JP4888787B2 - Portable electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a reduction in thickness of a housing structure.

  The portable electronic device that is the subject of the present invention is one that the user himself carries and uses the device. There are several ways to carry the device, such as storing it in a pocket or bag for clothes, attaching the device holder to the waist or chest, and hanging it from the neck with a strap. Regardless of which portable method is used, there is always a need to reduce the thickness and size of portable electronic devices in order to improve storage and convenience.

  As means for enabling the entire device to be thin, there is a reduction in the thickness of the surface constituting the casing as well as a reduction in the thickness of the built-in component. As a result of the reduction in the geometric thickness of the components that make up these devices, the entire device is made thinner. However, the rigidity of important functions required for the housing is inevitably achieved by simply reducing the total thickness and reducing the thickness of the housing surface while maintaining the conventional housing configuration, materials, and manufacturing method. To lose.

  Furthermore, it should be noted that the overall rigidity of the assembly housing in a thin device is not determined only by the rigidity of each housing constituent surface. This is because the front housing and the rear housing are not perfect due to mutual restraint by fastening screws, fitting hooks, ribs, etc., but they can be regarded as almost integrated. This is because the overall rigidity of the assembly housing is proportional to approximately the third power of the total housing thickness.

  Further, the value of the overall rigidity of the assembly housing is required from the strength of the interior electronic component regardless of the total thickness of the housing. From now on, in reducing the thickness of a portable device, it is important to secure not only the rigidity of each casing constituting the assembly casing and the rigidity of each casing configuration surface, but also the overall rigidity of the assembly casing.

  In addition to the problem of rigidity, there is a problem in the manufacture of the casing in the thickness of the casing configuration surface. Examples of conventional materials for portable electronic equipment include resin, aluminum, magnesium, and stainless steel. The thickness limit of the thin-walled shape of parts made from each material is limited to about 0.5 mm due to its moldability for resin (polymer) that uses molding for parts production, and for magnesium and stainless steel, rolling If a plate material is used as a raw material and press molding is used, the thickness can be reduced to about 0.1 mm.

The problem of the manufacturing limit thickness that comes from the materials used in the housing is a purely geometric problem and cannot be solved.
The above is the basic issue in promoting the reduction in the overall thickness of equipment casings that exist universally. Naturally, the functions required for the casings described above are not compatible with the rigidity and geometric configuration. Must not.

Let's take a look at how existing technologies deal with the problem of thinning mobile devices.
Conventionally, the housing structure is manufactured by molding such as resin (polymer) and magnesium for the reason that it is easy to form an exterior surface including decoration and design and to manufacture a complicated shape. This is because even when the specification of the total equipment thickness is a resinous casing, the casing configuration surface and the rigidity of the entire casing can be secured.

  As a method of reducing the thickness of the surface of the casing from this conventional casing configuration, there is a method of adding a metal sheet metal to the casing configuration. For example, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to reduce the thickness and size by integrally forming a metallic reinforcing sheet metal on a resinous housing (see FIG. 2 in Patent Document 1). .

  From the difference in Young's modulus (elastic coefficient of material property value) between the resin and the metal sheet metal such as stainless steel, it is possible to ensure the case rigidity even if the thickness of the resin case is reduced. It is possible to reduce the thickness and expand the electrical component mounting space. However, the means described in Patent Document 1 easily reaches the limit of thinning for the following reasons.

  The reinforcing plate 4 shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1 has a flat plate shape as judged from the figure, and the flat plate-shaped cross-section second moment is the smallest within the cross-sectional shape of the same area in the sheet metal processed product. . The cross-sectional second moment is a value representing the difficulty of bending depending on the cross-sectional shape, and is determined by the sum of the products of the square of the distance from the neutral axis that does not pull or compress in the direction perpendicular to the cross-section during bending deformation and the cross-sectional area. The value of the cross-sectional secondary moment is increased by taking a distance from the neutral axis and increasing an area at a position away from the neutral axis. From now on, in the case of a simple flat plate shape, the value of the cross-sectional secondary moment becomes small.

