JP5561004B2 - Mobile device - Google Patents

Description

  This case relates to a mobile terminal.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile terminals such as mobile phones have been made thinner and improved in waterproof performance in order to meet user demands. As a technique for improving the waterproof performance, there are techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example.

  When the waterproof performance of a portable terminal is improved, it becomes possible to actively use the camera underwater as well as avoid troubles when submerged. For example, underwater photography using a camera that is standard equipment in recent mobile phones is also possible.

JP 2004-64139 A JP 2006-128838 A

  In the portable terminal as described above, a sheet-like switch is often used as the operation switch, and the air pressure in the interior space of the portable terminal having waterproof performance is kept constant. For this reason, when the portable terminal is placed under a water pressure of about 2 m in depth, the switch is pushed and there is a risk of malfunction. In addition, a thin liquid crystal panel often used in a mobile terminal may be deformed by water pressure.

  In order to suppress such switch malfunctions and component deformation, conventionally, the switch components are selected so that the force required to push the switch is increased, or the liquid crystal has the strength to withstand water pressure. I was using a panel. However, when such a method is adopted, the operational feeling of the switch is greatly impaired, and there is a risk of increasing the size and weight of the mobile terminal.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a portable terminal capable of improving waterproof performance while suppressing an influence on an exterior body due to a change in external pressure. .

The portable terminal described in the present specification prevents an intrusion of gas and liquid from the outside together with the exterior body having an internal space for accommodating electronic components, and the interior of the internal space. The elastic wall deformed according to the difference between the pressure of the internal space and the pressure outside the internal space, the atmospheric pressure sensor detecting the atmospheric pressure inside the internal space, and the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor and a predetermined threshold were compared based on the results, obtain Preparations and controller to turn off the power, the.

  The portable terminal described in the present specification has an effect that the waterproof performance can be improved while suppressing the influence on the exterior body due to a change in external pressure.

Fig.1 (a)-FIG.1 (c) are figures which show schematically the structure of the portable terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Fig.2 (a) is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the housing | casing from the back side, FIG.2 (b) is a disassembled perspective view of Fig.2 (a). It is a perspective view which shows the state which further decomposed | disassembled the front side housing | casing of FIG.2 (b). It is a perspective view which expands and shows an airbag. It is a figure which shows the filling member provided so that the clearance gap existing between a circuit board and space may be filled up. FIG. 6A is a diagram schematically illustrating a state in the housing when the mobile terminal is present at atmospheric pressure, and FIG. 6B is a diagram when the mobile terminal is submerged in water. It is a figure which shows typically the state in a housing | casing. FIG. 7A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the operation button, and FIG. 7B is a diagram for explaining the pressure applied to the operation button. FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are diagrams for explaining a modification. It is a figure which shows the power supply control system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing processing by the power supply control system of FIG. 9.

<< First Embodiment >>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a mobile terminal will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 schematically shows a mobile terminal 100 according to the present embodiment. 1A is a front view (front side) of the mobile terminal 100, FIG. 1B is a side view of the mobile terminal 100, and FIG. As shown in these drawings, the mobile terminal 100 includes a housing 10, a monitor 20 provided on the front side of the housing 10, and operation buttons 22.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the housing 10 includes a front side housing 12 and a back side housing 14. The monitor 20 is composed of a liquid crystal panel or the like. The operation button 22 is, for example, a thin sheet-like button (also called a membrane switch or a key sheet).

  FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing a state in which the housing 10 is viewed from the back side, and FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view of FIG. As shown in these drawings, the housing 10 is in a state where the front housing 12 and the back housing 14 are overlapped.

  The front side housing 12 has a partition wall 12a as can be seen from FIG. 3 which is a perspective view showing a further disassembled state of the front side housing 12 of FIG. By this partition wall 12a, two spaces 16a and 16b are formed in the front housing 12. The partition wall 12a is formed with a through hole 12b that communicates the two spaces 16a and 16b. In this case, in a state where the front side case 12 and the back side case 14 are combined, the space 16a is a space in which the flow of gas or liquid other than the through hole 12b is prevented. Note that the space 16a is actually a space formed by the casing 10, the monitor 20, and the operation buttons 22. That is, it can be said that the structure including the housing 10, the monitor 20, and the operation buttons 22 is an exterior body that partitions the space 16 a and the external space of the mobile terminal 100.

