JP3313243B2 - Portable electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable electronic device which is used outdoors or indoors.

A portable electronic device such as a so-called hand-held terminal for inputting meter reading data such as electricity and gas and inventory management data of a product may be accidentally dropped. Is required. Further, it is required to reduce the size and weight as much as possible so that the operator is not fatigued by a long-time hand-held operation.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art The case of a portable electronic device is formed of plastic for weight reduction, but it is necessary to prevent the case and the electronic circuit and the like inside the case from being damaged by an impact due to a drop.

[0004] Therefore, generally, an elongated rubber cushion piece is arranged along the outer surface of the case, so that when the cushion piece falls, the cushion piece hits a concrete surface or the like to absorb the impact.

[0005]

However, since the rubber cushion piece is only provided along the surface of the case,
In some cases, the case is displaced from a predetermined position of the case due to being turned up during normal operation. If the device is dropped in such a state, the case directly hits a concrete surface or the like, and an internal electronic circuit or the like is damaged.

Therefore, it is conceivable to fix the cushion piece to the surface of the case with an adhesive, but it is difficult to strongly bond the rubber cushion piece to the plastic case. Therefore, the cushion piece eventually moves during use, and the same inconvenience as described above occurs.

Further, since a device constituting an electronic circuit inside such a portable electronic device is generally mounted on a rigid printed circuit board, an impact at the time of a drop is directly transmitted to the internal device, and the device is not connected to the device. However, the device is liable to be damaged, and the wiring tends to be planar, so that the device tends to be large and not easy to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device which is hardly damaged by an impact due to a drop, and which is small, lightweight and easy to use.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a portable electronic device according to the present invention comprises an electronic circuit and a battery as a power source for the electronic circuit, as shown in FIG. In a portable electronic device in which is embedded in plastic cases 1 and 2, a cushion member 20 made of an elastic member protruding from the outer surface of the cases 1 and 2.
Is formed by simultaneous molding with the cases 1 and 2, and the device 300 constituting the electronic circuit is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 30 and accommodated in the cases 1 and 2. It is characterized by.

The cushion member 20 may be made of synthetic rubber and formed by simultaneous molding with the cases 1 and 2. The device 300 constituting the electronic circuit is mounted on one side of the flexible printed circuit board 30 and the flexible printed circuit board 3
0 is 180 ° with the mounting surface of the device 300 outside.
It may be turned back.

The flexible printed wiring board 30 has an inner layer 30c formed on the outer layers 30a, 3
The flexible printed wiring board 30 may be formed of only the inner layer 30c in a portion where the flexible printed wiring board 30 is bent in a multilayer structure sandwiched between the terminals 41 and 42 provided at both end portions of the flexible printed wiring board 30. It may be positioned close by folding and connected by soldering.

[0012]

The rubber cushion member 20 formed by simultaneous molding with the plastic cases 1 and 2 is integrally connected to the cases 1 and 2.
It is semi-permanently fixed to the cases 1 and 2.

Therefore, the cushion member 20 does not always move from a predetermined position on the surfaces of the cases 1 and 2, and when the device falls, the cushion member 20 hits a concrete surface or the like, and the impact is absorbed there.

A device 300 constituting an electronic circuit
Since is mounted on the flexible printed circuit board 30 having flexibility, the shock is absorbed by the flexible printed circuit board 30 when it falls, and the shock transmitted to the device 300 is greatly attenuated.

Then, the flexible printed wiring board 3
0 is folded back by 180 °, wiring can be effectively loaded into the empty space in the cases 1 and 2, and the bent portion of the flexible printed wiring board 30 is
By forming only Oc, it can be easily bent without disconnection or the like.

The flexible printed wiring board 30
By soldering the terminals 41 and 42 provided at both ends of the folded printed wiring board, the potentials at both ends of the flexible printed wiring board 30 become the same potential, and the entire potential on the flexible printed wiring board 30 is kept constant. Can be stabilized.

[0017]

An embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 3 shows a front side of a portable handheld terminal in which an operator holds data with one hand and inputs data with the other hand, and FIG. 3 shows a rear side thereof.

The device is externally covered with a front case 1 and a back case 2 made of plastic. A liquid crystal display section 11 for displaying input data and the like is arranged at the center of the front surface of the device. A keyboard 12 is arranged.

Above the liquid crystal display section 11 is a printer section 13. Then, printing can be performed on the recording paper 15 supplied from the roll paper storage unit 14 attached to the upper ends of the cases 1 and 2. Reference numeral 16 denotes a magnetic stripe reading unit optionally attached to the upper end side of the back case 2.

On the right side of the keyboard 12 side, a lid 17 of a battery case portion for accommodating a small dry battery is arranged.
Rubber stoppers 18 and 19 are attached to the lower end surface of the connector for inputting and outputting signals to and from an external electronic device.

