JP4458828B2 - Portable device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants).

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a kind of portable device, there is a foldable portable device in which a first housing having an operation key and a second housing having an antenna and a display portion are connected by a hinge portion so as to be opened and closed. In this portable device, in order to electrically connect circuit boards built in each housing, a flexible wiring board is disposed through a hollow portion provided in a hinge portion. In such a portable device, a flexible wiring board is spirally wound in a hollow portion to absorb fluctuations in the wiring distance that accompany opening and closing of the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-8670

  However, in a foldable portable device, tension is applied to the flexible wiring board according to opening and closing of the housing. For this reason, if the coil is simply spirally wound in the hollow portion as in the conventional case, if the twisting or bending action occurs for some reason and local stress is concentrated on the flexible wiring board, the wiring on the flexible wiring board is damaged. There was a fear that the health would be harmed.

  Also, when assembling a mobile device, the flexible wiring board is spirally wound and accommodated in the cavity of the hinge part, but the flexible wiring board is always subjected to the force of spreading by its own elastic action. Therefore, if you loosen the hand holding the flexible wiring board wound spirally, the wound diameter will be larger than the inner diameter of the cavity, and you will have to rewind the flexible wiring board again, and the work will be interrupted. It was inconvenient in terms of workability.

[Object of invention]
The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides a portable device capable of maintaining the workability of assembling the flexible wiring board into the hinge portion and the soundness of the flexible wiring board. Objective.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 includes two housings each including a circuit board, a hinge portion that rotatably connects the two housings, and an inside of the hinge portion. In a portable device having a flexible wiring board that is arranged to pass through the cavity formed in the circuit board and electrically connects the circuit boards in the two casings to each other, a columnar shape housed in the cavity An elastic body, comprising a hard core material extending in the longitudinal direction and having an elastic body around which the flexible wiring board is wound, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the elastic body and the cross-sectional shape of the cavity are The portable device is characterized in that the outer diameter of the elastic body in a free state that is substantially circular and not pressurized is greater than or equal to the inner diameter of the cavity.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the portable device according to the first aspect , any one of the two cases includes a component of any one of an antenna, a microphone, and a speaker, and the other component is attached to the other case. The wiring board is electrically connected to the circuit board built in the housing through a wire, and the wire is wired through a through-hole formed in the hard core material.

  According to the present invention, in the hollow portion formed in the hinge portion, it is possible to prevent local bending of the flexible wiring board, disconnection caused by the local bending, and the like. In addition, it is possible to improve the reliability of the electrical connection state between the circuit boards.

 Further, when the flexible wiring board is accommodated in the cavity of the hinge part, the flexible wiring board may be wound around the outer periphery of the elastic body, and the elastic body may be accommodated in the cavity, and the elastic body is easily deformed. However, since the elastic core is provided with a hard core material, when handling the elastic body, it can be easily held by holding both ends of the hard core material with fingers. The workability at the time of accommodating the rotated elastic body in the cavity of the hinge portion can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a foldable mobile phone according to an embodiment of a mobile device according to the present invention, and is a plan view showing a state in which two housings are opened to each other. FIG. FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view of the flexible wiring board in the same embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a state in which the flexible wiring board of FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view of an elastic body in the embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a hard core in which an antenna cable is inserted into the elastic body of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a state in which a flexible wiring board is wound around the outer side of the elastic body in the embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a hinge portion of the mobile phone in the embodiment. It is a sectional view .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile device according to the embodiment of the present invention is a foldable mobile phone in which two casings 2 a and 2 b are connected by a hinge portion 4 so as to be relatively rotatable. Each housing 2a, 2b is composed of main body portions 6a, 6b and hinge constituent portions 7, 8. The main body 6a is provided with operation keys 9 and a microphone 12, and a circuit board 15a having a transmission / reception unit is built therein. The main body 6b is provided with a display unit 10 such as a speaker 11, an antenna 13, and a liquid crystal display device, and a circuit board 15b for controlling display information and the like is incorporated therein. Moreover, each hinge structure part 7 and 8 is provided in the end of the length direction of each main-body part 6a, 6b, and the hinge part 4 is comprised by combining them. The hinge component 7 of one housing 2a has three cylindrical portions 7a, 7b, and 7c that are spaced apart in the axial direction on a common central axis that is arranged along the width direction of the housing 2a. Consists of. Similarly, the hinge constituent portion 8 of the other housing 2b is also provided with two cylindrical portions 8a and 8b that are arranged at intervals in the axial direction on a common central axis line arranged along the width direction of the housing 2b. Consists of.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the hinge part 4 is configured by alternately arranging cylindrical parts 7c, 8b, 7b, 8a, 7a in the width direction of the casings 2a, 2b and accommodating a hinge shaft (not shown) therein. Two housings 2a and 2b are connected. The cylindrical portions 7b and 8a in the center in the width direction of the housings 2a and 2b constituting the hinge portion 4 are respectively provided in the hollow portion 16 and the main body portions 6a and 6b provided inside the cylindrical portions 7b and 8a. Communication ports 19a and 19b are formed to communicate with the provided cavities 17a and 17b. The communication ports 19a and 19b are elongated in the width direction of the housings 2a and 2b.

