JP7401599B1 - Electronics - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device that can suppress deterioration in antenna performance and a casing member used for the casing of the electronic device. The electronic device includes a first housing member having an outer wall and an antenna element forming a part of the outer wall, a first attitude that covers a surface of the first housing member, and a first housing member that covers the surface of the first housing member. and a second casing member rotatably connected to the first casing member between a second posture in which the surface of the body member is exposed. A frame is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the second housing member, which is made of a conductive material and is arranged to cover the antenna element from above when in the first attitude. The first housing member further includes a radio wave transparent member that covers the entire surface of the antenna element and is interposed between the antenna element and the frame in the first attitude. [Selection diagram] Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to electronic equipment .

An electronic device such as a notebook PC typically includes a first housing member that includes a keyboard device and a second housing member that includes a display. In Patent Document 1, the present applicant has proposed a configuration in which a conductive part is provided on the outer wall of the first housing member and this is used as an antenna element.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-99004

In the electronic device as described above, the second housing member functions as a lid that closes the surface of the first housing member. For such a second housing member, a conductive material such as carbon fiber reinforced resin or thin metal may be used in order to reduce weight, thickness, and increase strength. The second housing member formed of a conductive material in this manner may cover the antenna element from above when it is closed on the surface of the first housing member. In this case, it has been confirmed that the antenna element is brought too close to the conductive material and further covered with the conductive material, which causes the antenna performance to deteriorate.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the prior art described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can suppress deterioration in antenna performance.

An electronic device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a first housing member having an outer wall and an antenna element forming a part of the outer wall; a first posture covering a surface of the first housing member; a second casing member rotatably connected to the first casing member between a second posture exposing a surface of the first casing member, A frame made of a conductive material and arranged to cover the antenna element from above in the first attitude is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the second housing member, and the first housing member further includes: A radio wave transparent member is provided that covers the entire surface of the antenna element and is interposed between the antenna element and the frame when in the first attitude.

A casing member according to a second aspect of the present invention is a casing member for an electronic device, and includes: an outer wall; a surface member that is continuous from the outer wall and forms a surface of the casing member; an antenna element extending to the surface member and forming a part of the outer wall and a part of the surface member, respectively, and the antenna element is formed on the surface of the surface member one step lower than other parts. The antenna element further includes a radio wave transparent member disposed to fill the recess and cover the entire surface of the antenna element.

According to the present invention, deterioration in antenna performance can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a plan view looking down from above with the housing members of an electronic device according to an embodiment opened. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the second housing member viewed from the back side. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic side sectional view of the front edge of each housing member and its surrounding area with the electronic device in the first posture. FIG. 5A is an enlarged perspective view of the right front corner and the surrounding area of the first housing member. FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing a state in which a radio wave transparent member is placed in the concave portion shown in FIG. 5A.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an electronic device and a housing member according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view looking down from above with housing members 11 and 12 of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment opened. In this embodiment, the electronic device 10 is an example of a clamshell notebook PC, but the electronic device 10 can be a tablet PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a smartphone, etc. Alternatively, a portable game machine or the like may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 includes a first housing member 11, a second housing member 12, and a hinge 14 that connects the housing members 11 and 12 in a relatively rotatable manner. . The housing members 11 and 12 are relatively rotatable between a first attitude in which they are stacked on each other (see FIG. 4) and a second attitude in which their plane directions form a predetermined angle (see FIG. 1). be. If the first attitude is called a 0 degree attitude, the second attitude in this embodiment is a 180 degree attitude. The second posture may be 180 degrees or less or 180 degrees or more.

Hereinafter, with respect to the casing members 11 and 12, the depth direction of the casing members 11 and 12 is front and back, the width direction is left and right, the thickness direction is up and down, I will call it and explain it. These directions are for convenience of explanation, and the actual directions change as appropriate depending on the attitude of the electronic device 10 and the angle between the housing members 11 and 12.

A keyboard 16 and a touch pad 17 are mounted on the first housing member 11 so as to face a surface (upper surface) 11a. Antenna elements 18 are provided at the left and right front corners of the first housing member 11, respectively. Each antenna element 18 is capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves compatible with, for example, WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network). Inside the first housing member 11, various electronic components such as a motherboard with a CPU mounted thereon, a storage device, a communication module, a battery device, and the like are housed.

The second housing member 12 supports the display 20. In the display 20, a display surface 20a faces the front (lower surface) 12a of the second housing member 12. The display 20 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The rear edges of the housing members 11 and 12 are connected to each other by a hinge 14, so that the housing members 11 and 12 rotate relative to each other.

