JP6841176B2 - Protective case for mobile devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a protective case for a mobile device, particularly a protective case for a mobile device having a coil antenna.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for protective cases for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet terminals. However, when the protective case is attached to the mobile device, there is a problem that the heat generated by the mobile device is less likely to be released to the outside, which may cause abnormal heat generation of the mobile device.

In order to solve the above problems, it is being considered to provide a protective case with a heat dissipation function. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a protective case in which a thin heat conductive member is arranged in a gap between a housing of an electronic device and a case portion provided on the back surface of the housing.

Registered Utility Model No. 3182659

As the heat conductive member as described in Patent Document 1, it is preferable to use a metal member because of its high thermal conductivity. However, the present inventors have arranged the heat conductive member on the entire surface corresponding to the back surface of the electronic device in the protective case disclosed in Patent Document 1, so that the coil antenna is mounted on the portable device. If so, I noticed that using a metal member as the heat conductive member hinders the communication of the coil antenna.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a protective case for a mobile device which is excellent in heat dissipation and does not interfere with the communication of the coil antenna.

As a result of diligent studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have improved heat dissipation by providing a metal heat spreader in the protective case, and the heat spreader is magnetically coupled with a coil antenna to function as a radiator. By doing so, it was found that the communication characteristics of the coil antenna can be improved or maintained, and the present invention, which is a protective case that achieves both improvement of heat dissipation and improvement or retention of communication characteristics, has been created.

According to the gist of the present invention
A protective case for mobile devices that is attached to a mobile device that has a coil antenna.
A metal and planar heat spreader is provided on the mounting portion to be mounted on the portable device.
The heat spreader is provided with a protective case for a portable device, characterized in that it magnetically couples with the coil antenna and functions as a radiator.

According to the present invention, in a protective case for a mobile device mounted on a mobile device having a coil antenna, a metal and planar heat spreader is arranged on a mounting portion mounted on the portable device, and the heat spreader is mounted on the coil antenna. By magnetically coupling with the antenna, it is possible to provide a protective case for a mobile device having high heat dissipation and good communication characteristics of a coil antenna.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective case 1a according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the protective case 1a shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the mobile device 11. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line xx of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the heat spreader 6 of the protective case 1a shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the protective case 1b according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the protective case 1c according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the protective case for a mobile device of the present invention will be described in detail.

The protective case of the present invention is a protective case for a mobile device, specifically, a portable device having an antenna coil.

The portable device is not particularly limited as long as it has an antenna coil and a protective case can be attached, and examples thereof include various mobile devices such as tablet terminals, smartphones, and mobile phones.

The antenna coil is not particularly limited as long as it acts electromagnetically with the outside. For example, the antenna coil may be a coil antenna for HF band short-range communication such as NFC, a coil antenna for non-contact power transmission, or the like.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the protective case for a mobile device of the present invention will be further described with reference to the drawings. The shape and arrangement of the protective case for mobile devices and each component of the present embodiment are not limited to the illustrated examples.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the protective case 1a of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the protective case 1a attached to a smartphone, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a cut surface along xx of FIG. Shown in.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the protective case 1a of the present embodiment includes a case body 5 including a mounting portion 2, a flap portion 3, and a hinge portion 4, a heat spreader 6 provided on the mounting portion 2, and the same. It has a protective sheet 7 provided on the heat spreader 6. The heat spreader 6 has a notch portion 8 in a part thereof, and the notch portion 8 includes a slit portion 9 and an opening portion 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the protective case 1a is attached to the portable device 11 in the attachment portion 2. That is, the portable device 11 is attached to the protective case 1a with the back surface facing the mounting portion 2. The portable device 11 has a coil antenna 12 inside, and the opening 13 of the coil antenna 12 substantially overlaps the opening 10 of the heat spreader 6. As a result, the heat spreader of the protective case of the present invention and the coil antenna of the portable device are magnetically coupled. As a result, it is possible to improve the communication characteristics of the coil antenna due to the heat spreader or suppress the deterioration of the communication characteristics.

The case body 5 may have the same shape as a commonly used case for mobile devices, except that it has a portion for providing the heat spreader 6 and the protective sheet 7. For example, in the illustrated example, the case body is a so-called notebook type including a mounting portion 2, a flap portion 3, and a hinge portion 4, but is not limited to this, and is a type that covers only the back surface and the side surface of the mobile device. You may. As described below, the notebook type is preferable from the viewpoint that excellent heat dissipation can be obtained by providing the flap portion with a heat dissipation function.

The material of the case body 5 is not particularly limited as long as it is not conductive, and may be, for example, resin, leather, or the like.

