JP5435079B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a portable communication device, and more particularly to an electronic device that prevents a case from being deformed or curved due to an impact or external pressure applied to a housing and prevents a key malfunction.

  A portable communication device represented by a mobile phone is required to be small and light in order to improve its portability. In general, portable communication devices have been reduced in size and weight by reducing the thickness of the casing in addition to reducing the size and weight of components used. However, it is inevitable that the strength of the casing is reduced by reducing the thickness of the casing. In addition, since the thickness of the housing is reduced, deformation or bending is likely to occur. When the housing is deformed or curved, a key may be pressed, resulting in malfunction (power off, power on, transmission, etc.). . In order to solve such a problem, various proposals have been conventionally made.

  FIG. 6 shows a first example of a conventional portable communication device. This portable communication device is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-1224897, and aims to reduce the thickness without requiring high strength in the casing. A metal shield plate 102 is disposed on the back side of the printed circuit board 101, and the shield plate 102 and the printed circuit board 101 are screwed to the device case 103 with screws 104.

  FIG. 7 shows a second example of a conventional portable communication device. This portable communication device is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-058829. The mounting board 201 is built in the device housing 205, and the switch button 202 mounted on the mounting board 201 has an elastic member 204 interposed between the bottom surface and the mounting board 201. The switch button 202 includes a movable part 202a and a fixed part 202b. The fixed portion 202b is attached to the mounting substrate 201, and a movable portion 202a is disposed so as to face the fixed portion 202b. The bottom periphery of the movable portion 202a is held by the elastic member 204. The elastic member 204 functions to separate the movable portion 202a from the fixed portion 202b in a normal state, and the switch button 202 is turned on by pressing the movable portion 203 against the elastic force of the elastic member 204. By providing the elastic member 204, even if an impact is applied to the device casing 205 and the switch button 202 vibrates, the elastic member 204 absorbs the load of the switch button 202, so that the button switch 202 is prevented from malfunctioning. .

  Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 8-9448 discloses a configuration in which a cushioning material made of silicon rubber or the like is provided on the outer surface of the case body so that the case and the internal mechanism are not damaged even when the mobile phone is dropped. Similarly, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-331333, a cushioning material is disposed between the inner wall of the case and the printed board, and even if a load or an impact is applied to the case, the deformation that occurs is transmitted to the printed board. It shows a configuration that makes it difficult to prevent mounting components from falling off and preventing contact failure.

  Furthermore, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-209314, a rib is provided so as to penetrate the key operation unit and the printed circuit board so that the printed circuit board can be moved up and down along the rib, and even if an external force is applied to the case, The substrate and electronic parts are protected from impacts and the like. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-270063, a reinforcing member is provided along one side of the opening for the liquid crystal display in the front case, and the liquid crystal display is damaged even if an external force is applied to the front case around the liquid crystal display. It is possible to prevent.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-1224897 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-058829 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 8-9448 JP-A-11-331333 JP 2000-209314 A JP 2000-270063 A

However, according to the conventional portable communication device, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-1224897, the thickness and weight are increased due to the use of a metal shield plate, and the cost is increased due to an increase in the number of components. In the case of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-058829, it is inevitable that the button switch malfunctions due to deformation of the case.
Furthermore, in the case of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 8-9448, the effect appears only in the portion provided with the cushioning material. In the case of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-331333, the use space is reduced by using the buffer material, so that the originally narrow mounting space is further narrowed. Furthermore, in the case of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-209314, it can be applied to an internal printed circuit board or an electronic component, but cannot be applied to a button switch. In the case of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-270063, since a reinforcing member is required, the number of parts is increased and the mounting space is reduced. Moreover, the effect of providing the reinforcing member only affects the liquid crystal display.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable communication device that can be reduced in size and weight without increasing the number of components and can protect the casing and electronic components from impacts, external pressures, and the like.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a key sheet provided at a position below the upper case in a housing having an upper case and a lower case, and formed with a plurality of push buttons, and the key sheet, An electronic device that includes a printed circuit board provided between the lower case and an opening that exposes the plurality of push buttons at a position corresponding to an operation portion of the plurality of push buttons. The key sheet is formed with protrusions for supporting a plurality of portions on the lower surface of the upper case, and the protrusions are disposed in spaces between the plurality of push buttons to support the plurality of portions of the upper case. It is a configuration.