Next, a specific example of the configuration of the second housing member 12 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the second housing member 12 viewed from the back (top) 12b side. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the second housing member 12 includes a plate member 22 and a frame 24.

The plate member 22 is a plate that forms most of the back surface 12b that supports the back surface of the display 20 (see also FIG. 4). The plate member 22 of this embodiment is made by laminating a plurality of carbon fiber reinforced resin plates (prepreg) in which carbon resin is impregnated with a thermosetting resin such as an epoxy resin or a thermoplastic resin. The plate member 22 may be formed of a metal plate such as a magnesium alloy.

The frame 24 is joined to the outer peripheral edge of the plate member 22 and forms a vertical wall 24 a surrounding the outer peripheral end surface of the display 20 . A bezel member closes the space between the end surface of the vertical wall 24a and the outer peripheral edge of the display surface 20a. The frame 24 is formed by injection molding of a resin material mixed with carbon fibers. The frame 24 of this embodiment is made of carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate (PCCF) in which carbon fibers are mixed into polycarbonate. The frame 24 may be formed of a metal material such as a magnesium alloy or an aluminum alloy.

By the way, conventionally, as the second housing member 12 of a notebook PC such as the electronic device 10, a frame made by injection molding of glass fiber reinforced resin is bonded to the outer peripheral edge of a plate member 22 formed of a prepreg laminate. There is a structure.

In such a configuration, if the frame is completely molded by one injection of the glass fiber reinforced resin, the entire second housing member may be significantly warped and deformed. Glass fiber-reinforced resin shrinks and warps, but the plate member 22, which is a laminated plate of carbon fiber-reinforced resin plates, hardly warps, so the difference in shrinkage rate causes the second housing member to warp as a whole. As a result, large warpage occurs.

Therefore, first, glass fiber reinforced resin is firstly injected to form the shape of the frame, and then glass fiber reinforced resin is secondly injected, thereby joining the frame molded by the first injection to the plate member 22. A method has also been proposed. This two-time injection can reduce warping deformation of the entire second housing member compared to one-time injection. However, in this method, the glass fiber reinforced resin is injected twice, which increases the size of the frame, and on the other hand, reduces the usable range of the plate member 22, which is a lightweight and high-strength prepreg laminate. As a result, there was a concern that the second housing member manufactured by this method would have increased weight and decreased strength.

On the other hand, in the second housing member 12 of this embodiment, the frame 24 that is joined to the outer peripheral edge of the plate member 22 by injection molding is formed of carbon fiber reinforced resin. Here, the carbon fiber reinforced resin constituting the frame 24 has a smaller specific gravity and less shrinkage during molding than conventional glass fiber reinforced resin. Therefore, the second housing member 12 can omit secondary injection while reducing the amount of warp deformation during manufacturing. As a result, in the second housing member 12, the frame 24 can be made narrower, and the range of use of the plate member 22, which is a lightweight and high-strength prepreg laminate, can be expanded.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the second housing member 12 of this embodiment, the width W of the frame 24 can be reduced to about 1.5 mm, and the plate member 22 is increased accordingly. Therefore, the second housing member 12 has a small amount of warpage as a whole, and can be configured to be lightweight and have high strength.

Width dimension W1 in FIG. 3 indicates the width dimension of the R-shaped portion formed at the corner of the frame 24, and width dimension W2 indicates the width dimension of the flat-shaped portion of the frame 24 that continues flush with the plate member 22. It shows. In the frame molded by two injections according to the conventional method described above, for example, the width dimensions W1 and W2 of the frame itself molded by the first injection are 1.8 mm and 0.7 mm, respectively, and the frame is molded by the second injection. The width of the portion where the and plate member 22 were joined was required to be 0.5 mm. The width dimension of this joined portion is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the width dimension W2 and the plate member 22. On the other hand, the frame 24 of this embodiment has width dimensions W1 and W2 of 1.1 mm and 0.4 mm, respectively, which allows for a significant reduction in width compared to a frame with a conventional structure.

Next, a specific example of the configuration of the first housing member 11 will be explained.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side sectional view of the front edges of the housing members 11 and 12 and their surrounding areas with the electronic device in the first posture. FIG. 5A is an enlarged perspective view of the right front corner of the first housing member 11 and its surrounding area. FIG. 5B is a perspective view showing a state in which the radio wave transparent member 42 is placed in the concave portion 40 shown in FIG. 5A.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first housing member 11 includes an outer wall 26, a surface member 28, and a cover member 30.