The heat spreader 6 is made of metal. Here, the term "metal" means that the entire part of the heat spreader is made of metal and that the main component of the heat spreader is made of metal. For example, if the heat spreader is just a metal plate, the heat spreader can be substantially entirely made of metal. Further, when the heat spreader is the vapor chamber described below, for example, the housing which is the main component may be substantially made of metal.

The heat spreader 6 is planar. Here, the “plane” includes a plate shape and a sheet shape, and has a shape in which the length and width are considerably larger than the height (thickness), for example, the length and width are 10 times or more the thickness. It means a shape that is preferably 100 times or more.

The metal constituting the heat spreader 6 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, copper, nickel, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, iron, an alloy containing them as a main component, or the like, and copper may be particularly preferable.

The heat spreader 6 has a notch portion 8. Since the heat spreader has a notch, it is possible to improve the communication characteristics of the coil antenna due to the heat spreader or suppress the deterioration of the communication characteristics.

The shape of the notch portion 8 is not particularly limited as long as the heat spreader can magnetically couple with the coil antenna of the portable device. Preferably, the notch 8 comprises a slit 9 and an opening 10 as shown in FIG. By forming the notch portion with a slit and an opening portion, better communication characteristics can be obtained. In particular, better communication is achieved by making the size of the opening 10 about the same as the size of the opening 13 of the coil antenna 12 and providing the position of the opening 10 at a position corresponding to the opening 13 of the coil antenna 12. The characteristics can be obtained.

The thickness of the heat spreader 6 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 100 μm or more and 11000 μm or less, and more preferably 200 μm or more and 600 μm or less.

In one embodiment, the heat spreader 6 can be a vapor chamber. By using a vapor chamber as the heat spreader, the heat dissipation of the protective case of the present invention can be further enhanced. Furthermore, the vapor chamber can also function as a shock absorber because it has cushioning properties due to the flexible housing and its internal space.

The vapor chamber that can be used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is planar and the housing is made of metal.

Examples of the vapor chamber include a vapor chamber having a planar housing having a sealed space, a wick arranged in the sealed space, and an operating medium enclosed in the sealed space. Be done.

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vapor chamber 20 is
A housing 24 composed of a first sheet 22 and a second sheet 23 having the outer edge portions 21 joined to each other,
A pillar 25 provided between the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 23 so as to support them from the inside, and
The wick 27 arranged in the sealed space 26 of the housing 24 and
It has an operating medium enclosed in the sealed space 26 of the housing 24.

In a plan view, the vapor chamber includes an operating region 28 formed of a sealed space in which an operating medium is enclosed, and a quasi-operating region 29 formed around the operating region. Typically, the quasi-working region corresponds to the portion where the first sheet and the second sheet are joined. Since the working region is a region that exerts a function as a vapor chamber, it has a very high heat transport capacity. Therefore, it is preferable to install the working area as wide as possible. On the other hand, the quasi-operating region is not a region that functions as a vapor chamber, but because it is formed of metal, it has high thermal conductivity and has a certain degree of heat transporting ability. Further, since the semi-operating region is a metal sheet, it is excellent in durability, flexibility, and workability. Therefore, the notch is preferably formed in the semi-working region. Further, as described in the following embodiment, when the heat spreader is also provided in the hinge portion, it is preferable to set it as a quasi-operating region.

The thickness of the housing 24 is preferably 100 μm or more and 600 μm or less, and more preferably 200 μm or more and 500 μm or less.

The materials constituting the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 23 are preferably metals, for example, copper, nickel, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, iron, alloys containing them as main components, and the like, and particularly preferably. Can be copper. The materials constituting the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 23 may be the same or different, but are preferably the same.

One or both of the first sheet or the second sheet has a plurality of convex portions 30 or pillars 25, or convex portions 30 and pillars 25 on the main surface on the internal space side. By having a plurality of protrusions and / or columns on which the sheet rests, the working medium can be held between the protrusions, and it becomes easy to increase the amount of the working medium of the vapor chamber of the present invention. By increasing the amount of the working medium, the heat transport capacity of the vapor chamber is improved. Here, the convex portion and / or the pillar means a portion having a height relatively higher than the surroundings, and in addition to the portion protruding from the main surface, the concave portion formed on the main surface, for example, a groove, is relatively present. Including the part where the height is high.

The height of the convex portion 30 is not particularly limited, but may be preferably 1 μm or more and 100 μm or less, more preferably 5 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and further preferably 15 μm or more and 30 μm or less. The higher the height of the convex portion, the larger the holding amount of the working fluid can be. Further, by lowering the height of the convex portion, it is possible to secure a wider space for the vapor of the working liquid to move. Therefore, the heat transport capacity of the vapor chamber can be adjusted by adjusting the height of the convex portion.

