of the upper casing, and the frame is connected to the antenna. There is known a structure in which an element is operated as a dipole antenna with a frame, a hinge portion, and a ground pattern. Here, the hinge portion uses a hinge shaft unit having a metal torque generating mechanism, and the upper and lower housings are often rotatable by fixing both ends of the shaft to the upper housing and the lower housing.

The hinge shaft unit has an axial shape and rotates so that both ends are twisted with the axial center as a boundary. A spring and a cam are built in to generate torque at the open and closed positions of the housing. It has become. Moreover, it has a structure in which electrical continuity is maintained inside.
On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, there is an example in which a slide bearing is used at the other end on the hinge side having a torque generating mechanism to improve assemblability and cost.

JP 2001-156898 A JP 2005-6096 A JP 2005-51655 A

In recent years, it has been desired to reduce the size of the hinge shaft unit in order to reduce the size and weight of the mobile terminal. Therefore, in order to stabilize the operation of the small hinge portion, it is common to place a hinge shaft unit on one end side of the hinge portion and a slide bearing on the other end side. Further, by passing a flexible signal line that connects the circuit boards disposed in the upper and lower casings through the bearings, data can be transferred between the upper and lower casings.
In recent years, these communication terminals have to incorporate a plurality of wireless antennas for higher functionality.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to make a dipole antenna structure by using a metal bearing in the same manner not only on the hinge shaft unit side but also on the bearing side. However, since a sliding bearing is used, if it is made of metal, the sliding resistance increases due to resin shavings generated from the mating resin member due to the sliding operation, or when the upper and lower housings are opened and closed. There is a problem that squeak noise is generated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and is a foldable portable radio that can maintain a high antenna performance and can be stably opened and closed even when repeated opening and closing operations are performed without increasing the size of the housing. The purpose is to provide a machine.

  The foldable portable wireless device of the present invention is a foldable portable wireless device in which a first housing and a second housing are connected to each other by a hinge portion so as to be freely opened and closed. A cylindrical bearing provided in the hinge portion, an insulating cylindrical shaft that has a surface that rotates and slides with the cylindrical bearing, and is fixed to the inner side of the insulating cylindrical shaft, and the rotational sliding A foldable portable wireless device comprising a metal member having an exposed surface at a position adjacent to the surface.

According to the above configuration, even when resin shavings are generated from the sliding portion by the opening / closing operation, the resin shavings adhere to the exposed surface of the metal member. More specifically, the generated resin shavings move in the hinge portion by opening and closing the hinge. At that time, it is frictionally charged because it comes into contact with the member of the hinge portion during movement. For this reason, when it contacts the exposed surface of the metal member, it adheres firmly by Coulomb force, and is held on the exposed surface of the metal member without moving freely in the hinge portion. For this reason, the resin shaving powder does not return to the sliding portion, and it is possible to suppress an increase in sliding resistance and generation of a creaking sound during sliding.
Further, the exposed surface of the metal member is separated from the facing member, and there is a gap between them, so even if there is resin shavings, it does not become a resistance during the opening / closing operation.

  In the present invention, in the foldable portable wireless device, the exposed surface of the metal member has a cylindrical surface.

  According to this configuration, the surface area of the exposed surface of the metal member can be increased, and a large amount of generated resin powder can be adhered to the surface.

  According to the present invention, in the foldable portable wireless device, the exposed surface of the metal member has a cylindrical surface, and at least a part of the cylindrical surface has a portion recessed from the cylindrical surface.

  According to this configuration, even when a large amount of resin powder adheres to the exposed surface of the metal member, the resin powder does not move to other portions because the resin powder accumulates in the recesses.

  According to the present invention, in the foldable portable wireless device, each sliding surface of the cylindrical bearing portion and the insulating cylindrical shaft has a gently tapered shape.

