JP2005217795A - Folding type information terminal, and rotational angle control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a folding type information terminal and its rotational angle control method for locking a rotation at a prescribed angle, even if outer force is operated in the direction of opening in a state of opening at a prescribed angle that is smaller than an angle for maximum opening, and canceling the locking by operating force other than the outer force. <P>SOLUTION: A first enclosure 33 and a second enclosure 34 are rotatably retained by a first hinge 41 fitted to one sidewall 35A of a connection, and a second hinge 42, respectively. A lock 51 is formed on an outer periphery surface 35B of the connector, and the first enclosure 33 does not rotate in the direction marked by an arrow 46 when a projection 33D is pressure-welded to the outer periphery surface 35B while a lock knob 52 is being locked to the lock 51. When the lock knob 52 is moved in the direction marked by an arrow 57 for canceling the locking, rotation is made in the direction marked by the arrow 46. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a foldable information terminal such as a foldable mobile phone and a foldable PHS, and a rotation angle control method of the foldable information terminal. For example, a rotation angle suitable for a telephone call and a rotation angle for other applications are provided. The present invention relates to a foldable information terminal that can be selected and a rotation angle control method for the foldable information terminal.

  The enhancement of functions of portable information terminals such as mobile phones and PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) has been remarkably advanced, and the display screen for displaying various information has been enlarged. For these reasons, in these portable information terminals, a foldable type in which two housings can be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism has become mainstream. Compared with the integrated type in which the display screen and the operation unit are arranged on one surface of one housing, the foldable information terminal can separately arrange the display screen and the operation unit in two housings. Thereby, not only the display screen can be made large, but also the button switch of the operation part can be made a convenient size.

  By the way, taking a foldable mobile phone as an example, a structure in which a folded mobile phone can be opened to an angle of about 160 degrees has become mainstream. Such a foldable mobile phone has a folded state in which a display screen of one casing (hereinafter referred to as a first casing) is disposed and the other casing (hereinafter referred to as a second casing). The surface where the operation part is arranged faces each other, and a speaker and a microphone are arranged on these surfaces. By opening the foldable mobile phone at an angle of about 160 degrees, the speaker arranged on the display screen side surface of the first housing and the operation portion side surface of the second housing The arranged microphones can be brought close to the human ear and mouth, respectively, and an optimal use state for a call can be formed. In addition, when a camera-equipped mobile phone is set to such an angle when performing a shooting operation while looking at the screen, it is easy to operate.

  However, when a foldable mobile phone has various functions, its usage will be various. For this reason, a folding cellular phone that can be rotated 360 degrees from the folded state is also proposed on the assumption that only the operation part of the folding cellular phone or only the display screen may be used. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 12 shows a state in which the proposed folding cellular phone is opened at a predetermined angle. The first casing 11 and the second casing 12 have shafts 13 and 14 arranged parallel to each other at their end portions, and are connected by a connecting member 15. The first casing 11 and the second casing 12 are configured to be rotatable up to a range of 360 degrees by the connecting member 15.

  FIG. 13 shows the location of the connecting member of this foldable mobile phone. A shaft 13 is rotatably disposed between the pair of hinges 21 and 22 of the first housing 11. Similarly, the shaft 14 is disposed between the pair of hinges 24 and 25 of the second housing 12. It is rotatably arranged.

  In the proposed foldable mobile phone, the first casing 11 is fixed to the second casing 12 between the connecting member 15 and the adjacent surfaces of the hinges 21, 22 and 24, 25. A click mechanism (not shown) for fixing the position at the rotation angle is provided. Therefore, normally, when the folding cellular phone is opened, the click mechanism maintains the angle state when the folding mobile phone is opened to the angle shown in FIG. When the user further applies force in the opening direction, the click mechanism is released and rotation up to 360 degrees is possible.

  Although this proposal does not exemplify a click mechanism, a general click mechanism rotates at a rotational position where the convex portion and the concave portion face each other by sliding the leaf spring convex portion and the resin cam concave portion elastically. Is stopped and the state is maintained.

  In this way, in addition to the folding cellular phone that operates to open the first housing 11 upward when the second housing 12 is arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, another opening / closing operation is performed. A folding mobile phone has been proposed. For example, instead of opening and closing the first housing 11 upward, a horizontal opening / closing means for opening and closing the first housing 11 is provided, or the first housing 11 slides on the second housing 12. A slide type that enables opening and closing of a display screen or the like by moving in such a manner has been proposed.