  The circuit boards 15 a and 15 b inside the main body portions 6 a and 6 b are electrically connected to each other by the flexible wiring board 22. As shown in FIG. 3A, the flexible wiring board 22 is formed in a band shape and includes a crank portion 20 bent in the width direction at an intermediate position in the length direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the flexible wiring board 22 is wound in the length direction in the crank portion 20 to form a hollow portion of the hinge portion 4 in a state where the loop portion 21 is formed at a midway position thereof. 16 is accommodated in the interior. That is, the flexible wiring board 22 is accommodated with the loop portion 21 along the inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion 16, and the extending portions 28 and 29 extending in two directions from the loop portion 21 are connected to the communication ports 19a and 19b, respectively. And are connected to the circuit boards 15a and 15b inside the main body portions 6a and 6b by connectors at both ends thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment includes a cylindrical elastic body 23 inside the loop portion 21 accommodated in the hollow portion 16.

  The elastic body 23 is made of, for example, a sponge body, has a length dimension substantially equal to the width dimension of the loop portion 21, and penetrates the central portion in the longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. It is formed in a cylindrical shape having a through hole 24. The elastic body 23 is formed with a cut 25 that connects the outer surface and the inner surface of the through hole over the entire length in the longitudinal direction. In the elastic body 23 according to this embodiment, the cut is formed in a plane along the radial direction and the longitudinal direction at one place in the circumferential direction. The elastic body 23 has a diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cavity 16 in a free state where pressure is not applied. Therefore, in a state where the elastic body 23 is accommodated in the cavity 16, the elastic body 23 is contracted in accordance with the inner diameter of the cavity 16.

  Further, a rod-like hard core material 31 is inserted in the through hole 24 of the elastic body 23 in the longitudinal direction, and the antenna cable 14 (wire material) is inserted into the through hole 32 formed in the hard core material 31. It is designed to be inserted. The antenna cable 14 is for electrically connecting the antenna 13 and a transmission / reception unit (not shown) of the circuit board 15 a to each other. The antenna cable 14 is a hard core material provided in the elastic body 23. 31 is passed through the through-hole 32, and both ends thereof are respectively inserted into the communication ports 19a and 19b. One end is connected to the antenna 13 and the other end is connected to the circuit board 15a.

  The hard core material 31 may be formed of a material that does not greatly deform when both ends thereof are held by hand, such as a metal such as aluminum, stainless steel, and iron, or a resin material.

  And the said elastic body 23, the flexible wiring board 22, and the cable 14 for antennas are assembled | attached in the cavity 16 of housing | casing 2a, 2b, as shown in FIG. Prior to assembly, as shown in FIG. 4B, the hard core material 31 having the antenna cable 14 passed through the through hole 32 is passed through the notch 25 from the outer surface of the elastic body 23 along the radial direction through the through hole 24. It is designed to be incorporated within. Thereby, the hard core material 31 is disposed in the elastic body 23, and the antenna cable 14 is disposed from one end to the other end of the elastic body 23 through the through hole 32 of the hard core material 31. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the flexible wiring board 22 is spirally wound along the outer peripheral surface of the elastic body 23. In this state, both ends of the hard core material 31 provided in the elastic body 23 are sandwiched by hand, and the elastic body 23 around which the flexible wiring board 22 is wound is guided into the hollow portion 16 of the hinge portion 4, thereby the elastic body 23. The flexible wiring board 22 and the antenna cable 14 are accommodated in the cavity 16. Here, since the elastic body 23 is made of a material that is easily deformed, there is a disadvantage that the elastic body 23 is deformed and difficult to hold if the elastic body 23 is directly held by hand, but the hard core material 31 is placed in the elastic body 23. Therefore, the elastic body 23 can be easily handled by sandwiching both ends of the hard core material 31 with fingers, and the assembly work into the cavity 16 can be performed efficiently.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