  A circuit board 25 as an electronic component is provided in the space 16a. The circuit board 25 is connected to the monitor 20 and the operation buttons 22 described above. On the circuit board 25, processing and calculation in the portable terminal 100 are performed.

  In the space 16b, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, an airbag 30 as an elastic wall is provided. As can be seen from FIG. 4 which shows the airbag 30 in an enlarged manner, the airbag 30 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped gas storage portion 32, a ventilation nozzle 34 provided in the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the gas storage portion 32, Is provided. The gas accommodating portion 32 is made of an elastic member such as silicon rubber, and is deformed according to the difference between the internal atmospheric pressure and the external pressure (atmospheric pressure or water pressure). That is, if the external pressure is larger than the internal atmospheric pressure, the gas accommodating portion 32 is deformed so as to reduce the internal volume.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the airbag 30 is held in the space 16 b with the ventilation nozzle 34 inserted into the through hole 12 b. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, packing (O-ring or the like) 36 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the ventilation nozzle 34. The presence of the packing 36 prevents gas and water from flowing between the outer peripheral surface of the ventilation nozzle 34 and the through hole 12b.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the internal space of the airbag 30 and the space 16a formed by the exterior body (including the housing 10, the monitor 20, and the operation buttons 22) are in a communication state. That is, the space 16a and the inner space of the airbag 30 are sealed spaces. In other words, the airbag 30 is configured so that the space in which gas and liquid from the outside are prevented from entering together with the exterior body. It can be said that it has formed. In addition, when the gas accommodating part 32 of the airbag 30 deform | transforms, the gas in the gas accommodating part 32 will move to the space 16a side via the ventilation nozzle 34. FIG. In the following description, the sealed space is referred to as a “sealed waterproof space” for convenience of explanation.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, a part of the front-side housing 12 forming the space 16 b is a separate member that can be removed. Specifically, the wall portion at the end of the front housing 12 is a removable lid member 18. The lid member 18 has a plurality of through holes 18a that allow water and air to flow therethrough. Accordingly, air or water outside the space 16b can enter the space 16b through the through hole 18a.

  2 and 3, illustration is omitted for convenience of explanation, but actually, as shown in FIG. 5, so as to fill a gap existing between the circuit board 25 and the space 16a, A filling member 27 is provided. The filling member 27 is a member for narrowing the space in the space 16a as much as possible. As the filling member 27, a resin material molded so as to fit into the shape of the circuit board 25 can be used.

  FIG. 6A schematically shows the state in the housing 10 when the mobile terminal 100 of the present embodiment exists under atmospheric pressure. As shown in FIG. 6A, the air bag 30 is inflated under atmospheric pressure, and the inside of the sealed waterproof space including the space 16a is maintained at the same atmospheric pressure as the atmospheric pressure.

  FIG. 6B schematically shows a state in the housing 10 when the mobile terminal 100 is submerged in water. As shown in FIG. 6B, in water, water enters the space 16b through the through hole 18a. In this case, the gas accommodating portion 32 of the airbag 30 is recessed due to the water pressure of the water that has entered, and the internal volume of the sealed waterproof space is reduced. The atmospheric pressure is almost the same as the water pressure applied to the outside of the water. When the mobile terminal 100 is returned to atmospheric pressure from the state of FIG. 6B, the water in the space 16b is discharged from the through hole 18a. Then, the airbag 30 returns to the inflated state as shown in FIG. 6A, whereby the air pressure inside the sealed waterproof space returns to atmospheric pressure.