Also proposed is a foldable mobile phone in which a plurality of clicked angles can be set when the first case 11 is opened and closed with respect to the second case 12 of the foldable mobile phone. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2). In this proposal, for example, a moderation generation unit as a click mechanism is provided so that the angle when making a call and the angle when shooting with the built-in camera facing another person are fixed at the rotation positions, respectively. Yes. The proposed moderation generating portion is provided with a plurality of recesses inside the hinge portion, and the tip of a spring (not shown) sequentially enters (engages) these recesses to generate a sense of moderation at each opening / closing position. At the same time, the posture is held at each open / close position.
JP-A-2002-171324 (paragraphs 0012 to 0014, FIG. 5). JP 2002-295445 (paragraph 0027, FIG. 4).

  By the way, when making a call in a noisy place such as a construction site, or when the other party's voice level is low, it is necessary to press the folding mobile phone against your ear to hear the other party's voice. . In such a case, when the user presses the foldable mobile phone strongly against his / her face, the foldable mobile phone is pressed against the head in the case of a conventional device that opens only up to about 160 degrees. Depending on the force, the speaker part comes into close contact with the ear, and the voice of the other party can be heard better.

  However, in the case of a foldable mobile phone that can be opened to an angle of 180 degrees or more and the rotation position is stopped by a click mechanism at a predetermined angle of about 160 degrees, the first speaker with the speaker disposed thereon is used. If the casing side is strongly pressed against the ear, the click mechanism is easily released. Once the click mechanism is released, the folding mobile phone can be opened to a wider angle at a stretch with relatively little force. Therefore, in such a foldable mobile phone, in order to make a call in a noisy place, etc., while the click mechanism keeps the optimum angle for a call in a normal call state in which the speaker part is in light contact with the ear. If the speaker portion is strongly pressed against the ear, the click mechanism is released. As a result, the foldable mobile phone opens to an angle of 180 degrees or more, and even if the speaker part can be strongly pressed against the ear, the microphone part is far away from the mouth, which is good. I cannot make a call. Also, if the force with which the foldable mobile phone is pressed against the head so as not to release the click mechanism is restricted, the voice of the other party cannot be heard well.

  As described above, the description has been given by taking the foldable mobile phone as an example, but other foldable information terminals such as a foldable PHS have the same problem. Further, when the rotation angle of the foldable information terminal is held at a predetermined angle for purposes other than calling, the same problem occurs when a force that releases the click mechanism acts as an external force.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to lock the rotation at a predetermined angle even when an external force acts in the opening direction in a state where the opening is at a predetermined angle smaller than the maximum opening angle. An object of the present invention is to provide a foldable information terminal and a rotation angle control method for the foldable information terminal that can be unlocked by applying a force other than the above.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, (a) a first case, (b) a second case having a means for processing information inside the first case, and (c) a first case A first hinge mechanism that holds the first housing rotatably with respect to the connecting member by a predetermined angle range; and (d) a second hinge that holds the second housing rotatably with respect to the connecting member. The folding information terminal is provided with a hinge mechanism and (e) a lock mechanism that stops the rotation between the second housing and the connecting member as necessary.

  That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first casing and the second casing having a means for information processing inside are connected to each other using the connecting member and the first and second hinge mechanisms. It can rotate freely. Here, the first hinge mechanism holds the first housing so as to be rotatable with respect to the connecting member by a predetermined angle range, and the second hinge mechanism holds the second housing with respect to the connecting member. And hold it freely. Therefore, in a state where the lock mechanism that stops the rotation between the second housing and the connecting member as necessary stops the rotation, the first housing is connected to the connecting member by the first hinge mechanism. On the other hand, it can be rotated by a predetermined angle range. When the lock mechanism is released, the second hinge mechanism can further widen the angle between the first housing and the second housing.