  First, when attempting to make a call using the mobile phone 1, the two casings 2 a and 2 b are rotated relative to each other in the direction in which the hinges 4 open each other. As a result, the operation key 9 and the microphone 12 of the housing 2a and the display unit 10 and the speaker 11 of the housing 2b are exposed, and the user operates the operation key 9 while confirming the display content of the display unit 10. Will be able to.

  In this state, the casings 2a and 2b are arranged at a relative angle of about 150 ° as shown in FIG. 6, and are flexible wiring boards that connect the circuit boards 15a and 15b inside the casings 2a and 2b. The 22 loop portions 21 are arranged in a state where the outer periphery of the elastic body 23 is wound approximately 1.5 times.

  Next, when the cellular phone 1 is folded, the two casings 2a and 2b are rotated relative to each other in the direction in which the two casings 2a and 2b are closed with each other. Thereby, the operation key 9 and the microphone 12 of the housing 2a, and the display unit 10 and the speaker 11 of the housing 2b are arranged and hidden on the mating surfaces of the housings 2a and 2b that are overlapped with each other. It is in a state suitable for carrying without being pressed or being damaged.

  At this time, the loop portion 21 of the flexible wiring board 22 inside the housings 2a and 2b increases the winding angle around the elastic body 23 with relative rotation of the housings 2a and 2b. Since the length of the flexible wiring board 22 is fixed, the diameter dimension of the loop portion 21 is reduced in order not to increase the wiring path even if the winding angle is increased.

  In this case, in the mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment, since the cylindrical elastic body 23 is disposed inside the loop portion 21, when the loop portion 21 contracts, the elastic body 23 moves in the radial direction from the loop portion 21. Receives inward pressure. As a result, the elastic body 23 is also contracted to reduce its diameter. That is, since an elastic restoring force is generated in the elastic body 23 in the radially outward direction, the loop portion 21 reduces the radial dimension against the elastic restoring force of the elastic body 23.

  On the contrary, when the casings 2a and 2b are rotated relative to each other in the opening direction, the loop portion 21 expands, so that the pressure inward in the radial direction applied to the elastic body 23 is relaxed, and the elastic body 23, the diameter of the loop portion 21 is increased in accordance with the expansion of the loop portion 21.

  Since the elastic body 23 has an outer diameter that is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the cavity portion 16, the loop portion 21 is always directed radially outward by the elastic body 23 when accommodated in the cavity portion 16. Will be energized. That is, the loop portion 21 is always supported from the inside by the elastic body 23. Moreover, since the elastic body 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape, the loop portion 21 is supported from the inside in the radial direction over the entire circumference. Therefore, the bending stress generated in the flexible wiring board 22 is supported by the elastic body 23 from the inside when the diameter dimension of the loop portion 21 is reduced or enlarged when the two casings 2a and 2b are opened and closed. Are uniformly distributed over the entire circumference of the film, and inconveniences such as local bending are prevented.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when tension is applied to the flexible wiring board 22 as the casing is opened and closed, the radius of the loop portion 21 of the flexible wiring board 22 changes. By enlarging and contracting the elastic body 23 arranged inside 21, the loop portion 21 of the flexible wiring board 22 is supported by the elastic body 23 from the inside. As a result, the bending stress applied to the flexible wiring board 22 can be evenly distributed over the entire periphery, thereby preventing problems such as local bending.

  Further, since the hard core material 31 extending in the longitudinal direction is disposed in the elastic body 23, the elastic body 23 that is easily deformed around which the flexible wiring board 22 is wound can be easily sandwiched, and the hinge portion The workability when accommodated in the four hollow portions 16 can be improved.