  According to this configuration, a force that pushes back the outer periphery of the insulating cylindrical shaft acts on the inner wall of the cylindrical bearing portion during the rotational sliding operation, but since there is a taper, there is also a force in the axial direction between the two. appear. For this reason, the insulating cylindrical shaft moves minutely in the axial direction with respect to the cylindrical bearing portion. As a result, the sweeping effect of the resin powder from the sliding surface occurs, and the resin powder easily moves to the exposed surface of the metal member.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a foldable portable wireless device in which the first housing and the second housing are connected to each other by a hinge portion so as to be opened and closed, and the antenna element provided in the first housing; A radio circuit provided in two cases, a cylindrical bearing provided in the first case, provided in the first case, and disposed in the vicinity of the cylindrical bearing in the first case, the antenna element A metal plate electrically connected to the hinge portion, an insulating cylindrical shaft having a surface that rotates and slides with the cylindrical bearing, and is fixed to the inner side of the insulating cylindrical shaft, and the rotating slide The metal member having an exposed surface adjacent to the moving surface, and the metal member is electrically connected to the radio circuit and the metal plate electrically connected to the antenna element. Capacitive coupling on the exposed surface.

  According to this configuration, since the antenna signal is transferred by capacitive coupling, the resin powder does not enter the contact point between the metals to cause a contact failure.

  In the present invention, in the foldable portable wireless device, a portion extending from the exposed surface of the metal member is fixed to the insulating cylindrical shaft.

  According to this configuration, since the insulating cylindrical shaft and the cylindrical bearing are fitted without play so as to be able to rotate and slide, the metal member and the metal plate fixed to the insulating cylindrical shaft are fitted. The distance between the antenna and the capacitive coupling is not changed, and stable antenna performance can be maintained without changing the capacitive reactance of the capacitive coupling portion.

  According to the foldable portable wireless device of the present invention, there is an effect that a stable opening / closing operation can be performed even if repeated opening / closing operations are performed without enlarging the casing.

The perspective view which shows the closed state of the foldable portable radio | wireless machine in embodiment of this invention The perspective view which shows the open state of the foldable portable radio | wireless machine in embodiment of this invention The top view which shows the internal structure of the hinge part of the foldable portable radio | wireless machine in embodiment of this invention The top view which shows the adhesion state of the resin shavings which generate | occur | produced inside the hinge part of the foldable portable radio | wireless machine in embodiment of this invention The top view which shows one Example of the insulating cylindrical axial part of the foldable portable radio | wireless machine in embodiment of this invention The top view which shows one Example of the insulating cylindrical axial part of the foldable portable radio | wireless machine in embodiment of this invention

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a closed state of a foldable portable wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an open state of the folding portable wireless device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the foldable portable wireless device 100 includes a first housing (upper housing) 101 and a second housing (lower housing) 102 that are rotatably connected by a hinge portion 130. By rotating about the hinge part 130, two forms of an open state and a closed state can be taken. Here, the folded state of the first housing 101 and the second housing 102 is a closed state, and the unfolded state is an open state. The hinge part 130 is formed across the first casing 101 and the second casing 102. A semi-cylindrical convex portion 131 is formed at the center of one end of the first housing 101 (the end surface connected to the second housing 102). A concave portion 132 is formed at one end of the second housing 102 facing the convex portion 131. The hinge portion 130 is formed by the engagement of the convex portion 131 of the first casing and the concave portion 132 of the second casing.

A first liquid crystal display unit 150, a receiver unit (receiver) 170, and the like are mainly arranged on the surface of the first housing 101 (the surface facing the second housing in the closed state).
A second liquid crystal display unit 151 is mainly disposed on the back surface of the first housing 101.
A transmitter (microphone) 160, an information input button 140, and the like are mainly arranged on the surface of the second housing (the surface facing the first housing in the closed state).
Although not shown, a speaker and a battery cover are arranged on the back surface of the second housing, and a battery is built in the inside.

When the foldable portable wireless device 100 receives an incoming call in the closed state, after confirming the other party displayed on the second liquid crystal display unit 151, the first casing 101 and the second casing 102 are opened. You can talk on the phone. When sending and receiving mail, the information input button 140 is operated in the open state to operate characters displayed on the first liquid crystal display unit 150. When the call or mail transmission / reception is completed, the foldable portable wireless device 100 is closed again and stored in a pocket or bag of clothes.
As described above, the opening / closing operation around the hinge 130 is repeatedly performed every time a call or mail is transmitted / received.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the hinge portion of the foldable portable wireless device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the hinge portion 130 will be described in more detail.
As described above, the hinge portion 130 is combined so that the convex portion of the first housing 101 fits into the concave portion of the second housing 102.

