JP4341833B2 - Sound reproduction device and portable terminal device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sound reproducing device having an operation key (operation button) and a portable terminal device.

  At present, a large number of chords can be reproduced as a sound output function of a mobile phone, and the sound quality is also improved. In addition to the so-called ringing melody playback, there are also models equipped with a music playback function and FM radio playback function. Conventionally, such stereo reproduction has been generally listened to with stereo earphones (ear receivers), but there are also models in which the speakers are also stereo. In this case, it is necessary to arrange two left and right speakers symmetrically on the mobile phone.

  However, in a mobile phone in which small size is an important requirement, the arrangement position is limited in order to arrange two speakers at symmetrical positions. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, it is conceivable to arrange two speakers on both sides of the main body of the mobile phone. However, in this case, since the sound output direction is widened, the sound quality and volume in the display surface (front) direction are disadvantageous, and the size (caliber) of the speaker is limited to the width of the side surface. Is done. On the other hand, in order to attach two speakers toward the display surface direction, it is necessary to newly secure a surface area occupied by the speakers, and the apparatus must be enlarged.

  The present invention has been made in such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide an audio reproduction device and a portable terminal device that are suitable for small portable terminals such as cellular phones and that can easily make speakers stereo. It is in.

  The sound reproducing device according to the present invention includes an operation unit in which a plurality of operation keys are arranged on an operation surface, a speaker unit arranged behind a specific operation key with a sound emitting surface facing the back surface of the operation key, It is provided with.

  Since the speaker unit is arranged behind the operation key, only the operation key appears on the surface of the housing of the sound reproducing device, and the speaker unit does not appear. Therefore, the occupied area of the speaker unit on the surface of the housing is reduced, which contributes to the downsizing of the device. For example, if the planar area occupied by the speaker unit is equal to or less than the planar area of the corresponding operation key, the occupied area of the speaker unit can be made substantially zero.

  In the case of stereo reproduction, a pair of speaker units is provided as the speaker unit, and the pair of speaker units is disposed behind at least one pair of operation keys disposed at symmetrical positions on the operation surface. The

  When the operation key operates as a push button switch, a spring contact is disposed between the key top of the operation key and the speaker unit. Alternatively, a speaker unit is disposed between the key top and the spring contact. In any case, it is preferable to provide a through hole in a component such as a key top arranged in a state of covering the sound emitting surface of the speaker unit. Thereby, the vibration of the air by the speaker unit is directly transmitted to the outside air through the through hole, and a decrease in volume and sound quality is avoided.

  A portable terminal device according to the present invention includes a display unit having a display screen, an operation unit in which a plurality of operation keys are arranged on an operation surface, an acoustic reproduction circuit operated by the operation unit, and a specific operation key. And a speaker unit that is arranged with a sound emitting surface facing a back surface of the operation key and reproduces an output of the sound reproducing circuit.

  According to the present invention, the speaker unit is arranged behind the operation key, and the occupied area of the speaker on the surface of the housing of the apparatus can be greatly reduced, and the planar area (area) of the operation key and the speaker unit can be reduced. Accordingly, the occupied area of the speaker unit can be made substantially zero, so that the sound reproducing device can be downsized. In addition, a speaker unit having a large diameter can be employed without increasing the surface area of the housing.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a foldable mobile phone. The mobile phone 100 includes an upper housing 10 and a lower housing 20 that are pivotally connected to each other by a hinge portion 15. The upper housing 10 is provided with a display unit 12 such as a liquid crystal display and an antenna 11. On the other hand, the lower housing 20 is provided with operation keys 31a, 31b, 31c (generally 31) and a microphone 33. Although not shown, another operation unit such as a jog dial or a cursor instruction key may be provided. In the present embodiment, left and right speakers are arranged so as to overlap each other on the operation keys 31 a and 31 b at symmetrical positions on the main surface of the lower housing 20.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an outline of the hardware configuration of the mobile phone 100. The mobile phone terminal 100 includes an antenna 301 (corresponding to 11 in FIG. 1), a transmission / reception processing unit 303, a modulation / demodulation processing unit 305, a data processing unit 307, D / A converters 309L and 309R, as elements unique to the mobile phone. Speakers 310L and 310R, an A / D converter 311 and a microphone 312 (corresponding to 32 in FIG. 1) are provided. The cellular phone terminal 100 also includes a controller 325 including a CPU, a ROM, and the like that control these elements, a memory 327 used as a work area and a temporary storage area for data by the controller 325, and a display screen that functions as a user interface A display unit 320 (corresponding to 12 in FIG. 1), an operation unit 323 corresponding to the various operation keys, and a sound reproduction circuit 328 operated by the operation unit.