  When the cross-sectional shape of the cavity 16 is substantially circular, the cross-sectional shape of the elastic body 23 is substantially circular similar to the cross-sectional shape of the cavity 16, and the diameter of the elastic body 23 is the diameter of the cavity 16. Since the curved flexible wiring board 22 can be disposed along the inner surface of the hinge portion 4, the elastic body 23 can be accommodated in the cavity portion 16 and can be accommodated well. It is possible to effectively prevent the substrate 22 from being twisted or bent locally.

   Furthermore, if the antenna cable 14 is inserted into the through-hole 32 of the hard core material 31 provided in the elastic body 23, the cable 14 can be easily routed between the housings 2a and 2b.

  In the present embodiment, the elastic body 23 is a sponge body. However, the elastic body 23 is not limited to this and may be, for example, an elastic resin such as urethane resin, acrylic resin, or thermoplastic polyamide resin, or rubber. The diameter of the elastic body 23 is larger than the inner diameter of the cavity 16 in a free state where no pressure is applied. However, the diameter is not limited to this and may be the same as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cavity 16. . However, in order to effectively prevent local bending in the loop portion 21, it is preferable that the diameter of the cavity portion 16 is the same as or larger than the diameter of the cavity portion 16.

  Furthermore, although the flexible wiring board 22 is provided with the crank portion 20, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. It may have a character shape or the like, and the extended portions 28 and 29 may be arranged in the same direction. If comprised in this way, while being able to reduce the waste at the time of cutting out the flexible wiring board 22 from the original plate of the flexible wiring board 22, it was arrange | positioned in two housing | casing 2a, 2b connected so that folding was possible The length necessary for electrically connecting the circuit boards 15a and 15b can be shortened.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the antenna cable 14 is passed through the through hole 32 of the hard core material 31 is shown. However, the microphone 12 and the speaker 11 are in a case different from the case having these. When electrically connected to the built-in circuit board via wires, these wires may be inserted into the through-holes 32 of the hard core material 31 and are thus built in the two housings. When having a wire other than the flexible wiring board that connects the circuit boards, the wiring can be easily routed by inserting the wire into the through hole 32 of the hard core material 31 disposed in the elastic body 23. In the present embodiment, the hard core material 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape from the viewpoint of passing the antenna cable 14 through the hard core material 31, but the hard core material 31 is solid when there is no wire. A cylindrical body may be used.

  In the present embodiment, a foldable mobile phone has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to a mobile phone, but can be applied to other mobile devices such as a PDA.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a foldable mobile phone according to an embodiment of the mobile device according to the present invention, in a state where two housings are opened from each other. In the same embodiment, it is a schematic plan view which shows the state which assembled | attached the flexible wiring board. (A) is a schematic plan view of the flexible wiring board in the embodiment, (b) is a schematic perspective view showing a state where the flexible wiring board of FIG. (A) is a schematic perspective view of the elastic body in the embodiment, (b) is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a hard core material into which an antenna cable is inserted is assembled to the elastic body of FIG. It is. It is an expansion perspective view which shows the state which wound the flexible wiring board around the outer side of the elastic body in the embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the hinge part of the mobile telephone in the embodiment. (A) is a schematic plan view which shows the modification of the flexible wiring board in the embodiment, (b) is the perspective view which curved one extension part of the flexible wiring board of the figure (a).

Explanation of symbols

2a Case 2b Case 4 Hinge portion 15a Circuit board 15b Circuit board 16 Hollow portion 21 Loop portion (curved portion)
22 Flexible wiring board 23 Elastic body 24 Through hole 31 Hard core material 32 Through hole

Claims (2)

Two housings each containing a circuit board;
A hinge portion for rotatably connecting the two housings;
A flexible wiring board disposed through the cavity formed in the hinge part and electrically connecting the circuit boards in the two housings;
In a portable device having
A columnar elastic body housed in the cavity, comprising a hard core material extending in the longitudinal direction, and having an elastic body around which the flexible wiring board is wound,
The cross-sectional shape of the elastic body and the cross-sectional shape of the cavity are substantially circular,
A portable device, wherein an outer diameter of the elastic body in a free state where no pressure is applied is greater than or equal to an inner diameter of the hollow portion.   Either one of the two housings is provided with a component of any one of an antenna, a microphone, and a speaker, and the component is electrically connected to a circuit board built in the other housing via a wire. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the wire is wired through a through hole formed in the hard core material.

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