A hinge shaft unit 103 and an insulating cylindrical shaft 104 are disposed on the rotation axis X of the hinge portion 130.
The hinge shaft unit 103 includes a cylindrical case 108, a fixed cam 110, a movable cam 109, a compression spring 106, a shaft 107, and the like. All the components are made of metal.

The fixed cam 110 and the cylindrical case 108 are rotatable relative to each other about the axis X. The shaft 107 is joined to the fixed cam 110 and rotates simultaneously. The shaft 107 is fixed to the cylindrical case 108 so as to be rotatable.
A hole is opened in the center of the movable cam 109 and the shaft 107 passes therethrough. The outer peripheral surface of the shaft 107 is D-cut, and a flat portion is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 108 so as to correspond thereto. For this reason, the movable cam 109 can slide and move in the direction of the axis X with respect to the cylindrical case 108 but does not rotate around the axis X. Furthermore, the movable cam 109 is always pressed in the direction of the fixed cam 110 by the repulsive force of the compression spring 106.

  The movable cam 109 and the fixed cam 110 each have a crest and a trough so that the contact surfaces fit each other, and the crest and trough can fit in a specific position so that the state can be fixed. Yes. Since the movable cam 109 and the cylindrical case 108 rotate in the same phase, when a strong rotational force is applied from the outside to the center of the shaft so that the outer periphery of the cylindrical case 108 is fixed and the fixed cam 110 is twisted, The slopes of the portions collide with each other, and a force that pushes back the movable cam 109 toward the compression spring 106 is generated, so that the fitting between the peaks and the valleys is released.

In this way, the hinge shaft unit 103 can be twisted about the axis center of the fixed cam 110 and the cylindrical case 108, the phase is fixed at a specific angle, and the fixed state is released if a stronger rotational force than a certain level is applied. It has become so.
In the hinge portion 130, the hinge shaft unit 103 is fixed so that the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical case 108 is inserted into a hole 101a provided on the side surface of the convex portion of the first housing 101 and does not move. The outer peripheral portion of the other fixed cam 110 is fixed so as not to move on the inner side surface 102 a of the recess of the second housing 102.

With this structure, the first housing 101 and the second housing 102 can rotate around the axis X of the hinge portion 130, and the positions are fixed in the open state and the closed state. If a force exceeding a certain level is not applied, the state is maintained, and if a force exceeding a certain level is applied, it is possible to change the form from the open state to the closed state and from the closed state to the open state.
As described above, the hinge shaft unit 103 serves as a support shaft for the opening / closing operation of the foldable portable wireless device 100 and generates a torque to maintain the opening / closing state.

On the other hand, the insulating cylindrical shaft 104 is disposed on the opposite side of the hinge portion 130 to the side where the hinge shaft unit 103 is disposed, and one end is fixed to the inner side surface 102 b of the recess of the second housing 102. The other end is inserted into a cylindrical bearing portion 101b provided on the side surface of the convex portion of the first housing 101, and is arranged so as to be rotatable.
The insulative cylindrical shaft 104 is made of a resin having low sliding resistance, such as POM, polypropylene, polyamide, etc., and slides and rotates in the relationship between the shaft and the bearing between the sliding surface 104a and the cylindrical bearing portion 101b. .

Next, the part regarding an antenna is demonstrated.
A metal plate 121 is attached to the first housing 101. The metal plate 121 is made of a light, high-strength metal such as stainless steel, an aluminum alloy, or a magnesium alloy that has high conductivity. By using these metals, the first casing 101 can realize a thin and high-strength casing, and the metal plate 121 can be operated as an antenna element.

A circuit board (not shown) is provided inside the second housing 102, and a first matching circuit 112 and a first wireless circuit 113 are arranged on the circuit board. The first power supply terminal 111 is electrically connected to the first matching circuit 112.
The first power supply terminal 111 is a leaf spring, and is kept conductive by being pressed against the metal member 105.