  Similarly, the reinforcing plate electromagnetic wave shield 12 shown in FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1 has a box-like shape and has a higher rigidity than the flat plate shape. The thickness is a combination of the thickness of the shield metal plate and the thickness of the resin casing, and the thinning of the casing configuration surface becomes a bottleneck due to the limit thickness at the time of molding the resin casing. Therefore, the technique described in Patent Document 1 adds a metal reinforcing sheet metal to the conventional resin casing structure, but does not effectively use the rigidity of the metal sheet metal, and the multilayer structure of the metal sheet metal and the resin is the same as that of the casing structure surface. From the viewpoint of further thinning, it cannot be denied that it is halfway.

  On the other hand, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, the casing is composed of only a metal sheet metal. In Patent Document 2, referring to FIG. 7 of Patent Document 2, an inner surface and an outer surface facing an outer half 20 for exterior and an inner half 21 for interior formed by a thin metal material are bonded to each other by an adhesive 22. The housing half 4 is formed by bonding. Both the outer half 20 and the inner half 21 have a substantially L-shaped cross section composed of a top surface and a side surface. The cross sectional second moment is larger than the flat plate shape, and the rigidity of the metal casing is enhanced.

  However, following the L-shaped cross-section shape, it is difficult to make the device thinner. From the nature (definition) of the sectional moment of inertia, the L-shaped neutral axis is located near the top surface, the top surface is large in area but the distance from the neutral axis is small, This is because the side surface tip has a large area with a small distance from the neutral shaft, but is small in area, and is not efficient as a housing cross-sectional shape that ensures rigidity in a thin total thickness of the housing. From this, the technique described in Patent Document 2 simply replaces the conventional casing configuration with a metal sheet metal, and can be said to be an insufficient shape and configuration if further thinning and securing of rigidity are required.

In addition, configuring a portable device casing with only a metal sheet casing has the following problems.
The functions required for the above-described casing include formation of complex shapes such as a design appearance surface, an interior side shape, and a connection shape with other equipment modules, and all of these shapes are formed by pressing metal sheet metal. It is impossible. Furthermore, when the fitting hook is a combination of a metal hook and a metal hook, there are concerns about problems such as insufficient flexibility in fitting work and releasing work, and difficulty in adjusting the dimensions of the fitting surface. Further, when the portable electronic device has a wireless function, if the antenna and the metal sheet metal housing are overlapped with each other, the antenna characteristics are deteriorated. Therefore, the antenna range and the vicinity thereof must be made of a resin housing.

  From now on, patent document 3 has shown the housing | casing structure which couple | bonds a metal sheet metal housing | casing and a resin-made housing | casing by integral molding etc., and mutually complements a housing | casing request | requirement function (for example, figure of patent document 3) (See 5). Furthermore, in patent document 3, it has comprised the cross-sectional shape aiming at the rigidity improvement of a metal sheet metal housing | casing. The cross-sectional shape of the display part side front case sheet metal part 2a and the operation part side front case sheet metal part 3a shown in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 3 is roughly “crank shape” (operation part side front case sheet metal part 2a part). Also adds an outermost surface to the flange end.)

The “crank shape” has a neutral axis located near the center of the side surface, and a surface having a step on both ends has a large distance from the neutral axis and a large area. Can be increased or maintained efficiently.
As described above, the casing configuration described in Patent Document 3 can ensure rigidity and reduce the thickness of the casing configuration surface by the crank-shaped metal sheet casing, and can form a complicated shape and obstruct antenna characteristics by the resin casing. Is avoiding.

  However, when further reduction in the thickness of the portable device from Patent Document 3 is required, the display unit side rear cover 1 is a resin casing as in the case of the conventional casing technology, and the thickness of the component surface is the resin molding thickness. It has a limit. The operation unit side rear cover 4 of Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 is configured by a metal plate case, but as shown in FIG. 7 of Patent Document 2 and FIG. 5 of Patent Document 3, the cross-sectional shape is L-shaped. Shape. The L-shaped shape is a metal sheet metal formed as a design curved surface, so it can be used on the exterior surface. In the case of a crank shape, the crank-shaped metal sheet metal is directly exposed to the design exterior surface. Is not acceptable due to equipment specifications.

  The display unit side front case sheet metal part 2a described in Patent Document 3 has a screen 7 for the purpose of protecting the display device, the operation unit side front case sheet metal part 3A has a key operation unit 10 with a crank-shaped metal sheet metal housing. In order to conceal, a crank-shaped sheet metal housing can be used. Therefore, on the side where there is no concealment such as a screen, there is a problem of compatibility between a crank-shaped metal sheet metal casing that can be thinned and ensured rigidity as compared with an L-shape, and a design appearance.