The pillar 25 supports the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 23 from the inside so that the distance between the first sheet and the second sheet is a predetermined distance. By installing the pillar 25 inside the housing 24, it is possible to prevent the housing from being deformed when the inside of the housing is decompressed or when an external pressure from the outside of the housing is applied.

The material forming the pillar 25 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a metal, for example, copper, nickel, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, iron, an alloy containing them as a main component, or the like, and copper is particularly preferable. obtain. In a preferred embodiment, the material forming the columns is the same material as either or both of the first and second sheets.

The height of the pillar 25 can be appropriately set according to the desired thickness of the vapor chamber, preferably 50 μm or more and 500 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or more and 400 μm or less, still more preferably 100 μm or more and 200 μm or less, for example 125 μm or more. It is 150 μm or less. Here, the height of the pillar means the height in the thickness direction of the vapor chamber (the height in the vertical direction in FIG. 3).

The wick 27 is not particularly limited as long as it has a structure capable of moving the working medium by capillary force. The capillary structure that exerts the capillary force for moving the working medium is not particularly limited, and may be a known structure used in the conventional vapor chamber. For example, the capillary structure may include a microstructure having irregularities such as pores, grooves, and protrusions, such as a fiber structure, a groove structure, and a mesh structure.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the wick 27 is an independent member, but may be integrally formed with the housing. For example, in the Baber chamber shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the convex portion 30 formed on the wall surface of the housing can be used as the wick without providing the wick 27.

The working medium is not particularly limited as long as it can cause a gas-liquid phase change in the environment inside the housing, and for example, water, alcohols, CFC substitutes, or the like can be used. In one embodiment, the working medium is an aqueous compound, preferably water.

In another aspect, the heat spreader 6 may be a metal sheet. By forming the heat spreader 6 with a metal sheet, the workability can be improved and the strength of the heat spreader itself can be increased.

The protective sheet 7 is provided on the heat spreader 6. By providing the protective sheet, the heat spreader can be protected and the durability of the protective case can be improved.

The protective sheet 7 preferably has excellent thermal conductivity. Since the protective sheet has excellent thermal conductivity, the portable device and the heat spreader 6 can be thermally coupled to each other, and more excellent heat dissipation can be obtained.

The protective sheet 7 preferably has excellent insulating properties, particularly excellent insulating properties in the thickness direction. Since the protective sheet 7 has an insulating property, it is possible to prevent a short circuit between the portable device and the heat spreader.

In a preferred embodiment, the protective sheet 7 has excellent thermal conductivity and excellent insulation. When a protective case using such a protective sheet is attached to a portable device having a metal back surface, it is possible to obtain extremely excellent heat dissipation while preventing a short circuit between the portable device and the heat spreader.

In a preferred embodiment, the protective sheet 7 is a graphite sheet that may have an insulating layer, preferably a graphite sheet that has an insulating layer. By using a graphite sheet as the protective sheet, both excellent thermal conductivity and excellent insulation can be achieved.

(Embodiment 2)
A perspective view of the protective case 1b of the present embodiment is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the protective case 1b of the present embodiment has a heat spreader 6 in the flap portion 3 in addition to the configuration of the protective case 1a, and further includes a heat spreader in the mounting portion 2 and a heat spreader in the flap portion 3. The hinge portion 4 also has a heat spreader so as to be connected. In this way, the heat spreader is also provided on the flap portion, and by thermally connecting to the heat spreader of the mounting portion 2, the heat dissipation of the protective case can be further improved.

In a preferred embodiment, the heat spreader in the protective case 1b is a vapor chamber, and the mounting portion 2 and the flap portion 3 are provided with an operating region 28. By providing an operating region in both the mounting portion 2 and the flap portion 3, higher heat dissipation can be obtained. Further, the heat spreader in the hinge portion 4 is preferably in the semi-operating region 29. By setting the heat spreader in the hinge portion 4 as the semi-operating region, deterioration or breakage of the heat spreader due to stress when opening and closing the protective case can be suppressed.

In one embodiment, a protective sheet, preferably a graphite sheet, may be provided on the heat spreader, preferably the vapor chamber, at the flap portion 3. By providing the graphite sheet, it is possible to improve heat dissipation while preventing damage to the heat spreader.

(Embodiment 3)
A perspective view of the protective case 1c of the present embodiment is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the protective case 1c of the present embodiment, the heat spreader 6 is electrically divided into a plurality of parts. Specifically, a plurality of heat spreaders 6 of the protective case 1c are provided in a strip shape. By electrically dividing the heat spreader into multiple pieces, in addition to suppressing the deterioration of the communication characteristics of the coil antenna due to the heat spreader, other antennas such as a cellular antenna, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) (Bluetooth (registered trademark)) antenna, and the like. It is possible to suppress deterioration of communication characteristics of the WiFi antenna and the like.