  The metal member 105 is fixed to the insulating cylindrical shaft 104 and operates integrally with the insulating cylindrical shaft 104. The exposed surface 105a of the metal member 105 has a diameter smaller than that of the sliding surface 104a of the insulating cylindrical shaft 104, and the insulating cylindrical shaft 104 contacts and slides with respect to the cylindrical bearing portion 101b in the first housing 101. The exposed surface 105a of the metal member 105 is not in contact with the moving member.

The insulating cylindrical shaft 104 and the metal member 105 have a cylindrical hollow structure. For this reason, the signal line 118 can be passed through and the substrate between the upper and lower housings can be connected. It is also possible to use a flexible substrate instead of the signal line.
In order to prevent the signal line 118 from approaching the metal member 105, the signal line 118 can be fixed using the fixing member 119. The fixing member 119 is made of an insulating material such as resin, rubber, sponge, or tape, and the antenna signal passing through the metal member 105 is suppressed from being affected by the signal line 118, thereby enabling stable antenna operation.

  A metal plate 117 extending from the metal plate 121 disposed in the first housing 101 is disposed at a portion facing the exposed surface 105 a of the metal member 105. By arranging the two so as to generate a predetermined capacitive reactance between the metal plate 117 and the exposed surface 105a of the metal member 105, even if the two are not in electrical contact, the signal is transmitted by capacitive coupling. Delivery becomes possible, and high antenna performance can be secured.

  On the other hand, the hinge shaft unit 103 made of metal is also used as an antenna element in the present embodiment. The second power supply terminal 114 is electrically connected to the hinge shaft unit 103 and is connected to the second radio circuit 116 through the second matching circuit 115 and operates as a radio antenna.

  When the case of the folding portable wireless device 100 is repeatedly opened and closed, the sliding surface 104a of the insulating cylindrical shaft 104 and the cylindrical bearing portion 101b provided on the first housing 101 are gradually moved by the sliding operation. Each other may be shaved and resin shavings may be generated. When a large amount of shavings is generated in this way, it may enter the sliding surface to increase the sliding resistance or cause creaking noise.

  However, when the structure of the present invention is adopted, the resin shaving powder (resin powder) 120 is charged with static electricity as shown in FIG. 4B, so that the mirror image is formed on the surface of the exposed surface 105a of the metal member 105. It adheres firmly by force. Further, since a gap is opened between the surface of the exposed surface 105 a of the metal member 105 and the inner wall of the cylindrical bearing portion 101 b provided in the first housing 101, the resin powder 120 is formed in the first housing 101. There is no contact with the inner wall of the provided cylindrical bearing portion 101b, and an increase in sliding resistance and generation of creaking noise are suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the metal member 105 is provided with the resin powder 120 on the first casing 101 by denting at least a part of the exposed surface 105a of the metal member 105 from the outer periphery of the cylinder like 105b. It is possible to further suppress contact with the cylindrical bearing portion 101b. In this case, the electrical performance of the capacitive coupling portion does not deteriorate by being installed in a portion other than the portion facing the metal plate 117 arranged in the first housing 101.

  Moreover, since the electrical contact is not ensured by making a conductor contact between the metal plate 121 used as an antenna element and the metal member 105, the insulating resin powder enters and inhibits the electrical connection. The antenna performance does not deteriorate even if the opening / closing operation is repeated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the cylindrical bearing portion 101b and the sliding surface 104a of the insulating cylindrical shaft can be configured to have a gently tapered shape. In such a case, a force F1 that pushes back the sliding surface 104a of the insulating cylindrical shaft acts on the inner wall of the cylindrical bearing portion 101b during the rotation and sliding operation. However, since there is a taper, the axial component force F2 is between the two. appear. For this reason, the sliding surface 104a of the insulating cylindrical shaft moves slightly in the axial direction as indicated by the arrow N with respect to the cylindrical bearing portion 101b. Accordingly, the resin powder is swept from the sliding surface, and the resin powder easily moves to the exposed surface 105a of the metal member. For this reason, it is suppressed that the resin powder 120 remains on a sliding surface, and increase of sliding resistance and generation | occurrence | production of a creaking sound are suppressed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, it is also possible to collect the resin powder 120 by making a hole 104b in at least a part of the sliding surface 104a of the insulating cylindrical shaft and exposing the surface of the metal member 105. It is. In this way, the resin powder 120 is suppressed from remaining on the sliding surface, and an increase in sliding resistance and generation of creaking noise are suppressed.