  FIG. 7A shows a schematic configuration of the operation button 22. The operation button 22 includes a sheet-like pressing member 52 and a button unit 54 having an electrical contact 56 that contacts when the pressing member 52 is pressed. The button unit 54 is provided in the space 16a. In this case, a space 62 is formed between the pressing member 52 and the button unit 54, but since the through holes 58 are formed in the button unit 54 in some places, the atmospheric pressure in the space 62 is It is kept the same as the pressure at other locations in 16a. That is, even in the space 62 sandwiched between the pressing member 52 and the button unit 54, the same atmospheric pressure or water pressure is maintained regardless of the atmospheric pressure or water pressure outside the portable terminal 100. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7B, the pressure Po applied from the outside of the mobile terminal 100 to the pressure Pi applied from the mobile terminal 100 is substantially balanced with respect to the pressing member 52. . That is, it is possible to suppress malfunction of the pressing member 52 (a phenomenon in which the button is pressed by the pressure Po) that occurs when the pressure Po is higher than the atmospheric pressure Pi. Although the operation button 22 has been described above, the same applies to the monitor 20. That is, in the present embodiment, the pressure applied to the front and back surfaces of the monitor 20 can be maintained substantially the same, so that deformation of the monitor 20 and the like can be suppressed.

  Here, the effect | action by the airbag 30 is demonstrated more concretely.

  The initial clearance volume of the sealed waterproof space (in the airbag 30 and the space 16a) under atmospheric pressure is A, and the clearance volume of the sealed waterproof space in water is B. Further, when the gap volume is B, the elastic pressure that the airbag 30 tries to restore to the original shape is E, and the water pressure is P.

In such a case, the pressure in the sealed waterproof space can be expressed by A / B. Therefore, the relationship of the following formula (1) is established between the pressure in the sealed waterproof space and the elastic pressure E and the water pressure P.
P = A / B + E (1)

Here, if the material of the airbag 30 is very soft, E can be almost zero.
P≈A / B (2)
The pressure difference between the inside and outside of the sealed waterproof space is almost the same. As a result, almost no mechanical load is generated on the operation buttons 22 and the monitor 20 of the portable terminal 100.

In the present embodiment, as described above, the filling member 27 is provided in the space 16a (see FIG. 5). The filling member 27 has an effect of increasing A / B as much as possible against deformation of the elastic wall. As an example, assuming that the filling rate of members (circuit boards and the like) in the space 16a of the conventional portable terminal is about 80%, and providing the filling member 27 as in this embodiment, the filling rate of the members in the space 16a Is 90%. In this case, if the size of the mobile terminal 100 is 110 mm × 50 mm × 10 mm, the volume of gas existing inside the mobile terminal 100 (inside the sealed waterproof space) is about 5500 mm ³ (content of the mobile terminal) 10% of the product).

  At this time, if the inner volume of the airbag 30 is set to be approximately the same as the volume of the gas present inside the portable terminal 100, the pressure inside the sealed waterproof space can be increased up to 2 atm when submerged. it can. Here, if the increase amount of the water pressure for every 10 m of water depth is 1 atm, the waterproof performance of the water depth of 10 m (2 atm) can be obtained by using the airbag 30.

In addition, when the water depth of 10 m is not required as the waterproof performance, for example, when the waterproof performance of the water depth of 2 m is sufficient, the pressure inside the sealed waterproof space (inside the space 16 and the airbag 30) by 0.2 atm. Can be raised. In this case, the required internal volume α of the airbag 30 can be obtained from the following equation (3).
α / (5500 + α) = 0.2
α = 1375 mm ³ (3)

  That is, the size of the airbag 30 can be set to, for example, about 8 mm × 48 mm × 3.5 mm (where E≈0). By doing in this way, since the size of the airbag 30 can be made very small, the enlargement of the portable terminal 100 by providing the airbag 30 in the portable terminal 100 hardly occurs.

  As described above in detail, according to the first embodiment, the exterior body including the housing 10, the monitor 20, and the operation buttons 22 forms a sealed waterproof space that houses the circuit board 25. 30 prevents external gas and liquid from entering the sealed waterproof space together with the exterior body, and deforms according to the difference between the pressure inside the sealed waterproof space and the pressure outside the sealed waterproof space. It has become. Thereby, even when the pressure outside the portable terminal 100 changes, the pressure inside the sealed waterproof space can be maintained at almost the same pressure as the outside pressure by the deformation of the airbag 30. Thereby, the waterproof performance in the sealed waterproof space can be secured while suppressing the influence on the exterior body due to the change in the external pressure. In this case, even when the exterior body of the mobile terminal 100 includes the operation button 22 or the monitor 20 as in the present embodiment, the operation button 22 malfunctions or the strength of the monitor 20 (or the exterior body is high). It is possible to suppress deformation of the weak part).