  FIG. 2 shows an exploded partial cross-sectional view of the lower housing 20 shown in FIG. The lower housing 20 is configured by superposing an upper cabinet 41, a key sheet 44, a spring contact sheet 50, and a printed circuit board 60 in the order of the housing. Other parts such as the battery and the lower cabinet are not shown because they are not directly related to the present invention. In the present embodiment, a pair of speaker units 70 (corresponding to 310L and 310R in FIG. 1) are provided below the spring contact sheet 50 in parallel with the printed circuit board 60. The sound emitting surface of the speaker unit 70 is directed to the front surface side (key top side), and a printed pattern 71 is provided on the surface. Therefore, from the speaker unit 70 of the present embodiment, a lead wire connected to the printed pattern 71 is derived in addition to a lead wire for the original speaker. The lead wire for the original speaker is directly or indirectly connected to the sound reproduction circuit 80 (corresponding to 328 in FIG. 10) on the printed circuit board 60. The speaker unit 70 shown in FIG. 2 is for the left (L), and the right (R) is not shown in the figure.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the key top 44 has key tops 45 and 46 fixedly disposed at predetermined positions on a flexible sheet 47. Each of the key tops 45 and 46 corresponds to the position of the opening 41a of the cabinet 41, and its upper surface is slightly exposed from the opening 41a in the assembled state. The key top 45 is a key top disposed on the speaker unit 70, and is provided with a plurality of through holes 45a penetrating from the back surface to the surface. Although not shown, the sheet 47 is also formed with a through hole communicating with the through hole 45 a of the key top 45. The other key tops 46 are not provided with similar through holes. As can be seen from FIG. 2, projections 45 b and 46 b are provided on the back surface of the sheet 47 of the key sheet 44 at positions corresponding to the substantially central portions of the lower surfaces of the key tops 45 and 46. These protrusions are structures for ensuring the pressure deformation of the spring contacts 51 and 52.

  As shown in the plan view of FIG. 4, the spring contact sheet 50 includes a plurality of spring contacts 51 and 52 that are fixedly arranged at predetermined positions on an insulating flexible sheet 53. The spring contacts 51 and 52 are adhesively arranged at positions corresponding to the key tops 45 and 46, and constitute a push button switch together with a print pattern on the printed circuit board 60 described later. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, cross-sectional views and plan views, the spring contacts 51 and 52 are made of conductive ultra-thin plate members similar to the shape of a contact lens. The sheet 53 is provided with an opening (here, a circle that matches the shape of the spring contact) that is slightly smaller than the spring contact at a position corresponding to the back side of the spring contact. In the present embodiment, the spring contact 51 includes a plurality of through holes 51a as air holes in order to be disposed on the speaker unit 70 as shown in FIG. It is not always necessary to provide similar through holes in the other spring contacts 52, but they may be provided as necessary.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the print pattern 61 on the surface of the printed circuit board 60. In this example, a central conductor 61a and a surrounding donut-shaped conductor 61b are provided as a switch pattern on the insulating substrate 62 of the printed circuit board 60 in correspondence with each key top (and spring contact). In the present embodiment, at least one set of center conductors and donut-shaped conductors (not shown) are also formed on the surface of the speaker unit 70 (FIG. 1). A printed pattern is also formed on the back surface of the printed circuit board 60, and various electrical components (not shown) are mounted. The center conductor 61a and the donut-shaped conductor 61b are connected to the printed pattern on the back surface (or intermediate layer) of the printed circuit board 60, respectively.

  When the protruding portion side of the spring contact is pressed through the key top with a user's finger or the like, the spring contact is deformed and its curved inner surface comes into contact with the printed pattern on the printed circuit board 60, and the central conductor 61a and the donut-shaped conductor 61b is short-circuited. Thereby, pressing of the push button switch is detected by the telephone.

  According to the first embodiment, air vibrations of sound emitted from the speaker unit 70 are generated through the through holes 51a of the spring contact 51 of the spring contact sheet 50, the sheet 47 of the key sheet 44, and the through holes 45a of the key top 45. Via, it is easy to conduct to the outside air.

  FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of the second embodiment according to the present invention. In the first embodiment, the spring contact sheet 50 is disposed between the key sheet 44 and the speaker unit 75. However, in the present embodiment, the order of superposition is changed, and the spring is placed below the speaker unit 75. A contact 52 is arranged. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9, the spring contact 51 is removed from the spring contact sheet 55 of the present embodiment. Further, the spring contact 52 on the support portion 64 provided on the lower side of the speaker unit 75 may be the spring contact 52 having no through hole. A print pattern on the upper surface of the speaker unit 75 is unnecessary. In consideration of the size of the speaker unit 75 in the height direction, the printed pattern 65 is formed on a support portion 64 different from the printed circuit board 60 in the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the speaker unit 75 is movable in the casing at least in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the operation surface), and the support portion 64 is fixed.