  In response to this problem, for example, if the resin casing is integrally formed with the top surface of the crank shape, the crank shape range other than the top surface can be embedded in the resin casing and concealed. However, due to the problems of dimensional accuracy of press molding of the metal sheet metal casing and the positional accuracy of the metal sheet metal casing within the resin mold, the boundary between the exposed sheet metal and the resin becomes unstable, and this should also be an external surface. I can't.

From these, when it is desired to further reduce the thickness of the mobile device compared to the conventional case, the material, configuration, and manufacturing method in the conventional existing technology and the prior application public information will ensure the necessary rigidity of the housing that enables portable use, and the design appearance The formation of the surface and complex shape, and the mass productivity cannot be satisfied at the same time.
The above is the problem of reducing the thickness of the portable device in the conventional case structure.
JP 2000-151132 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-133552 JP 2007-060249 A

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to ensure a casing request function required for a portable electronic device and to make the portable electronic device thinner.

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention includes a housing including a first metal sheet metal for exterior, a second metal sheet for interior, and a frame-shaped resin structure. The first metal sheet metal and the second metal sheet metal are joined to each other with the resin structure interposed therebetween, and the second metal sheet metal has a crank shape at the end. Ah it is, a crank shape of the second metal sheet metal, the is provided inside the frame shape of resin structure, a portable electronic apparatus characterized.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while ensuring the housing | casing request | requirement function requested | required of a portable electronic device, thickness reduction of a portable electronic device is attained.

The features of the present invention will be described below using examples.
In portable electronic devices that are required to be thinner and smaller, it is necessary to reduce the total thickness of the device casing and the thickness of each surface that constitutes the casing, as well as to reduce the size of the electrical components built into the casing. It becomes. However, it is not allowed to impair the functions required of the casing by making the casing thin. The present invention relates to a housing structure that enables a portable electronic device to be thin and also has functions required as a housing.

  The functions required of the chassis include rigidity to prevent destruction of built-in components from external forces such as drop impact, bending, and torsion, as well as design appearance including decorating properties and interaction with built-in components (restraint by contact, non-contact Non-interference in load, non-interference in assembly, etc.), and shapes such as a connection shape with other modules constituting the entire device.

Furthermore, the manufacture of a housing having these functions must be a method that can be mass-produced.
In order to provide the function required for the casing and to make it thin, it is impossible to simply reduce the thickness dimension following the configuration of the conventional casing.

  The present embodiment secures these case-required functions and enables thinning, and the feature is that the case is not composed of a single material or a single product, but a plurality of materials. It is composed of a plurality of products, and utilizes physical property values of different materials, manufacturing characteristics, and functional differences required and allowed for the appearance and non-appearance aspects.

  The configuration of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 is an overall view of a portable electronic device according to the present embodiment, FIGS. 2 and 3 are exploded views of a target housing module viewed from the front and rear directions, FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views, and FIG. 6 is a front sheet metal. The housing shape is shown.

  The portable electronic device used in the description of the embodiment is composed of two modules, a display unit side module 1 and an operation unit side module 2, and is connected by a hinge mechanism 3 that freely rotates in the center. FPC (flexible printed circuit board), PWB (printed circuit board), and various devices, each of which includes a plurality of components that can be fitted and disassembled and in which electrical components are mounted.

  Each of the divided housings is described as a front housing 4 and a rear housing 5, and a state where the front housing 4 and the rear housing 5 are fitted together is referred to as an assembly housing 6.

  The front housing 4 is composed of a sheet metal front sheet metal housing 7 and a resin front resin housing 8. One end of the outer periphery of the front sheet metal housing 7 is embedded in the front resin housing 8. Combine and unite.

  The front sheet metal housing 7 is formed with a rectangular recess for storing a display device (LCD or the like) for displaying communication contents, information, operation guidance, and the like, and the periphery of the display device storage portion 9 protects the display device. It becomes the pasting surface 11 of the screen 10 to do. Accordingly, the front sheet metal casing 7 has a concave shape at the center.