  As described above, according to the foldable portable wireless device of the present invention, a stable opening / closing operation can be performed even when repeated opening / closing operations are performed without enlarging the housing, and a plurality of housings can be opened / closed. It is useful for electronic devices connected to the.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Folding type portable wireless device 101 1st housing | casing 101a The hole provided in the side surface of the convex part of the 1st housing | casing 101b Cylindrical bearing part 102 2nd housing | casing 102a The inner side surface of the recessed part of the 2nd housing | casing 102b 1st 2 Inner side surface of recess of housing 102 103 Hinge shaft unit 104 Insulating cylindrical shaft 104a Sliding surface 105 Metal member 105a Exposed surface 105b of metal member 105 Part of exposed surface 105a 106 Compression spring 107 Shaft 108 Cylindrical case 109 Movable cam DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 Fixed cam 111 1st electric power feeding terminal 112 1st matching circuit 113 1st radio | wireless circuit 114 2nd electric power feeding terminal 115 2nd electric power feeding circuit 116 2nd radio | wireless circuit 117 Metal plate 118 Signal line 119 Fixing member 120 Resin shaving powder 121 Metal plate (Antenna element)
130 Hinge part 131 Semi-cylindrical convex part 132 Concave part 140 Information input button 150 First liquid crystal display part 151 Second liquid crystal display part 160 Transmitting part (microphone)
170 Earpiece (receiver)

Claims (9)

A foldable portable wireless device in which a first housing and a second housing are connected to each other by a hinge part so as to be opened and closed.
A cylindrical bearing located in the hinge portion and provided in the first housing;
An insulating cylindrical shaft within the hinge portion and having a surface that rotates and slides with the cylindrical bearing;
A foldable portable wireless device comprising: a metal member fixed to the inside of the insulating cylindrical shaft and having an exposed surface adjacent to the rotational sliding surface.   2. The foldable portable radio device according to claim 1, wherein the exposed surface of the metal member is a cylindrical surface.   3. The foldable portable wireless device according to claim 2, wherein at least a part of the cylindrical surface has a recessed portion from the cylindrical surface.   2. The foldable portable wireless device according to claim 1, wherein sliding surfaces of each of the cylindrical bearing portion and the insulating cylindrical shaft are tapered. A foldable portable wireless device in which a first housing and a second housing are connected to each other by a hinge part so as to be opened and closed.
An antenna element provided in the first housing;
A radio circuit provided in the second housing;
A cylindrical bearing located in the hinge portion and provided in the first housing;
A metal plate disposed in the vicinity of the cylindrical bearing in the first housing and electrically connected to the antenna element;
An insulating cylindrical shaft within the hinge portion and having a surface that rotates and slides with the cylindrical bearing;
A metal member fixed inside the insulating cylindrical shaft and having an exposed surface at a position adjacent to the rotational sliding surface;
The metal member is electrically connected to the radio circuit and is capacitively coupled on the exposed surface between the metal plate and the metal plate electrically connected to the antenna element. Portable radio.   6. The folding portable wireless device according to claim 5, wherein the exposed surface of the metal member is a cylindrical surface.   The foldable portable wireless device according to claim 6, wherein at least a part of the cylindrical surface has a portion recessed from a cylindrical surface.   6. The foldable portable wireless device according to claim 5, wherein sliding surfaces of each of the cylindrical bearing portion and the insulating cylindrical shaft are tapered.   6. The foldable portable wireless device according to claim 5, wherein a portion extending from the exposed surface of the metal member is fixed to the insulating cylindrical shaft.

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