  According to the second embodiment, the air vibration of the sound emitted from the speaker unit 75 is easily conducted to the outside air via the sheet 47 of the key sheet 44 and the through hole 45a of the key top 45. Yes.

  At the time of audio reproduction, the operation keys 31a and 31b that also function as a speaker may be used as an operation unit for an audio control interface for adjusting volume, sound quality, left / right balance, and the like.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications and changes other than those mentioned above can be made.

  For example, in the above description, only an example applied to a foldable mobile phone is shown, but the mobile phone is not limited to a foldable type, and may be a so-called stick type. Moreover, it is not limited to a mobile phone. The present invention can be applied to any terminal device having operation keys and capable of sound reproduction, particularly a portable terminal device. In the illustrated example, the size of the speaker unit corresponds to one key top. However, the size of the speaker unit may extend over a plurality of key tops.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the sound reproduction apparatus which shows the example which applied this invention to the folding type | mold mobile phone. It is a V-V 'arrow disassembled partial sectional view of the lower case of Drawing 1. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the key sheet | seat 44 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the spring contact sheet | seat 50 of FIG. In this Embodiment, it is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a spring contact and a speaker unit. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the printed pattern 61 on the printed circuit board surface of FIG. It is a figure which shows sectional drawing (a) and the top view (b) of the spring contact in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of 2nd Embodiment by this invention. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the spring contact sheet | seat 55 in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal hardware structural example of the mobile telephone in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the audio reproduction apparatus of the stereo structure which has arrange | positioned the speaker to the mobile telephone side surface.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Upper housing | casing, 11 ... Antenna, 12 ... Display part, 15 ... Hinge part, 20 ... Lower housing | casing, 31a ... Operation key, 33 ... Microphone, 41 ... Cabinet, 41a ... Opening, 44 ... Key sheet, 45 ... Key top, 45a ... through hole, 45b ... projection, 46 ... key top, 47 ... sheet, 50 ... spring contact sheet, 51 ... spring contact, 51a ... through hole, 52 ... spring contact, 53 ... sheet, 55 ... spring contact Sheet 60 ... Printed circuit board 61 ... Print pattern 62 ... Insulating substrate 61a ... Center conductor 61b ... Donut-shaped conductor 64 ... Supporting part 65 ... Print pattern 70 ... Speaker unit 71 ... Print pattern 75 ... Speaker unit, 80 ... Sound reproduction circuit, 100 ... Mobile phone

Claims (6)

An operation unit in which a plurality of operation keys each having a key top are arranged on the operation surface;
A speaker unit disposed behind a specific operation key with a sound emitting surface facing the back surface of the operation key ;
A spring contact is disposed between the key top of the specific operation key and the speaker unit,
The key top is fixedly arranged at a predetermined position on the flexible sheet,
The spring contact is fixedly disposed at a predetermined position on the insulating flexible sheet,
A sound reproducing apparatus, wherein a key top of the specific operation key and the spring contact are provided with a through hole . An operation unit in which a plurality of operation keys each having a key top are arranged on the operation surface;
A speaker unit is provided behind the key top of a specific operation key, and is movably arranged with a sound emitting surface facing the back surface of the key top.
A spring contact is arranged behind the speaker unit,
A sound reproducing device, wherein a key top of the specific operation key is provided with a through hole . The speaker unit includes a pair of speaker units, and the pair of speaker units is disposed behind at least one pair of operation keys disposed at symmetrical positions on the operation surface. Item 3. The sound reproducing device according to Item 1 or 2 . A display unit having a display screen;
An operation unit having a plurality of operation keys arranged on the operation surface;
A sound reproduction circuit operated by the operation unit;
A speaker unit that is disposed behind a specific operation key with a sound emitting surface facing the back surface of the operation key and reproduces an output of the sound reproduction circuit;
A spring contact is disposed between the key top of the specific operation key and the speaker unit,
The key top is fixedly arranged at a predetermined position on the flexible sheet,
The spring contact is fixedly arranged at a predetermined position on the insulating flexible sheet,
A portable terminal device, wherein a key top of the specific operation key and the spring contact are provided with a through hole .   A display unit having a display screen;
  An operation unit in which a plurality of operation keys each having a key top are arranged on the operation surface;
  A sound reproduction circuit operated by the operation unit;
  A speaker unit that is arranged behind the key top of a specific operation key so that a sound emitting surface faces the back surface of the key top and reproduces the output of the sound reproduction circuit;
  A spring contact is arranged behind the speaker unit,
  A through hole is provided in the key top of the specific operation key.
  A portable terminal device.   The speaker unit includes a pair of speaker units, and the pair of speaker units is disposed behind at least one pair of operation keys disposed at symmetrical positions on the operation surface. Item 6. The portable terminal device according to Item 4 or 5.

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