  In the invention described in claim 6, (a) a first casing, a second casing having a means for processing information therein together with the first casing, a first casing, and a first casing And a connecting member for connecting the two casings to each other, and the first casing can be rotated by a first hinge mechanism by a predetermined angle range with respect to the connecting member. While the second casing is rotatably held with respect to the connecting member by the second hinge mechanism, the second casing and the connecting member are hooked at predetermined positions. And (b) a first rotation step for rotating the first housing and the connecting member by a first hinge mechanism by a predetermined angle range after the latching step. ) A latch release step for releasing the latch in the latch step, and (d) the second after the latch is released in this latch release step. The rotation angle of the foldable information terminal is controlled by rotating the housing and the connecting member by the second hinge mechanism to expand the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing. Provide in the method.

  That is, in the foldable information terminal according to the sixth aspect of the invention, the first casing rotates with respect to the second casing by the predetermined angle range set in advance in the first rotation step. Unless the specific position of the connecting member and the latch of the second hinge mechanism are released in the stop releasing step, the rotation in the angular range beyond this is prevented.

  According to the present invention, two types of hinge mechanisms, the first hinge mechanism and the second hinge mechanism, are used, and the first casing and the second casing are used depending on whether the two hinge mechanisms are used together or only one is used. Since the angle formed by the second casing is controlled, the rotation can be reliably stopped at a desired angle that does not reach the maximum angle. Therefore, even if an unreasonable force is applied in the opening direction during a call or the like, the set angle can be maintained, and there is an effect that stable information processing becomes possible.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the display screen of the foldable mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention is folded so that the operation part faces each other. A foldable mobile phone 31 according to the present embodiment is disposed on a lower side of a first casing 33 having a top portion 32 that forms a top surface in a folded state, and the first casing 33. The second casing 34 is connected to the second casing 34 by a connecting portion 35. On the side opposite to the top portion 32 in the first housing 33, a display portion 36 composed of a display such as a liquid crystal display (not shown) is arranged. Further, the lower surface in the drawing of the second housing 34 forms a bottom portion 37, and the opposite surface (not shown) forms an operation portion 38.

  The respective end portions of the first housing 33 and the second housing 34 on the side where the connecting portion 35 is disposed constitute a first hinge portion 41 and a second hinge portion 42. In general, the first casing 33, which is also called a cover, and the connecting portion 35 are connected to a recess disposed on a hollow portion (not shown) of the connecting portion 35 on one side by a first hinge portion 41. doing. This structure will be described later. The same applies to the coupling between the second casing 34 and the second hinge portion 42. The folding mobile phone 31 can be opened by lifting the top portion 32 in the direction of the arrow 44 with the connecting portion 35 as the center.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the folding cellular phone is opened. A display unit 36 of the first housing 33 and an operation unit 38 of the second housing 34 appear. In the foldable mobile phone 31 of the present embodiment, the rotation of the first casing 33 in the direction of the arrow 46 relative to the connecting portion 35 is continued in the direction of the arrow 46 to further increase the angle formed with the second casing 34. Can be spread.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the first housing is rotated 360 degrees with respect to the second housing from the state of FIG. By rotating 360 degrees in this way, only the operation unit 38 can be operated with the foldable mobile phone 31 folded, or the display on the display unit 36 can be viewed by inverting it.

  4 to 6 show the respective states of the foldable mobile phone shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 as viewed from below. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a rectangular groove 48 having a predetermined depth is formed in the bottom portion 37 in the vicinity of the notch portion 47 in which the coupling portion 35 is disposed, and the bottom portion of the groove 48 is formed. A hole 49 communicating with the notch 47 is formed in the. Further, a non-through hole 50 is formed at a position symmetrical to the hole 49 on the opposite side of the hole 49 in the groove 48. In the space formed by these, a lock knob 52 having a convex cross section is disposed so as to reciprocate in the direction of an arrow 53, and constitutes a lock mounting portion 54 as a whole. On the upper surface of the lock knob 52, there are formed irregularities 55 for preventing slipping when operating with a finger.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the lock knob 52 is pulled out in the direction of the connecting portion 35 and the position thereof is fixed by a positioning locking means (not shown), the folding cellular phone will be described in detail later. The rotation position is locked in a state in which 31 is opened by a predetermined angle. The user applies a force in the direction of the arrow 57 shown in FIG. 5 to release the lock of the locking means, and further moves the lock knob 52 to the limit position (the side where the convex portion is farthest from the connecting portion 35 in the square groove 48). The position of the first casing 33 is moved to the second casing 34, and the first casing 33 is free to move with respect to the second casing 34.