  The top surface 12 and the screen pasting surface 11 of the display device storage unit 9 are stepped. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cross-sectional shape of the front sheet metal housing 7 is “crank shape” (analogue from the crank road. In this specification, two narrow right-angle curves are connected closely. The outer peripheral side surface of the crank shape is referred to as a flange 13). Therefore, the front sheet metal housing 7 has a bathtub shape as a whole. By forming the front sheet metal casing 7 in such a shape, other members (display devices such as an LCD and an organic EL display in this embodiment) can be efficiently stored and high rigidity can be secured. .

  The rear housing 5 opposite to the display surface is composed of a metal sheet metal rear exterior sheet metal housing 14, a rear interior sheet metal housing 15, and a resin rear resin housing 16, and the rear interior sheet metal 15 includes: The nut 17 of the fastening female screw is joined, and the three constituent housings are joined by a thermocompression bonding material 18 to form an integrated rear housing 5.

  The rear exterior sheet metal housing 14 is composed of a top surface as an external surface and three side surfaces, covers the rear surface of the rear housing, and its cross-sectional shape is substantially L-shaped as shown in FIGS. Yes.

  The rear resin casing 16 has a generally rectangular shape, with three sides serving as side faces of the rear casing, and one side serving as a top surface and side faces serving as appearance surfaces.

  The rear interior sheet metal casing 15 has a crank shape on four sides, and an opening 19 is provided on the top surface to prevent interference with built-in components.

  Three structures are provided such that the side surfaces and the top of the three sides of the rear resin casing 16 are sandwiched between the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 from the rear direction and the crank portion of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 from the front direction. The housing is assembled and joined by a thermocompression bonding material 18.

  The above is the characteristics of the individual configurations and shapes of the front housing 4 and the rear housing 5. The assembly housing in this embodiment in which the front housing 4 and the rear housing 5 are fastened and fitted together. The body 6 has the following characteristics when viewed from the case request function.

  The assembly housing 6 has three sheet metal housings in its configuration, and the cross-sectional shape of each sheet metal housing is not a simple flat plate shape, but a crank shape and an L shape. In the assembly housing 6, the front side end and the rear side end are arranged with a space therebetween, and are coupled by a fastening screw 20 to form an integral box-like structure. This is the basis of assembly housing rigidity.

  Furthermore, the assembly housing 6 does not include only a metal sheet metal, but has a resin housing in the structure, and the design outer interface, the interior shape, and the connection shape with other modules, which are difficult to manufacture from the metal sheet metal, etc. The shape is formed.

  Further, in the assembly housing state, the front housing 4 is accommodated in the inner periphery of the rear housing 5, and the hook shape 21 provided on the front sheet metal housing flange and the hook shape 22 provided on the inner side of the rear resin housing. However, it is also a feature in this embodiment that a fitting hook is formed.

Although the features of the present embodiment have been described above, details of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Referring to FIG. 1, the entire portable electronic device according to the present embodiment is shown. The portable electronic device according to the present embodiment (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “portable electronic device”) is roughly divided into a display unit side module 1, an operation unit side module 2, and a hinge mechanism 3 that connects them. Consists of. The portable electronic device shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by applying the present invention to a foldable portable device, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the display unit side module 1 as seen from the front direction, and FIG. 3 also shows the display unit side module 1 as seen from the rear direction. An exploded view is shown. Further, referring to FIG. 4, the AA cross section of FIG. 1 is shown, and with reference to FIG. 5, the BB cross section of FIG. 1 is shown. Hereinafter, the portable electronic device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference mainly to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  The assembly housing 6 of the portable electronic device is divided into two housings, a front housing 4 and a rear housing 5, and an FPC (flexible printed circuit board) in which electrical components are mounted in a space constituted by the assembly housing 6 and the screen 10. ) And various devices (built-in component 23).

  When viewed from the front (rear) direction, the front housing 4 can be divided into a front sheet metal housing 7 range and a front resin housing 8 range. That is, the front housing 4 is composed of a sheet metal front sheet metal housing 7 and a resinous front resin housing 8, and one end of the outer periphery of the front sheet metal housing 7 is embedded in the front resin housing 8. Are combined and integrated.

  The front sheet metal casing 7 of the embodiment is manufactured by press-molding a stainless steel sheet having a thickness of 0.3 mm, installed in a resin casing mold, injecting and molding molten resin, and the front resin casing 8 And integral molding (insert molding).