The outer wall 26 is a member that forms the four circumferential side surfaces of the first housing member 11, and is a standing wall that stands up in the vertical direction. Most of the outer wall 26 is formed by an outer wall main body 26a, and a part is formed by the left and right antenna elements 18. The outer wall main body 26a is made of, for example, a magnesium alloy. Each antenna element 18 is formed integrally with the outer wall main body 26a. That is, the antenna element 18 is a housing antenna that utilizes the first housing member 11 and is disposed on the outermost surface thereof. Since the outer wall body 26a of the first housing member 11 is made of a conductive material, a resin material 31 that transmits radio waves is provided between the outer wall body 26a and the antenna element 18.

An antenna module 32 is housed within the first housing member 11 . A pair of antenna modules 32 are provided corresponding to the left and right antenna elements 18, and each antenna module 32 is connected to the corresponding antenna element 18. The antenna modules 32 are arranged inside the left and right front corners within the first housing member 11, respectively. In FIG. 4, of the left and right antenna elements 18 and the antenna module 32, the one on the right side is representatively illustrated, but the one on the left side may also have the same or similar configuration as in FIG. 4.

The antenna module 32 is formed into a substantially L-shape when viewed from above, and is formed of, for example, a printed circuit board and a bracket that supports the printed circuit board. The antenna module 32 is connected to the motherboard within the first housing member 11. The antenna module 32 has a mounting piece 32a that projects laterally, and this mounting piece 32a is fixed to the surface member 28 with a screw 32b. The antenna module 32 is provided with a standing wall portion 32c. The vertical wall portion 32c has a side surface facing inward of the first housing member 11 and an upper and lower surface surrounded by shield materials 34, 35, and 36 made of a conductive material, respectively. These shield members 34 to 36 are connected to the surface member 28 or the cover member 30 as appropriate, and are grounded to the frame. Reference numeral 32d in FIG. 4 is a spring terminal that connects the antenna module 32 and the antenna element 18.

Next, the surface member 28 continues from the upper end of the outer wall 26 and forms the surface 11a of the first housing member 11. Surface member 28 has a base member 28a that forms the majority of surface 11a. The base member 28a is made of, for example, a magnesium alloy. Keyboard 16 faces surface 11a through an opening formed in base member 28a. The left and right antenna elements 18 extend from the outer wall 26 to the surface member 28 so as to wrap around the upper corner of the first housing member 11, and also form a part of the surface member 28.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, the surface 11a of the surface member 28 is provided with a concave portion 40 in which each antenna element 18 is formed one step lower than other portions. The concave portion 40 is formed by lowering the surface 18a of the antenna element 18 by about 1 mm from the surface 11a. The recessed portion 40 has an opening 40a opening toward the outer wall 26 on one side.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5B, the concave portion 40 is filled with a radio wave transparent member 42 made of a radio wave transparent material such as resin. The radio wave transparent member 42 covers the surface 18a of the antenna element 18 by filling the concave portion 40. As a result, in the surface member 28, the surface 42a of the radio wave transparent member 42 forms the surface 11a in the upper portion of the antenna element 18 where the concave portion 40 is provided. The surface 42a is formed flush with the surface 11a. The radio wave transparent member 42 has a portion 42b that closes the opening 40a of the recessed portion 40. This portion 42b forms part of the outer wall 26 at the top of the antenna element 18. Further, the radio wave transparent member 42 has a dividing portion 42c that penetrates the surface member 28 in the thickness direction. The dividing portion 42c is provided to divide the antenna element 18 and the base member 28a, and forms a predetermined distance between the antenna element 18 and the base member 28a made of a conductive material.

Note that since the outermost surface of the first housing member 11 is coated with a predetermined coating, the boundary between the radio wave transparent member 42 and the base member 28a is hidden in appearance, and the boundary between the resin material 31 and the portion 42b and the antenna element 18 is hidden. The boundary with the outer wall main body 26a and the like are similarly hidden.

Next, the cover member 30 includes a cover body 30a that forms most of the bottom surface of the first housing member 11, and a resin cover portion 30b joined to the outer peripheral edge of the cover body 30a. The resin cover portion 30b is formed of a radio wave transparent material such as resin. The resin cover portion 30b forms a predetermined distance between the antenna element 18 and the cover body 30a formed of a conductive material.