  7 to 9 show the main part of the cross-sectional structure when the foldable mobile phone of this embodiment is cut in the directions AA to CC in FIGS. 1 to 3, respectively. To FIG. 3 respectively. As shown in FIG. 9, the connecting portion 35 is a hollow cylinder having an elliptical cross section in which a cylindrical first hinge portion 41 and a second hinge portion 42 are rotatably fitted to one side wall 35A. It is made of a hard material such as plastic or metal. A part of the outer peripheral surface 35 </ b> B having an elliptical shape of the connecting portion 35 is formed in a recessed shape at a predetermined position, and the latching portion 51 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the foldable mobile phone 31 is folded so that the display unit 36 is hidden inside, the hook 51 is positioned at a position facing the lock mounting portion 54 of the second housing 34. doing. When the foldable mobile phone 31 is normally opened at about 160 degrees and used, the lock knob 52 is locked in a state where it is pulled out in the direction of the connecting portion 35 as shown in FIG.

  When a force for rotating the first casing 33 in the direction of the arrow 44 is applied to the second casing 34 in the locked state, the first casing 33 rotates about the first hinge portion 41. To start.

  FIG. 10 shows a structure of a connection portion between the first housing and the second housing. The first hinge portion 41 and the second hinge portion 42 are fixed to the side wall 35A of the connecting portion so as not to fall out in a state where the push rivet-like head portions 41A and 42A are passed through. In this fixed state, the first hinge portion 41 supports the first housing 33 so as to be rotatable. Further, the second hinge portion 42 supports the second housing 34 so as to be rotatable. A cylindrical recess 35D is formed in the central portion constituting a part of a lid-like wall (not shown) on the other end side of the side wall 35A of the connecting portion, and the first casing 33 is formed here. And projecting pieces 33A and 34A each forming a part of the second casing 34 are inserted. These protrusions 33A and 34A are slidable on the inner surface of the recess 35D. In addition, an appropriate gap is provided between the cylindrical recess 35D and the cylindrical portion of the connecting portion 35, and between the first housing 33 and the substrate (not shown) inside the second housing 34. Cables 61 such as flat cables for connecting the cables are arranged in this portion. Components such as a digital camera can be arranged in the connecting portion 35 as necessary.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 7, the end face 33 </ b> C of the connecting portion 35 in the first housing 33 is bent into a “heavy” shape. For this reason, when the force which rotates the 1st housing | casing 33 in the direction of the arrow 44 in the state which latched the lock knob 52 to the latching part 51 as shown in this FIG. 7 is rotated, the 1st hinge part 41 is rotated. The first housing 33 starts rotating as the center. At the start of the rotation of the first housing 33, the outer peripheral surface 35B of the connecting portion is a portion that is biased toward the center side of the “h” shape than the projection 33D that the end surface 33C of the first housing contacts the top portion 32. Contact. As rotation in the direction of the arrow 44 proceeds, the projection 33D comes into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface 35B at the rotation position shown in FIG. 8, and no further rotation can be performed even if force is applied. At this time, the shape of the end face 33C is set so that the opening angle of the first casing 33 with respect to the second casing 34 is about 160. Therefore, if the user uses the foldable mobile phone 31 for a call in this state, even if the display unit 36 side of the first housing 33 is strongly pressed against the ear, the opening is more than this angle. There is no.

  On the other hand, when the user tries to further rotate the first casing 33, the lock knob 52 is slid in the direction of the arrow 57 as shown in FIG. 8 to release the locked state. As a result, the lock knob 52 is separated from the latching portion 51, so that the first housing 33 can be rotated in the direction of the arrow 46 with respect to the second housing around the second hinge portion 42. . When the user applies force in this direction, the first casing 33 is finally folded under the second casing 34 with the operation unit 38 side up as shown in FIG. become.

  <Modification of the invention>

  In the embodiment described above, the lock knob 52 is slid in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the first hinge portion 41 or the second hinge portion 42 to set the latching portion 51 on / off. However, it is not limited to this.

  FIG. 11 shows a modification of the present invention. In the foldable mobile phone 31 </ b> A of this modification, the lock knob 52 </ b> A is arranged to reciprocate in the same direction as the central axis of the second hinge part 42. By this lock knob 52A, on / off control of latching to a latching portion (not shown) formed at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface 35B of the coupling portion 35 is performed.