  In the first embodiment, since the filling member 27 is provided to fill at least a part of the gap between the circuit board 25 and the space 16a, the filling member 27 can reduce the internal volume of the sealed waterproof space. it can. Thereby, size reduction of the airbag 30 can be achieved. Moreover, even if the airbag 30 is provided in the portable terminal 100, the enlargement of the portable terminal 100 can be suppressed as much as possible. However, if the gap in the space 16a is originally small, the filling member 27 may not be provided in the space 16a.

  In the first embodiment, as schematically illustrated in FIG. 6A, the case where the airbag 30 is provided in the space 16 a and the sealed waterproof space is formed by the space 16 a and the airbag 30 has been described. . However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as schematically shown in FIG. 8A, the airbag 30 is connected to the portable terminal 100 so that the inner space of the airbag 30 communicates with the outside of the portable terminal 100. It is good also as providing for. Also in this case, it can be said that a sealed waterproof space (here, the space 16a and the space 16b) is formed by the airbag 30 and the housing 10 (exterior body). In FIG. 8A, the shape of the airbag 30 is a bellows shape so that the internal volume of the airbag 30 is reduced under atmospheric pressure. Even if it does in this way, when the portable terminal 100 enters underwater, as shown in FIG.8 (b), since water infiltrates in the airbag 30, similarly to the said 1st Embodiment, The volume of the sealed waterproof space in the mobile terminal 100 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the first embodiment.

  Note that the shape and arrangement method of the airbag 30 are not limited to those described in the first embodiment and the modified examples of FIGS. 8A and 8B. That is, any structure may be used as long as a sealed waterproof space is formed by the exterior body and the airbag and the airbag can be deformed by a pressure difference between inside and outside the sealed waterproof space.

<< Second Embodiment >>
Next, 2nd Embodiment of a portable terminal is described based on FIG. 9, FIG. The configuration of the mobile terminal in the second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the power supply control system 70 in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the power supply control system 70 includes an atmospheric pressure sensor 80, an AD converter 82, a control computer 84 as a control device, a power supply control circuit 86, a power supply 88, a nonvolatile memory 90, Have In addition, these each part shall be mounted on the circuit board 25. FIG.

  The atmospheric pressure sensor 80 detects the atmospheric pressure inside the sealed waterproof space (the space in the space 16a and the airbag 30). Note that the atmospheric pressure inside the sealed waterproof space and the pressure outside the portable terminal 100 (atmospheric pressure and water pressure) are substantially the same as described in the first embodiment, so that the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 is substantially portable. It can be said that the pressure outside the terminal 100 is detected.

  The AD converter 82 AD converts the detection result of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80. The control computer 84 determines whether or not to turn off the power supply 88 using the detection result of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 subjected to AD conversion, and outputs the determination result to the power supply control circuit 86. The power supply control circuit 86 receives the determination result from the control computer 84 and controls the power supply 88 to be turned on / off.

  The non-volatile memory 90 is a storage medium for storing the detected value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 at that time when the control computer 84 determines to turn off the power.

  Next, processing by the power supply control system 70 of FIG. In FIG. 10, first, in step S10, the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 detects the atmospheric pressure inside the sealed waterproof space. Next, in step S12, the control computer 84 determines whether or not the detected value is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value. In this case, the “predetermined threshold value” is assumed to be the largest value among the pressures with which the mobile terminal 100 is likely to operate normally. If the determination is negative, that is, if the detected value is less than the threshold value, the process returns to step S10, and steps S10 and S12 are repeated until the determination in step S12 is affirmed. On the other hand, when the detected value is equal to or greater than the threshold value and the determination in step S12 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S <b> 14, the control computer 84 stores the detection value in the nonvolatile memory 90. The reason why the detected value is stored in the nonvolatile memory 90 is that an operator can refer to the portable terminal 100 during maintenance or repair by leaving the cause of the power supply 88 being turned off in the portable terminal 100. The worker can increase the work efficiency of maintenance and repair by referring to the cause of the power supply 88 being turned off.