  The front sheet metal housing 7 is formed with a rectangular recess for storing and holding a display device for displaying communication contents, information, operation guidance, etc. (display device storage portion 9), and the surface around the rectangular recess is It becomes the pasting surface of the screen 10 that protects the display surface of the display device. Accordingly, the front sheet metal casing 7 has a concave shape at the center.

  There is a step between the top surface of the display device storage unit 9 and the surrounding screen application surface. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cross-sectional shape of the front sheet metal housing 7 is “crank shape” (analogue from the crank road. In this specification, two narrow right-angle curves are connected closely. And a crank-shaped outer peripheral surface and a flange 13). Therefore, the front sheet metal housing 7 has a bathtub shape as a whole. By forming the front sheet metal casing 7 in such a shape, other members (display devices such as an LCD and an organic EL display in this embodiment) can be efficiently stored and high rigidity can be secured. .

  FIG. 6 shows the shape of one side edge of the front sheet metal casing 7 embedded in the front resin casing 8. A U-shape 24, an L-shape 25, and a through-hole 26 are present at the portion to be embedded, thereby strengthening the bond with the resin.

  The side that is not embedded in the front resin casing 8 on the outer periphery of the front sheet metal casing 7 is in a state where the thick end surface of the sheet metal is exposed.

  The flange of the front sheet metal housing 7 has a recess for accommodating the through hole of the fastening male screw and the screw head.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a foldable portable device is assumed, and the front resin casing has a shape 27 constituting a folding hinge.

  The rear casing 5 opposite to the display surface is composed of a rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 made of metal sheet metal, a rear interior sheet metal casing 15 and a resin rear resin casing 16. The nut 17 of the fastening female screw is joined, and the three constituent housings are joined and integrated by the thermocompression bonding material 18 to form the rear housing 5.

  The rear exterior sheet metal housing 14 is composed of a top surface as an external surface and three side surfaces, covers the back surface of the rear housing 5, and has a substantially L-shaped cross section as shown in FIGS. ing.

  The rear resin casing 16 is composed of three sides of the side surface that is a part of the appearance surface and one side of the top surface that is the outer interface and the side surface, and there is no top surface in the range surrounded by the side surface and the top surface end. Has become a department.

  A portion composed of the top surface and the side surface of the rear resin housing 16 has a shape 29 that forms a hinge together with the folding hinge shape 28 of the front resin housing.

  The rear interior sheet metal housing 15 has a crank shape on four sides, and the top surface is provided with an opening 19 to prevent interference with built-in components.

  Four nuts 17 for fastening female screws to the front housing are joined to the top surface of the rear interior sheet metal housing 15 by welding.

  The rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 and the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 of the present embodiment are assumed to be press-molded products made of stainless steel sheet metal having a thickness of 0.3 mm.

  The thermocompression work for creating the rear housing includes a thermocompression bonding material 18 having an outer peripheral shape comparable to the top surface of the rear exterior sheet metal housing 14 and an opening shape corresponding to the opening 19 of the rear interior sheet metal housing top surface. The rear sheet metal casing 14 is placed on the inner surface of the top surface, and the side surfaces of the three sides and the end of the top surface of the rear resin casing 16 are directed to the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 from the rear direction, and the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 from the front direction. Assemble the three constituent housings so as to be sandwiched between the crank parts of the rear exterior sheet metal housing 14 and bond the side surface of the rear resin housing 16 and the top surface of the rear interior sheet metal housing 15 to the inner top surface of the rear exterior sheet metal housing 14. is there.

  When the rear casing 5 after thermocompression bonding is viewed from the front (rear) direction, the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 and the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 are overlapped, and their outer peripheries substantially coincide, and the sheet metal casing range and the rear resin are overlapped. The top surface range of the housing 16 does not overlap, and the top surface of the rear exterior sheet metal housing 14 and the top surface of the rear resin housing 16 form the top surface of the rear housing 5.

  The thick end surface of the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 is concealed by the rear resin casing 16, and the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 is completely inside the rear casing 5.

  The rear resin casing 16 has a shape 30 corresponding to the crank shape step of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15, and the rear resin casing 16 faces the crank shape flange surface of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15. There is a clearance 31 between them.

