JP5212267B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device having two casings and having waterproof properties.

  In recent years, electronic devices in which two housings, an upper housing and a lower housing, are connected and a display device and operation keys are respectively provided in the two housings are widely used. In a foldable mobile phone which is an example of such an electronic device, for example, a display device is provided in an upper housing and an operation key or the like is provided in a lower housing. These display devices and operation keys are provided so as to be arranged on the inner side when the foldable mobile phone is folded. When the user carries the foldable mobile phone, the user folds it down to make it compact, and when using it, opens it to expose the display device and the operation keys so that they can be operated. In an electronic device in which two housings such as a folding mobile phone are connected, a so-called flexible substrate that can be folded is inserted between an upper housing and a lower housing. The flexible substrate has a role of transmitting a signal such as image information to be displayed on the display device between the upper housing and the lower housing.

  By the way, an electronic circuit having a function of performing various signal processing is built in the upper housing and the lower housing of such a foldable mobile phone. Here, considering the situation where water has entered the case when the foldable mobile phone gets wet, the water that has adhered to the surface of the electronic circuit causes a current to flow to an unexpected part of the electronic circuit. There was a possibility that the tatami-type mobile phone was damaged. Therefore, in order to prevent water from entering the inside of the housing, an invention has been disclosed in which the joint portion of the housing is covered with an elastic member such as rubber and the housing is sealed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-5002 A

  In the foldable mobile phone having such a waterproof function, attention is paid to the fold joint portion of the lower housing. The flexible substrate described above has a configuration that protrudes to the outside of the upper housing and the lower housing at the folding joint. In order to prevent water from entering the housing from the protruding portion of the flexible substrate, the periphery of the flexible substrate is covered with a packing made of an elastic member.

  On the other hand, when an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals is provided at the fold joint, the flexible board covered with packing and the antenna are present at the fold joint of the lower housing. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a fold joint part of a conventional foldable mobile phone having a waterproof function, and its configuration will be described. The folding joint portion of the conventional folding cellular phone is configured by sandwiching the flexible substrate 106 and the antenna 113 between the inner case 105 and the outer case 104 and sealing the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 106 with the packing 107. Yes. First, the flexible substrate 106 covered with the packing 107 is inserted into the groove provided in the inner case 105. In order to fix the packing 107 and the flexible substrate 106, the double-sided tape A108 is affixed at a position where the packing 107 and the groove of the inner case 105 are fixed. Further, a PET sheet 114 for securing a clearance with the antenna 113 is attached to the upper part of the double-sided tape A108. Further, the antenna 113 is disposed on the PET sheet 114. Here, the antenna 113 shown in the figure is formed integrally with the mold. The outer case 104 is put on the antenna 113 and fitted into the inner case 105. Here, the outer case 104, the antenna 113, and the inner case 105 are provided with screw holes and recesses at common positions. The inner case 104, the antenna 113, and the outer case 105 are fastened and fixed by screws 112 that lock the respective screw holes and recesses, so that the antenna 113 presses the flexible substrate 106 covered with the packing 107 toward the inner case 105. . Since the pressed packing 107 is deformed and is in close contact with the groove provided in the inner case 105, a situation where water enters the inside of the lower housing is prevented.

  When the waterproof function is ensured by the above configuration, the outer case 104 fixed by the screw 112, the antenna 113, the PET sheet 114, the double-sided tape A108, the flexible substrate 106 covered with the packing 107, and the inner case 105 are all. For these members, the variation in the dimension in the thickness direction needs to be a sufficiently small value. The amount of deformation of the pressed packing 107 also varies due to variations in the dimensions of the members. As a result, there is a problem that the groove provided in the inner case 105 and the packing 107 cannot be kept in close contact, and a sufficient waterproof function cannot be secured. Furthermore, since the screw 112 exposed to the outside of the outer case 4 impairs the appearance of the folding mobile phone, it is necessary to separately provide a blindfold plate 115 for hiding the screw 112 from the outside of the outer case 104.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is characterized in that a holder for pressing a flexible substrate covered with packing is provided, and the holder and the inner case are fixed with screws.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to the present invention joins a first housing, a first opening provided on one surface of the first housing, and an inner case and an outer case. The second casing, a second opening provided on one surface of the inner case, the first opening and the second opening, and passing through the first casing and the second opening. Embedded in the second housing, a flexible substrate that electrically connects the two housings, a packing made of an elastic member that covers the flexible substrate in a state where the second opening is closed, and A holder that presses the packing against the inner case, a screw hole provided in the holder, a recess provided in the inner case for fixing a screw, and inserted into the screw hole and the recess, The screw for screwing the holder and the inner case, the holder and the It is interposed between the case, characterized by comprising an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the mobile telephone which improved the waterproofness to the inside of a housing | casing in the coupling | bond part of a mobile telephone can be provided.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a foldable mobile phone that is an example of an electronic apparatus according to the invention. The figure which shows the internal member structure in the folding junction part of the lower housing | casing of the foldable mobile telephone which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows a mode that the holder and the inner case were fixed with the screw of the foldable mobile telephone which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows a mode that the outer case, the antenna, and the inner case were fixed with the screw in the conventional foldable mobile telephone.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a foldable mobile phone 1 which is an example of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an external configuration of the foldable mobile phone 1 as viewed from the back side.