  In addition to such a mechanical lock mechanism, the opening angle of the folding cellular phone can be fixed or released by an electrical mechanism using a solenoid.

  Further, in the embodiment, the angle when the folding cellular phone is opened is fixed at an angle of about 160 degrees, but it is also possible to fix and release the fixation at other angles depending on other uses. It is. Furthermore, by arranging the latching portions at a plurality of locations on the outer periphery of the connecting member, the angle can be fixed by selecting a plurality of rotation positions, or the angle can be fixed at any one of the plurality of rotation positions. It is also possible to do this.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment and the modification, the case of the foldable mobile phone has been described, but it is natural that the present invention can be applied to various foldable information terminals such as a PHS and a portable personal computer.

It is the perspective view showing the state folded so that the display screen and operation part of the folding-type mobile telephone in one Example of this invention might face each other. It is the perspective view which showed the state which opened the foldable mobile telephone in the present Example. It is the perspective view showing the state folded so that the display screen and operation part of a folding-type mobile telephone may face the outside in a present Example. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a foldable mobile phone in which the front and back of FIG. 1 are reversed in the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a foldable mobile phone in which the front and back sides of FIG. 2 are reversed in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a foldable mobile phone in which the front and back sides of FIG. 3 are reversed in the present embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the foldable mobile telephone cut | disconnected by the AA direction of FIG. 1 in a present Example. It is sectional drawing of the foldable mobile telephone cut | disconnected in the BB direction of FIG. 2 in a present Example. It is sectional drawing of the foldable mobile telephone cut | disconnected in CC direction of FIG. 3 in a present Example. It is the fragmentary sectional view showing the structure of the connection part of the 1st housing | casing and 2nd housing | casing of a present Example. It is a perspective view which shows the folded state of the foldable mobile telephone in the modification of this invention. It is the perspective view showing the state which the folding type mobile phone proposed conventionally has opened a predetermined angle. It is the side view which showed the location of the connection member of the foldable mobile telephone shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

31 Folding cellular phone 33 First housing 33D Protruding portion 34 Second housing 35 Connecting portion 35B (outside of connecting portion) 35D Depression 36 Display portion 38 Operating portion 41 First hinge portion 42 Second Hinge 51 Latch 52, 52A Lock knob 54 Lock mounting 61 Cables

Claims (6)

A first housing;
A second housing containing information processing means inside the first housing;
A connecting member disposed on one end side of each of the first casing and the second casing and connecting them;
A first hinge mechanism for holding the first housing rotatably with respect to a connecting member by a predetermined angle range;
A second hinge mechanism that rotatably holds the second housing with respect to the connecting member;
A foldable information terminal comprising a lock mechanism for stopping rotation between the second casing and the connecting member as necessary.   The locking mechanism is at a position where the first casing and the second casing are folded in a state where the first casing and the second casing are folded in a state in which the angle range is rotatable with respect to the connecting member. The foldable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the foldable information terminal is a mechanism for hooking the second casing and the connecting member.   The foldable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism is a mechanism that latches the second casing and the connecting member at a plurality of rotational positions formed by these.   The connecting member is a cylindrical member, and a rod-like member that separately constitutes the first hinge mechanism and the second hinge mechanism is rotatably fitted in a lid-like member that covers one end of the connecting member. The foldable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein   The tubular member is hollow, and a connection portion of a cable connecting each circuit portion of the first housing and the second housing is accommodated therein. 4. The foldable information terminal according to 4. A first case, a second case having information processing means built in together with the first case, and one end of each of the first case and the second case. And a connecting member for connecting them, and the first casing is held by the first hinge mechanism so as to be rotatable within a predetermined angle range with respect to the connecting member, while the second housing A latching step for latching a predetermined position between the second casing and the connecting member in an apparatus configured to rotatably hold the casing with respect to the connecting member by a second hinge mechanism;
A first turning step of turning the first housing and the connecting member by a first hinge mechanism by a predetermined angle range after being hooked in the hooking step;
A latch release step for releasing the latch in the latch step;
After releasing the latch in the latch release step, the second housing and the connecting member are rotated by a second hinge mechanism, thereby changing the angle formed by the first housing and the second housing. A rotation angle control method for a foldable information terminal, comprising: a second rotation step for spreading.

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