  When the process of step S14 is completed as described above, the process proceeds to step S16, and the power supply control circuit 86 turns off the power supply 88 under the instruction of the control computer 84. In addition, when the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the power supply 88 is turned off by turning off the power supply 88 before the mobile terminal 100 exceeds the allowable pressure (water depth). This is because malfunction of the mobile terminal 100 can be suppressed.

  As described above in detail, according to the second embodiment, in addition to having the same configuration as the first embodiment, the atmospheric pressure for detecting the atmospheric pressure in the sealed waterproof space (in the space 16a and the airbag 30). A sensor 80 is provided. Thereby, the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained, and the pressure (atmospheric pressure or water pressure) outside the portable terminal 100 can be indirectly detected by detecting the atmospheric pressure inside the sealed waterproof space. Can do. Therefore, even when it is necessary to measure the external atmospheric pressure, it is not necessary to arrange an atmospheric pressure sensor outside the housing 10. Thereby, it is not necessary to consider the waterproof structure in the vicinity of the atmospheric pressure sensor, and it is possible to suppress deterioration in design due to the external arrangement of the atmospheric pressure sensor.

  Further, according to the second embodiment, the power supply control circuit 86 turns off the power supply 88 when the control computer 84 determines that the detected value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. It is possible to suppress malfunction of the terminal 100. Further, according to the second embodiment, the control computer 84 stores (saves) the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 immediately before turning off the power supply 88 in the nonvolatile memory 90. As a result, an operator who performs maintenance or repair can know the cause of the power supply 88 being turned off, so that work efficiency can be improved.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the power supply 88 is turned off when the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the method for determining whether or not to turn off the power supply 88 varies depending on the value of the threshold value. That is, the control computer 84 compares the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor with a threshold (for example, a threshold indicating a range in which the mobile terminal 100 operates normally) determined based on a certain reference, and based on the comparison result. The power supply 88 may be turned off.

  In the second embodiment, when the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 exceeds a threshold value, the power supply 88 is turned off, and the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 80 immediately before turning off the power supply 88 is stored in the nonvolatile memory. The case of saving to 90 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the power supply 88 may be simply turned off. In this case, the nonvolatile memory 90 may be omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the power supply control system 70 is applied to the mobile terminal of the first embodiment has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the power supply control system 70 may be applied to the portable terminal having the configuration shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.

The portable terminals of the first and second embodiments include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System), a PDA (Personal
Mobile terminals such as Digital Assistant) can be used. In addition, as a portable terminal, a portable television, a radio, a portable car navigation system, or other portable devices may be adopted.

  Each embodiment mentioned above is an example of suitable implementation of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

10 Case (part of exterior body)
20 Monitor (part of exterior body)
22 Operation buttons (part of exterior body)
25 Circuit board (electronic parts)
27 Filling member 30 Airbag (elastic wall)
80 barometric pressure sensor 84 Control computer (control device)
88 Power supply 90 Nonvolatile memory

Claims (3)

An exterior body having an internal space for accommodating electronic components;
Intrusion of gas and liquid from the outside into the internal space together with the exterior body, and an elastic wall that deforms according to the difference between the internal pressure of the internal space and the external pressure of the internal space ;
An atmospheric pressure sensor for detecting an atmospheric pressure inside the internal space;
Based on the result of comparing the detected value of the atmospheric pressure sensor and a predetermined threshold, a control device for turning off the power;
Mobile terminal, wherein the obtaining Bei a.   The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein a filling member that fills at least a part of a gap between the electronic component and the internal space is provided inside the internal space. A non-volatile memory;
Wherein the control device, a portable terminal according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that storing a detection value of the pressure sensor immediately before turning off the power to the non-volatile memory.

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