  The above is the embodiment of the front housing 4 and the rear housing 5, but an embodiment of the assembly housing 6 in which the front housing 4 and the rear housing 5 are fastened and fitted is described.

  In the assembly housing 6 state, the shape relationship between the front housing 4 and the rear housing 5 is such that the front housing 4 fits within the inner periphery of the side surface of the rear resin housing 16 and the top surface of the side surface of the rear resin housing 16. The (front surface) protrudes from the flange surface of the front sheet metal housing 7 to the front side and is flush with the surface of the screen 10.

  From this, the flange outer peripheral thick end surface which is not embedded in the resin of the front sheet metal housing 7 is concealed by the side surface of the rear resin housing 16.

  The front casing 4 and the rear casing 5 are fastened by the nut 17 coupled to the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 and the fastening screw 20 passing through the screw through hole of the front sheet metal casing. The rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 and the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 are an integral box-like structure.

  Further, the flange outer end of the front sheet metal housing 7 has a hook shape 21 and is fitted to the hook shape 22 inside the side surface of the rear resin housing 16.

Next, the relationship between the assembly housing 6 and the built-in component 23 will be described.
The main component 23 is mounted between the inner surface of the front sheet metal casing 7 and the inner surface of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 or the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14.

  The range of the maximum thickness in the built-in component mounting space is a range where the flange of the front sheet metal casing 7 and the rear interior sheet metal top surface opening 19 overlap, and the thickness is the inner surface of the flange of the front sheet metal casing 7. And the distance between the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 and the inner surface of the top surface.

Between the front resin casing 8 and the rear resin casing 16, a space through which the FPC connected to the operation unit side module 2 passes is provided.
The above is the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention.

The case module assembly in the embodiment will be described below.
A main FPC (flexible printed circuit board) 23 having electrical components mounted on the inner surface of the front sheet metal housing 7 is stuck and fixed with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like, and the display device is stored in a rectangular recess 9 on the outer surface of the front sheet metal housing 7. Hold.

  Next, the FPC from the display device is passed through the opening of the front sheet metal housing and connected to the main FPC on the inner surface. The rear casing 5 is also held and fixed by a double-sided tape or the like with electrical components that are electrically connected by the main FPC and the spring terminals.

  Next, the front housing 4 is assembled so as to be within the inner periphery of the side surface of the rear housing 5, and the hook shape 21 on the outer edge of the front sheet metal housing flange and the hook shape 22 on the inner side surface of the rear resin housing are fitted. . After assembling the front housing 4, the rear housing 5 and the built-in component 23, the screw 20 is fastened from the front direction. Thereafter, the screen 10 is attached to the flange surface of the front sheet metal casing 7.

The effects resulting from the features and configuration of the above embodiment will be described below.
The assembly housing 6 of the above embodiment has three metal sheet metal housings in its configuration, and the cross-sectional shape of each sheet metal housing is not a simple flat plate shape, but a crank shape and an L shape. ing.

  As described above, the crank shape is an effective shape for achieving both a reduction in thickness and a secondary moment of section, and it is possible to ensure the rigidity of the metal sheet metal casing and the rigidity of each casing component surface.

  In the assembly housing 6, a crank-shaped front sheet metal housing 7 is disposed at the front end, a crank-shaped rear interior sheet metal housing 15, and an L-shaped rear sheet metal housing 14 that is thermocompression-bonded thereto are rear-mounted. These metal sheet metal casings are arranged at intervals to the end on the side, and the nuts 17 of the rear interior sheet metal 15 are directly screwed together to form an integral box-like structure.

  Since the integrated arrangement is obtained by disposing the interval and screw fastening, the overall rigidity of the assembly casing 6 becomes stronger than the superimposition of the single rigidity of the constituent casings. As a result, the required rigidity required for the assembly housing 6 can be ensured even if the total thickness of the assembly housing 6 is made thinner than that of the conventional device.

Next, the effect from the geometric configuration by having both the front casing 7 and the rear casing 8 have the configuration of the metal sheet metal casing will be described.
Resin (polymer) and magnesium materials that are used for the manufacture of the casing are limited to about 0.5 mm in terms of moldability, and the metal sheet metal casing made of 0.3 mm stainless steel in this embodiment is a resin casing. Compared to this, it is possible to manufacture a thin-walled housing surface, and the total thickness of the device housing is reduced.