  The foldable mobile phone 1 is configured by connecting an upper housing 2 and a lower housing 3 in a foldable manner. For example, the upper housing 2 is provided with a display device (not shown) that displays characters and figures. The lower housing 3 is provided with an operation key (not shown) for transmitting an electrical signal to an electronic circuit inside the mobile phone.

  FIG. 2 shows a component configuration related to the folding joint portion of the lower housing 3. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the X-X ′ plane in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower housing 3 is configured by fitting an inner case 4 and an outer case 5 together. The inner case 4 is provided with a groove, and a flexible substrate 6 is inserted into the groove. The flexible substrate 6 is connected to the above-described display device, operation keys, electronic circuits built in the upper housing 2 and the lower housing 3, and electrical signals between the upper housing 2 and the lower housing 3. Is transmitted. Since the flexible substrate 6 connects the upper housing 2 and the lower housing 3, the flexible substrate 6 jumps out from the lower housing 3.

In order to ensure the waterproof property of the lower housing 3, it is necessary to completely seal the periphery of the lower housing 3. Therefore, it is necessary to seal not only the fitting portion of the inner case 4 and the outer case 5 but also the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 6 in the same manner. Therefore, in this embodiment, the flexible substrate 6 is covered with the packing 7 without a gap, and the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 6 is sealed with the packing 7. The packing 7 is configured using an elastic member such as rubber or an elastomer material. Moreover, both are fixed by the double-sided tape A8 affixed from the flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7, and the upper part of the inner case 5. FIG.

  On the other hand, an antenna 13 for transmitting and receiving radio signals is provided at the folding joint of the lower housing 3. The antenna 13 receives noise radiated from an electronic circuit mounted inside the lower housing 3, and the radio signal transmission / reception capability deteriorates. Since the electronic circuit is normally arranged concentrated on the center of the lower casing 3, it is desirable that the antenna 13 be arranged at a position close to the edge of the lower casing 3. Therefore, by disposing the antenna 13 at a position far from the center of the lower housing 3 such as a folding joint, the amount of noise that the antenna 13 receives from the electronic circuit can be reduced, and the radio signal transmission / reception capability can be maintained. it can.

Further, the quality of the radio signal when the antenna 13 transmits and receives the radio signal is affected by an obstacle existing in the vicinity of the antenna 13. For example, when the user holds the foldable mobile phone 1, the hand holding the mobile phone 1 or the user's head may become an obstacle, and the quality of the radio signal transmitted and received by the antenna 13 may deteriorate. Therefore, it is desirable to arrange the antenna 13 so that the radiation direction of the radio signal of the antenna 13 is different from the user's hand or head. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the antenna 13 is attached at a position far from the center of the lower housing 3 and closer to the outer case 4. Thereby, the radiation direction of the radio signal of the antenna 13 is less likely to be shielded by the user's hand or head, and the radio signal transmission / reception capability of the antenna 13 can be maintained. The antenna 13 has a configuration of a patch antenna made of a metal conductor and is attached to the outer case 4. In the present embodiment, a configuration using a patch antenna is described as an example of the antenna 13, but a configuration of another planar antenna such as an inverted F antenna or a so-called linear antenna such as a dipole antenna may be used.

The antenna spring 9 is connected to the antenna 13 described above for ensuring the continuity of the antenna 13 with other electronic circuits. The antenna spring 9 is inserted into a groove provided in the inner case 5 and connected to an antenna 13 and an electronic circuit provided in the lower housing 3. Moreover, both are fixed by the double-sided tape B10 stuck from the upper part of the antenna spring 9 and the inner case 5.

  The flexible substrate 6 covered with the above-described packing 7 needs to be pressed and fixed toward the inner case 5 in order to ensure hermeticity with the inner case 5. In this embodiment, the flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7 is pressed using the holder 11. As shown in FIG. 3, holders 11 that cover the upper surface of the flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7 and the upper surface of the antenna spring 9 are provided. The holder 11 is provided with a screw hole, and the screw 12 is inserted into the screw hole. The inner case 5 is provided with a recess at a position corresponding to the screw hole provided in the holder 11, and the holder 11 and the inner case 5 are fixed with the screw 12 inserted. By fixing the screw 12, the holder 11 is pressed in the direction of the inner case 5, and the flexible substrate 6 and the antenna spring 9 covered with the holder 11 are also pressed in the direction of the inner case 5. The flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7 is fixed by receiving the pressing by the holder 11, and the sealing between the inner case 5, the flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7, and the double-sided tape A8 is ensured. On the other hand, the antenna spring 9 is also fixed to a groove provided in the inner case 5 by being pressed by the holder 11.