An elastic rubber cushion member 20 (20a) is arranged on the side surface of the device so as to surround the cases 1 and 2 over the entire circumference and protrude from the surfaces of the cases 1 and 2 in a strip shape. The seal is used to absorb shock and prevent water from entering the device from that part.

In the vicinity of the upper side of the liquid crystal display 11, a cushion material 2 is provided so as to cross the front case 1 from side to side.
0 (20b) is provided so as to protrude from the surface of the front case 1, and near the lower side of the liquid crystal display section 11, cushion materials 20 (20c) protrude from the surface of the front case 1 at the left and right corners of the front case 1. It is provided. Table Case 1
Is also covered with a cushion material 20 (20d), and a cushion material 20 (20d) is
e) is coated.

On the other hand, rubber hemispherical projections (rubber feet) 21 are provided at four places on the bottom surface of the back case 2, and the rectangular bottom surface of the magnetic stripe reading section 16 has all the edges. A cushion material 20 (20f) is provided around the periphery.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a portion of the keyboard 12. Bolts 24, 24 are screwed into female screws formed on metal pieces 23, 23 insert-molded on the front case 1 from the rear case 2 side. Thus, the front and rear cases 1 and 2 are fixed to each other.

The side cushion member 20a is made of hard synthetic rubber, and is melted and molded simultaneously with melting and molding of the plastic back case 2 to be integrated with the outer edge portion of the back case 2 over the entire circumference. Is molded. Therefore, the cushion member 20a remains semi-permanently fixed to the back case 2. The other parts of the cushion material 20 are also formed by the same manufacturing method by simultaneous molding integrally with the front case 1 and the like.

As shown in FIG. 4, the side cushion member 20a has a substantially H-shaped cross section.
The upper case 1 is simultaneously molded in such a manner that the upper edge of the back case 2 bites into the lower recess, and the front case 1 is placed in the upper recess.
Is fitted at the lower edge. Such a structure provides a waterproof effect as well as a vibration absorbing property, and prevents the intrusion of water from the outside to the inside.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a flexible printed wiring board, which will be described later, and includes an IC (integrated circuit) constituting an electronic circuit,
A device 300 such as a resistor and a capacitor is mounted, and both right and left ends are sandwiched between the front and rear cases 1 and 2 and are fixed in the cases 1 and 2.

Since the flexible printed wiring board 30 is flexible, when an external impact is applied, the flexible printed wiring board 30 bends as shown by a broken line, and the device 300 on the flexible printed wiring board 30 Impact is not directly transmitted.

The flexible printed wiring board 30
A battery serving as a drive power source for the handheld terminal is accommodated in a space inside the rear case 2 at the back of the figure, but is not shown.

As shown in FIG. 5, a packing 170 made of synthetic rubber is formed on the inner surface of the plastic lid 17 of the battery case by simultaneous molding with the plastic lid 17. When the lid 17 is closed, the lid 17 is sealed so that water does not enter through the gap of the lid 17.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of the liquid crystal display section 11. A rubber packing 33 having a U-shaped cross section is fitted on the outer edge of the liquid crystal display panel 32. As a result, a seal for absorbing the impact and preventing water from entering the portion is provided, and in this state, the plastic mounting frame 3 is used.
4 is elastically fitted. Then, the attachment frame 34 is fitted into a predetermined position of the front case 1.

FIG. 7 shows a flexible printed circuit board 3.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1, in which all devices (not shown) constituting the electronic circuit are mounted on the front surface side of the flexible printed wiring board 30, and the flexible printed wiring board 30 is bent at a bent portion indicated by oblique lines. The mesh hatched portion is a copper foil portion.

By mounting the electronic circuit device only on one side of the flexible printed wiring board 30 in this manner, when performing assembly of parts, operations such as paste printing, mounting, reflow, and cleaning can be performed in one operation. Thus, the number of work steps is small, the work can be performed in a reliable support state with a simple jig, and stable quality can be obtained.

Electrodes 41 and 42 are provided on both left and right ends of the flexible printed wiring board 30, respectively.
By folding back by 80 °, the two electrodes 41 and 42 have a very close positional relationship.

As shown in FIG. 8, the flexible printed wiring board 30 includes a front outer layer 30a having a wiring pattern portion 302 formed on the surface of a thin insulating substrate 301 made of, for example, polyimide resin, and a thin insulating substrate 303 made of polyimide.
A wiring pattern portion 304 is formed on the back surface of the substrate, and an insulating cover film 305 is further formed on the wiring pattern portion 304.
And wiring pattern portions 307 and 308 on both front and back surfaces of a thin insulating substrate 306 made of polyimide.
And forming an insulating cover film 309 on each of them.
The cover 310 has a three-layer structure of an inner layer 30c sandwiched between the outer layers 30a and 30b.