In addition, the front casing is accommodated on the inner periphery of the side surface of the rear casing, which is a feature of the assembly casing of the embodiment described above, and the effect of thinning by the shape configuration will be described.
In the case structure of the prior art, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the boundary surface where the front case and the rear case are in contact is on the side surface, and a hook for reinforcing fitting is provided on the boundary surface. Since the hooks must have shapes that engage with each other, the rear casing hook base, the front casing engaging section, the rear casing engaging section, and the front casing hook base are configured. The total prevented the total thickness of the assembly housing from decreasing.

  However, in the above embodiment, the side surface of the rear resin casing 16 extends to the front, and the boundary surface between the front casing 4 and the rear casing 5 is provided on the front surface instead of the side surface. Thereby, the rear casing engaging portion and the front casing hook base are positioned substantially in parallel, and the total thickness of the engaging hook configuration can be reduced. Further, by providing the front side hook in the front sheet metal casing 7, a hook configuration thickness that is impossible with hooks between the molded casings becomes possible.

Next, effects of the above-described embodiment in each housing will be described.
Although it has been described that the appearance of the crank-shaped metal sheet metal casing is unacceptable due to the specifications of the portable device, the rear casing 5 in the above-described embodiment has a sheet metal casing that is the outer appearance surface and a non-external appearance. By adopting a two-sheet sheet metal casing as a surface, the required functions of rigidity and appearance that cannot coexist with a single component are separated to solve the problem.

  That is, the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 which is located on the inner surface side of the assembly casing 6 and does not require an exterior surface function has a high-rigidity crank shape, and the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 has a shape that becomes an exterior design curved surface. In addition, it has the appearance function required from securing of rigidity and equipment specifications.

  The rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 is a component for an exterior surface that is a decorative function, but is a metal sheet metal part whose cross-sectional shape is an L shape, and has an effect of adding further rigidity to the casing. is there.

  The plurality of configurations of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 and the rear exterior sheet metal 14 not only improve the rigidity of the rear casing 5 but also have the following effects.

  The nut 17 of the fastening screw is coupled to the rear interior sheet metal casing 15, but both the welding and caulking methods leave a coupling mark on the outer surface of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15. The rear exterior sheet metal housing 14 conceals this coupling trace.

  Further, in the thermocompression bonding of the rear housing 5, the crank shape of the rear interior sheet metal housing 15 is a shape that hangs on the rear resin housing 16 from the inside, and is a resistance against peeling of the thermocompression bonding.

  Furthermore, since the side surface of the rear resin casing 16 is thin, it tends to warp inward during molding. The warpage and the crank shape portion of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 interfere with each other, and the warpage is corrected from the rigidity of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15.

  Although the thickness of the overlapping range between the top surface of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 and the top surface of the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 is 0.3 mm or more, the opening 19 is formed on the top surface of the rear interior sheet metal casing 15. By providing, the range of only the top surface of the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 is formed, so that the effect of thinning the casing configuration surface in the geometric configuration is not reduced.

  The above is the effect of the configuration of the metal sheet metal housing in the above embodiment, but the housing configuration of the above embodiment includes a resinous housing. The effect of the configuration with the metal sheet metal casing will be described.

  The front resin casing 8 can be formed in a complicated shape from manufacturing by molding, and can have a shape function of a hinge structure connected to other modules of the device.

  Further, the front resin casing 8 does not overlap with the front sheet metal casing 7 except for the connecting portion, and does not obstruct the thin configuration surface of the front sheet metal casing 7.

  The presence of the rear resin casing 16 together with the front resin casing 8 makes it possible to form the hinge structure 3 having a hollow structure for mounting the connected FPC and the hinge unit.

  The rear resin casing 16 has a fitting hook shape 22 on the rear casing side, so that the fitting hook is a combination of a metallic hook and a resin hook.

  Thus, the flexibility required for fitting and release of the hook can be provided on the resin hook side, and the dimensions of the fitting surface can be easily adjusted from the modification of the resin mold.

  In the range of the top surface of the rear resin casing 16, the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 and the rear interior sheet metal casing 15 do not overlap with each other, and do not obstruct the thin surface of the sheet metal casing.