  The stress with which the holder 11 presses the flexible substrate 6 and the antenna spring 9 becomes larger as the stress is closer to the screw 12 that fixes the holder 11 and the inner case 5. As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, screw holes, recesses, and screws 12 are provided so as to be positioned between the flexible substrate 6 and the antenna spring 9. By providing the screw 12 at a position close to both the flexible substrate 6 and the antenna spring 9, both the flexible substrate 6 and the antenna spring 9 can be pressed against the inner case 5 with sufficient stress.

  According to the above configuration, the sealing of the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 6 can be ensured by the members of the inner case 5, the flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7, the double-sided tape A 8, and the holder 11. For ensuring the sealing performance, variation in the dimensions of each member and protrusions and scratches on the surface of the member have an adverse effect. However, in this embodiment, the sealing performance is adversely affected at the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 6. The members to be provided are the inner case 5, the flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7, the double-sided tape A8, and the holder 11. Since the number of members for sealing the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 6 is small, the sealing performance can be improved as compared with a conventional foldable mobile phone having a large number of members for sealing the protruding portion.

In addition, according to this structure, the flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7 and the antenna spring 9 can be pressed by providing the inner case 5 and the holder 11 with screw holes. Therefore, there is no need to provide a screw hole in the antenna 13. In general, the larger the antenna area of the antenna 13, the higher the transmission / reception quality of the radio signal. In the present embodiment, the antenna area can be expanded by removing screw holes provided in the antenna 13 that have been necessary in the past, and the transmission / reception quality of the radio signal of the antenna 13 can be improved.

  Further, according to this configuration, the screw 12 is not exposed to the outside of the lower housing 3. When the screw 12 is exposed to the outside of the lower housing 3, the screw 12 adversely affects the appearance of the foldable mobile phone 1. In a conventional foldable mobile phone in which the screw 12 is exposed to the outside of the lower housing 3, a blindfold plate 15 is provided to hide the exposed screw 12. However, the provision of the blindfold plate 15 reduces the design freedom of the foldable mobile phone 1, and the thickness of the foldable mobile phone 1 increases due to the presence of the blindfold plate 15. In the present embodiment, since the screw 12 is concealed inside the lower housing 3, the thickness required for the blindfold plate 15 in the conventional folding mobile phone 1 is reduced, and the design is further improved. Can be secured.

  In this specification, the flexible substrate 6 covered with the packing 7 and the antenna spring 9 are given as examples of members that the holder 11 presses and fixes to the inner case 5. However, the member pressed by the holder 11 is not limited to this. For example, instead of the antenna spring 9, another member such as a speaker, a camera member, or an electronic circuit may be pressed. Or the number of members pressed by holder 11 is not restricted to two, for example, may press three or more members.

In the embodiment described here, a foldable mobile phone has been described as an example. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a mobile phone in which two housings are slidably engaged, such as a slide-type mobile phone. Further, for example, it can be applied to a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a wired terminal, or a small information processing device having no communication function such as an electronic dictionary.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the constituent elements may be modified and embodied as long as they do not depart from the gist of the invention. Various inventions may be formed by proper combinations of a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, you may delete a some component from all the components shown by each embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Folding type mobile phone 2 Upper housing 3 Lower housing 4 Inner case 5 Outer case 6 Flexible substrate 7 Packing 8 Double-sided tape A
9 Antenna spring 10 Double-sided tape B
11 Holder 12 Screw 13 Antenna 104 Inner case 105 Outer case 106 Flexible substrate 107 Packing 108 Double-sided tape A
112 Screw 113 Antenna 114 PET sheet 115 Blindfold plate

Claims (1)

A first housing;
A first opening provided on one surface of the first housing;
A second housing formed by joining the inner case and the outer case;
A second opening provided on one surface of the inner case;
A flexible substrate that passes through the first opening and the second opening and electrically connects the first housing and the second housing;
A packing made of an elastic member that covers the flexible substrate in a state in which the second opening is closed;
A holder built in the second housing and pressing the packing against the inner case;
A screw hole provided in the holder;
A recess provided in the inner case for fixing a screw;
The screw inserted into the screw hole and the recess, and screwed into the holder and the inner case;
An antenna that is interposed between the holder and the outer case and transmits and receives radio wave signals ;
An antenna spring electrically connected to the antenna;
Equipped with,
In addition to the packing, the holder presses the antenna spring against the inner case,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the screw hole and the recess are provided between a place where the holder presses the packing and a place where the antenna spring is pressed .

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