Then, the flexible printed wiring board 3
All the bent portions of 0 are formed only by the inner layer 30c. As shown in FIG. 9, by bending only the inner layer 30c, the flexible printed wiring board 30 is bent or Will be folded back.

If only the inner layer 30c is bent in this manner, the force applied to the wiring portion at the bent portion is small, and disconnection or the like is unlikely to occur.
0 can be easily bent.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the front case 1, the flexible printed circuit board 30 and the back case 2 separately, showing a state in which the roll paper accommodating section 14 and the magnetic stripe reading section 16 have been removed. ing.

As is clear from comparison with the developed view shown in FIG. 7, the flexible printed wiring board 30 is folded back at 180 degrees at the center A and also at both upper and lower ends.

As described above, the flexible printed wiring board 30 is folded back by 180 ° and arranged in the cases 1 and 2 so that the area occupied by the flexible printed wiring board 30 is reduced and the space in the cases 1 and 2 is effectively used. The flexible printed wiring board 30 can be arranged by utilizing the above, and the device can be reduced in size and weight.

Then, the terminals 41 and 42 formed on both the left and right ends shown in FIG.
Both terminals 41, 4 are soldered directly at close positions.
2 are set to the same potential and the flexible printed circuit board 30
The whole electric potential on the top is stably kept constant. This allows
Generation of noise and the like are prevented.

As shown in FIG.
Of these, the side cushion material 20a simultaneously formed integrally with the back case 2 is provided on the entire periphery of the upper edge of the back case 2, and the cushion materials 20b, 20c,
20d is simultaneously molded integrally with the front case 1 made of plastic.

The portable electronic device thus configured is
Since the cushion material 20 is fixed semi-permanently to the cases 1 and 2 and does not shift, even if the cushion material 20 is accidentally dropped on a floor or a road surface, the shock is absorbed by the cushion material 20 hitting the floor surface or the like. Attenuated.

Further, since the electronic circuit is mounted on the flexible flexible printed wiring board 30, the flexible printed wiring board 30 bends when an impact is applied, and the impact is absorbed there, and the flexible printed wiring board 30 and the electronic circuit are mounted. Does not lead to damage.

[0045]

According to the present invention, since the cushion material protruding from the outer surface of the case is semi-permanently securely fixed to the case and no displacement occurs, the shock at the time of falling can be reduced. Thus, the device can be reliably absorbed and damage to the device can be avoided.

Such a cushion material can be easily formed by simultaneously forming a synthetic rubber material and a plastic case integrally. By mounting the electronic circuit device on the flexible printed wiring board, the flexible printed wiring board bends when an impact is applied, so that the impact is also absorbed and the substrate and the device can be prevented from being damaged.

Also, the flexible printed circuit board is
By being folded back at 80 ° and housed in the case, the area occupied by the flexible printed circuit board can be reduced, and the space in the case can be effectively used, so that the device can be reduced in size and weight.

By bending only the inner layer of the flexible printed wiring board having a multilayer structure, the flexible printed wiring board can be easily folded without disconnection of the wiring, and the folded terminals at both ends can be easily folded. By soldering each other, the potential of the entire wiring of the flexible printed wiring board is stabilized, and noise generation and the like can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front side perspective view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a back side perspective view of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of a keyboard portion of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing a state where a lid of the battery case of the embodiment is opened.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of a liquid crystal display unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a development view of the flexible printed circuit board according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the flexible printed circuit board according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a folded portion of the flexible printed wiring board according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 case 20 cushion material 30 flexible printed wiring board 300 device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shuji Yamaguchi 1015 Uedanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Shinichiro Tsuruma 1015 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Fujitsu Limited ( 72) Inventor Yoji Nakae 1776 Yanoguchi, Inagi-shi, Tokyo Inside Fujitsu Kiden Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Mitsuaki Kumagai 1776 Yanoguchi, Inagi-shi, Tokyo Inside Fujitsu Kiden Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Sadao Shinohara Inashiki, Ibaraki 757 Tenhoki, Kusazaki-cho, Gunma Japan, Minami-Ibaraki Plant, Mektron Co., Ltd. 9448 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H05K 5/02

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] The electronic circuit is housed in a plastic case.
And the devices constituting the electronic circuit are flexible.
Mounted on a flexible printed circuit board
In a portable electronic device housed in a portable electronic device, a device constituting the electronic circuit is a flexible electronic device.
Mounted on only one side of the lint wiring board
Flexible printed wiring board, inner layer on both sides
Formed in a multilayer structure sandwiched between outer layers from
It is folded 180 ° with the mounting surface outside.
In the folded part, the flexible printed wiring
A portable electronic device, wherein the substrate is formed only of the inner layer . Wherein the flexible printed circuit terminal each other provided on both ends of the wiring board, a portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein located closer to the above folding are connected by soldering.