The divided heat spreader may be provided only on the mounting portion 2, or may extend beyond the hinge portion 4 to the flap portion 3 as in the second embodiment.

In a preferred embodiment, the split heat spreader is strip-shaped as shown in FIG.

The width of the strip-shaped heat spreader is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 3.0 mm or more and 30.0 mm or less, 5.0 mm or more and 20.0 mm or less, or 8.0 mm or more and 15.0 mm or less. The number of strip-shaped heat spreaders is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 2 or more and 20 or less, 3 or more and 10 or less, or 4 or more and 8 or less. The width and number of such heat spreaders can be appropriately selected depending on the structure of the electronic device to be mounted.

Although the protective case for a mobile device of the present invention has been described above by showing some embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned protective case, and the design can be changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. ..

In particular, the protective case for a mobile device of the present invention has a metal and planar heat spreader at the mounting portion, and unless the heat spreader completely covers the coil antenna of the mobile device (in other words, the heat spreader is a coil antenna). Other configurations are not limited as long as they are magnetically coupled).

The present invention is not particularly limited, but discloses the following aspects.
1. 1. A protective case for mobile devices that is attached to a mobile device that has a coil antenna.
A metal and planar heat spreader is provided on the mounting portion to be mounted on the portable device.
The heat spreader is a protective case for a mobile device, characterized in that it functions as a radiator by magnetically coupling with the coil antenna.
2. 2. The protective case for a mobile device according to aspect 1, wherein the heat spreader has a notch, and the notch overlaps the opening of the coil antenna.
3. 3. The protective case for a mobile device according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the heat spreader is electrically divided into a plurality of parts.
4. The heat spreader is a vapor chamber having a planar housing having a sealed space, a wick arranged in the sealed space, and an operating medium sealed in the sealed space, aspects 1 to 1. The protective case for a mobile device according to any one of 3.
5. The vapor chamber has an operating region composed of the sealed space and a quasi-operating region formed around the operating region in a plan view, and a notch is provided in the quasi-operating region. The protective case for a mobile device according to aspect 4, wherein the notch overlaps with the opening of the coil antenna.
6. The protective case for a mobile device is a notebook type, has a second heat spreader on the flap portion of the notebook type protective case, and the second heat spreader is thermally connected to the heat spreader arranged in the mounting portion. The protective case for a mobile device according to any one of aspects 1 to 5.
7. The protective case for a mobile device according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein a graphite sheet is provided on the heat spreader.
8. The protective case for a mobile device according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the back surface is a metal for a mobile device.

The protective case for mobile devices of the present invention can be suitably used as a case for various mobile devices.

1a, 1b, 1c ... Protective case 2 ... Mounting part 3 ... Flap part 4 ... Hing part 5 ... Case body 6 ... Heat spreader 7 ... Protective sheet 8 ... Notch 9 ... Slit part 10 ... Heat spreader opening 11 ... Portable device 12 ... Coil antenna 13 ... Coil antenna opening 20 ... Vapor chamber 21 ... Outer edge 22 ... 1st sheet 23 ... 2nd sheet 24 ... Housing 25 ... Pillar 26 ... Sealed space 27 ... Wick 28 ... Operating area 29 ... Semi Operating area 30 ... Convex part

Claims (8)

A protective case for mobile devices that is attached to a mobile device that has a coil antenna.
A metal and planar heat spreader is provided on the mounting portion to be mounted on the portable device.
The heat spreader magnetically couples with the coil antenna and functions as a radiator .
The heat spreader is a vapor chamber including a planar housing having a sealed space, a wick arranged in the sealed space, and an operating medium enclosed in the sealed space.
A protective case for a mobile device, characterized in that a part of the vapor chamber is embedded on the mounting portion side. The protective case for a mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the surface opposite to the mounting portion of the vapor chamber is flat. The heat spreader has a notch, and the notch has an opening and a slit.
The slit portion connects the opening and the outer periphery of the vapor chamber, and connects the opening.
The protective case for a mobile device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the notch overlaps with the opening of the coil antenna. The protective case for a mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat spreader is electrically divided into a plurality of parts. The vapor chamber has an operating region composed of the sealed space and a quasi-operating region formed around the operating region in a plan view, and a notch is provided in the quasi-operating region. The protective case for a mobile device according to claim 4, wherein the notch overlaps with the opening of the coil antenna. The protective case for a mobile device is a notebook type, has a second heat spreader on the flap portion of the notebook type protective case, and the second heat spreader is thermally connected to the heat spreader arranged in the mounting portion. The protective case for a mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The protective case for a mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a graphite sheet is provided between the heat spreader and the mobile device. The protective case for a mobile device according to claim 7 , for a mobile device whose back surface is metal.

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