  According to this configuration, since the plurality of protrusions formed on the key sheet supports the upper case of the housing, the upper case is not deformed even when an external pressure is applied to the upper case. Since the upper case does not deform, the upper case does not deform the button part, and the button part does not deform, so that no contact with the metal dome occurs. Therefore, it is possible to protect the housing and electronic components from impact and external pressure without adding parts or using a highly rigid material for the housing, and it is possible to improve the reliability while reducing the size and weight. .

  As is clear from the above, according to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of protrusions are formed on the key sheet provided with a plurality of button portions, and the casing case is supported by the plurality of protrusions. Therefore, even if external pressure is applied to the case, the case will not be deformed or curved, so the button part will not be deformed, so there will be no key misoperation. Without being used, it is possible to provide a portable communication device that can protect the casing and electronic components from impact and external pressure, can be reduced in size and weight, and can be improved in reliability.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the portable communication apparatus as an electronic device of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the detail of the lower housing | casing shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the detailed structure of the key sheet | seat of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the cross-sectional shape of the principal part of a lower housing | casing. It is a perspective view which shows the other structural example of the key sheet concerning this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st example of the conventional portable communication apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd example of the conventional portable communication apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a portable communication device as an electronic device of the present invention. Here, a mobile phone is exemplified as the portable communication device.

  The portable communication device 1 has a folding structure that is folded in two, and includes an upper housing 2 and a lower housing 3, which are coupled by a hinge portion 4 so as to be able to rotate between about 0 to 180 degrees. ing. The upper casing 2 includes an upper case 2a and a lower case 2b. In the upper housing 2, the display unit 5, the antenna 6, and the receiver unit 7 are provided at easy-to-use positions. The lower housing 3 includes an upper case 3a and a lower case 3b, and the lower housing 3 is provided with a transmitter 8 and a key operation unit 9. The key operation unit 9 is used for telephone number input (or registration), function setting (or function execution), and the like.

  FIG. 2 shows details of the lower housing 3 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows a detailed configuration of the key sheet 10. Between the upper case 3a and the lower case 3b of the lower housing 3, a key sheet 10, a metal dome sheet 11, and a printed circuit board 12 are built in a stacked state. The key sheet 10 has a surface portion with a button portion (key) 13 exposed from an opening 3c provided in the upper case 3a (the surface is provided with printing or stamping of numbers, symbols, function indications, etc.), and The projection 14 is provided in the space between the button portions 13. The button part 13 and the protrusion 14 of the key operation part 9 are integrally formed on the key sheet 10 by resin molding or the like. Since the protrusion 14 is provided for the purpose of supporting the upper case 3a, it is desirable that the protrusion 14 has a certain degree of strength and hardness. Moreover, the button part 13 is formed thick so that it may have a hardness that does not cause crushing or deformation when pressed with a finger.

  The metal dome sheet 11 is made by pressing a metal plate or the like, performing metal vapor deposition on an insulating plate, or pattern formation using an etching technique. The metal dome sheet 11 is disposed on the lower surface of the key sheet 10, and a metal dome 15 is formed in a semicircular shape at a portion facing each key of the button portion 13. In addition, the metal dome sheet 11 is provided with a plurality of openings 16 at positions facing the plurality of LEDs 17 on the printed circuit board 12. The printed circuit board 12 is provided with a microphone 18 as the transmitter 8 and an LED 17 facing the opening 16. The LED 17 is turned on when any button unit 13 of the key operation unit 9 is pressed, and functions as a backlight of the button unit 13.

  FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional shape of the lower housing 3. Each of the protrusions 14 has a hollow structure, and the ceiling surface (the end portion on the upper case 3a side) is closed. Each of the LEDs 17 is fitted into each of the protrusions 14. It is desirable to use a transparent or translucent material for each of the protrusions 14 so that the light of the LED 17 when energized reaches the button portion 13. The top surface of the protrusion 14 is in contact with the back surface of the upper case 3a. Each of the metal domes 15 is disposed so as to be in contact with each of the button portions 13, and the metal dome 15 is switched on when the top surface of the metal dome 15 and the lower surface of the button portion 13 are in contact with each other.

  1 to 4, it is assumed that the upper housing 2 and the lower housing 3 are opened from a state in which the portable communication device 1 is folded and are in a use state (horizontal state). In this state, when an external pressure (external force) is applied to the upper case 3a of the lower housing 3, the upper case 3a is pushed down, and as shown in FIG. It hits the top surface. Since this protrusion 14 is supported by the key sheet 10 and the printed circuit board 12, the upper case 3a is supported by the protrusion 14, and deformation and bending of the upper case 3a are prevented. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the key operation unit 9 (that is, the button unit 13) is not deformed by the deformation or bending of the upper case 3a, and the metal dome 15 may be pushed because the key operation unit 9 is not deformed. Absent.

  Therefore, even if an external pressure (external force) is applied to the case, the key operation unit 9 can be prevented from malfunctioning, and the reliability of the portable communication device 1 is improved. Further, since the upper case 3a is neither deformed nor curved due to the provision of the projections 14, the upper case 3a is prevented from being damaged by external pressure, and the reliability of the portable communication device 1 can be similarly improved. Furthermore, since the upper case 3a is not curved, it is possible to provide a highly reliable portable communication device without using a highly rigid material for the housing or reducing the thickness of the housing. It becomes possible.

  FIG. 5 shows another configuration example of the key sheet 10. In FIG. 3, the shape of the protrusion 14 is hollow and the upper surface is closed. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the protrusion 14 may have a shape penetrating vertically. With this configuration, the light from the LED 17 can be guided to the upper case 3a without being dimmed, and a sufficient amount of light can be given to the key operation unit 9.

  The protrusion 14 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and may have any shape, size, and arrangement as long as it can support the upper case 3 a. For example, the outer shape is not limited to a quadrangle as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 and may be a cylinder, a triangle, a polygon, or the like.

  In the embodiment described above, the protrusions 14 provided on the key sheet 10 are provided in the space between the button portions 13, but are not limited to this configuration, and are not overlapped with the metal dome 15. Any location may be used. The number of protrusions 14 used is not particularly limited.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the portable communication apparatus 1 shall have the structure folded in half, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is applicable also to the portable communication apparatus of the structure which cannot be folded.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a mobile phone is shown as an electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited to a mobile phone, and has a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), a car phone, and further a keyboard and operation buttons. The present invention can also be applied to PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) devices and portable devices.

  The present invention can be used in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and mobile computers.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable communication apparatus 2 Upper housing | casing 3 Lower housing 3a Upper case 3b Lower case 4 Hinge part 9 Key operation part 10 Key sheet 11 Metal dome sheet 12 Printed circuit board 13 Button part 14 Protrusion 15 Metal dome 16 Opening 17 LED

Claims (1)

A key sheet provided with a plurality of push buttons at a position below the upper case in a housing having an upper case and a lower case, and a printed circuit board provided between the key sheet and the lower case In the electronic device in which openings are formed in the upper case to expose the plurality of push buttons at positions corresponding to the operation portions of the plurality of push buttons,
The key sheet is formed with protrusions that support a plurality of locations on the lower surface of the upper case,
The protrusion is disposed in a space between the plurality of push buttons and supports a plurality of portions of the upper case, so that when an external force is applied to the upper case, the upper case is operated by the operation portion of the push button. And support at the height where the upper surface almost coincides,
The projection is an electronic device in which a backlight LED is internally fitted and has a hollow and cylindrical structure .

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