  Further, the range in which the front resin casing 8 and the rear resin casing 16 overlap is such that there is no metal sheet metal casing, and if the antenna is installed at a corresponding position of another module to be connected, the antenna characteristics are not disturbed. Configuration is possible.

  In addition, there are sharp burrs that occur during press molding at the outer edge of the metal sheet metal casing, and the sheet metal thickness is very thin at 0.3 mm. The state where the end edge is exposed is dangerous. However, this danger can be dealt with by a configuration including a resin casing.

As shown in the sectional views 4 and 5, the outer peripheral edge of the front sheet metal casing 7 that is not embedded in the front resin casing 8 is concealed by the side surface of the rear resin casing 16, and the outer periphery of the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 is hidden. If the end edge fits in the step of the rear resin casing 16 and the end edge burr is pressed to the rear resin casing 16 side, the outer peripheral edge of the rear exterior sheet metal casing 14 is not dangerous. Become.
The above is the effect of the portable electronic device casing structure according to the present invention.

  The configuration shown in the above embodiment is merely an example for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and the present invention can be implemented with a configuration different from the above embodiment. For example, application to a front casing having a casing configuration including an exterior sheet metal casing, an interior sheet metal casing, and a resin casing is conceivable. When the display function is not a large area (for example, a plurality of point light sources), if the rear case configuration in the embodiment is applied to the front case, the assembly case composition becomes stronger.

1 is an overall view illustrating an entire portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is an exploded view which shows the housing | casing module seen from the front direction of the portable electronic device which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is an exploded view which shows the housing | casing module seen from the rear direction of the portable electronic device which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing (AA cross section) of the portable electronic device which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is sectional drawing (BB cross section) of the portable electronic device which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the front sheet metal housing | casing shape of the portable electronic device which concerns on the Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display part side module 2 Operation part side module 3 Hinge mechanism 4 Front case 5 Rear case 6 Assembly case 7 Front sheet metal case 8 Front resin case 9 Display device storage part 10 Screen 11 Screen pasting surface 12 Display device storage Section top surface 13 Flange 14 Rear exterior sheet metal casing 15 Rear interior sheet metal casing 16 Rear resin casing 17 Nut 18 Thermocompression bonding material 19 (Rear interior sheet metal casing) Opening 20 Fastening screw 21 (Front sheet metal casing) Hook shape 22 (Rear resin casing) Hook shape 23 Built-in parts 24 (Front sheet metal casing) U shape 25 (Front sheet metal casing) L shape 26 (Front sheet metal casing) Through hole 28 (Front resin casing) Hinge shape 29 (Rear resin housing) Hinge shape 30 (Rear resin housing crank shape) Corresponding shape 31 (Rear interior Sheet metal casing and the rear plastic housing between) clearance

Claims (11)

A portable electronic device having a housing including a first metal sheet metal for exterior, a second metal sheet for interior, and a frame-shaped resin structure,
Said first metal sheet metal and the second metal sheet metal, the is joined across the resin structure, the second metal sheet metal, Ri end a crank shape der,
The crank shape of the second metal sheet metal is provided inside the frame shape of the resin structure,
A portable electronic device characterized by that. A display unit is provided on the surface of the housing,
It said first metal sheet metal ends Ri L-shaped der, and,
Provided on the back surface of the housing opposite to the front surface of the housing,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1. A third metal sheet that is mechanically fastened to the housing;
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a structure formed by the housing and the third metal sheet is a box shape.   4. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the third metal sheet metal is screwed to the housing with a spacer interposed therebetween.   The portable electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the spacer is a nut.   The third metal sheet metal is fixed to the second metal sheet metal at a position opposite to the first metal sheet metal with the second metal sheet interposed therebetween, thereby mechanically attaching to the housing. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the portable electronic device is fastened.   The portable electronic device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the third metal sheet metal has a crank shape at the end, a concave shape at the center, and a bathtub shape as a whole. .   The portable electronic device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein one end of the third metal sheet metal has an anchor shape.   The portable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first metal sheet metal and the second metal sheet metal are bonded by a thermocompression bonding material. 10. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the crank shape of the second metal sheet metal is hung from the inside of the resin structure on a frame shape of the resin structure. 11. 11. The crank-shaped base end portion of the second metal sheet metal is closer to the first metal sheet metal than the crank-shaped end portion thereof. Portable electronic devices.

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