By the way, in the electronic device 10 of this embodiment, the antenna element 18 forms a part of the outer wall 26 of the first housing member 11. Therefore, when the electronic device 10 is in the first attitude shown in FIG. 4, the antenna element 18 is covered from above by the frame 24 of the second housing member 12.

Regarding this point, also in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the antenna element forms a part of the outer wall, and the antenna element is covered by the second housing member in the first attitude. However, in this conventional configuration, since the frame of the second housing member is formed of a non-conductive material, even if the antenna element is covered with the second housing member, there is almost no effect on the antenna performance.

On the other hand, in the electronic device 10 of this embodiment, the frame 24 is formed of a conductive material in order to reduce the weight and improve the strength of the second housing member 12. Therefore, when the electronic device 10 is in the first attitude shown in FIG. 4, the antenna element 18 is covered from above with a conductive material. As a result, in the electronic device 10, the distance between the antenna element 18 and the conductive material (frame 24) becomes close in the first attitude, and there is a concern that the antenna performance may deteriorate.

Therefore, as described above, in the electronic device 10 of this embodiment, the radio wave transparent member 42 is provided so as to cover the surface 18a of the antenna element 18, and is interposed between the antenna element 18 and the frame 24 in the first attitude. has.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, in the electronic device 10, the straight distance L between the surface 18a of the antenna element 18 and the frame 24 made of conductive material is ensured to be at least a certain value. The distance L is set to, for example, 1 mm or more. As a result, the electronic device 10 can always ensure good communication quality at the antenna element 18, regardless of the rotation angle of the second housing member 12. Arrows indicated by dashed-dotted lines in FIG. 4 schematically indicate radio waves transmitted and received by the antenna element 18.

In particular, the electronic device 10 of this embodiment includes a concave portion 40 on the surface 11a of the surface member 28, in which the antenna element 18 is formed one step lower than the other portion (base member 28a). The radio wave transparent member 42 is arranged so as to fill this concave portion 40. Therefore, in this embodiment, although the entire surface 18a of the antenna element 18 forming part of the outer wall 26 is covered with the radio wave transparent member 42, the thickness of the first housing member 11 is increased. can be restrained from doing so. That is, by providing the concave portion 40, the radio wave transparent member 42 does not hinder the reduction in thickness of the first housing member 11, and the appearance of the surface 11a of the first housing member 11 is also improved.

Further, such a concave portion 40 has an opening 40a that opens toward the outer wall 26. As a result, the portion 42b of the radio wave transparent member 42 forms a part of the outer wall 26 on the surface 18a of the antenna element 18. Therefore, in the electronic device 10, the surface 18a of the antenna element 18 forming the outer wall 26 can be covered more reliably with the radio wave transparent member 42, and the distance L described above can be more easily secured.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that changes can be made freely without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

10 Electronic device 11 First housing member 12 Second housing member 14 Hinge 18 Antenna element 22 Plate member 24 Frame 26 Outer wall 28 Surface member 28a Base member 32 Antenna module 40 Concave portion 42 Radio wave transparent member

Claims (2)

An electronic device,
a first housing member having an outer wall and an antenna element forming a part of the outer wall;
rotatable relative to the first housing member between a first posture that covers the surface of the first housing member and a second posture that exposes the surface of the first housing member; a connected second housing member;
Equipped with
A frame is provided on the outer peripheral edge of the second housing member, and is made of a conductive material and is arranged to cover the antenna element from above when in the first posture,
The first housing member further includes a radio wave transparent member that covers the entire surface of the antenna element and is interposed between the antenna element and the frame in the first attitude,
The first housing member further includes a surface member that is continuous from the outer wall and forms a surface of the first housing member,
The antenna element also forms a part of the surface member by extending from the outer wall to the surface member,
A concave portion in which the antenna element is formed one step lower than other portions is provided on the surface of the surface member,
The radio wave transparent member is arranged so as to fill the recessed part,
The recessed portion has an opening that opens toward the outer wall,
The radio wave transparent member forms a part of the outer wall on the surface of the antenna element,
The surface member has a base member made of a conductive material,
The radio wave transparent member separates the antenna element from the base member.
An electronic device characterized by: The electronic device according to claim 1,
The second housing member further includes a plate member formed by laminating prepregs in which carbon fibers are impregnated with resin,
The electronic device is characterized in that the frame is formed of a resin material mixed with carbon fiber, and is joined to the outer peripheral edge of the plate member.

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