Electronic device

Abstract

The invention provides an electronic device which can enlarge the rotation angle range of a first housing and a second housing and can properly protect a flat cable. In an electronic device (10), a flat cable (32) and a protective film (34) are laminated between a main body housing (12) and a display housing (14). The main body housing (12) is provided with a tension roller (46) which applies force in a manner of winding the protective film (34), and an idle roller (44) which relays the path of the protective film (34) in a manner of extending between the rod (14b) and the tension roller (46). The flat cable (32) and the protective film (34) abut against the peripheral surface of the rod (14b) and are fixed to the side wall (14d). The flat cable (32) passes through the extra-long space (12g) from the gaps (12e, 12f) and extends and protrudes from the opening (52) to the rod (14b), and a slack portion (32a) corresponding to the angle between the housings is formed in the extra-long space (12g).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, in which a first shell and a second shell are connected via a hinge portion so as to be relatively rotatable. Background Art

[0002] A notebook PC connects a main body shell and a display shell via a hinge so that they can rotate relative to each other. Flat cables such as FPC are highly flexible, can be bent, have a high degree of freedom in wiring, and are thin, so they are often used in electronic devices with flat shells such as notebook computers. Patent document 1 discloses connecting two shells via FPC. In this document, in order to change the path length required for the FPC as the rotation angle between the two shells changes, an S-shaped excess length portion is provided in one shell to absorb the change. In the embodiment described in patent document 1, when the rotation angle between the shells is in the range of about 0 to 130 degrees, the S-shaped portion of the flat cable appropriately absorbs the change in path length.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-121092

[0004] There is a small gap between the connecting edges of the main body housing and the display housing, and the flat cable is exposed in the gap, so it is studied to cover it with a protective film. If tension is applied to the protective film to stretch it, the protective effect is better.

[0005] However, some notebook PCs can be rotated within a range of 0 to 180 degrees depending on the model, and in such models, the S-shaped shape absorbed by the excess length becomes larger. In contrast, the protective film with tension linearly crosses the space, so it is impossible to ensure space for accommodating the larger S-shaped shape. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of expanding the rotation angle range of a first housing and a second housing and appropriately protecting a flat cable.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, an electronic device of the present invention connects a first shell and a second shell at their connecting edges so as to be relatively rotatable, through a hinge portion, and the electronic device comprises: a flat cable, which is arranged between the first shell and the second shell; a protective film, which is stacked on the flat cable between the first shell and the second shell; a lead-out body, which is coaxial with the hinge portion and rotates integrally with the second shell; a tensioning roller, which fixes an end of the protective film in the first shell and applies force in a manner of winding the protective film; and an idle roller, which is rotated in the first shell in a manner of extending the path of the protective film between the lead-out body and the tensioning roller. Next, the flat cable abuts against the circumferential surface of the second shell and the lead-out body, and is fixed to the second shell by a fixing portion at its front end, the protective film clamps the flat cable together with the second shell and the lead-out body, and is fixed to the second shell by the fixing portion at its front end, and in the first shell, an excess length space is formed between the protective film folded back by the idle roller and the connecting edge, and in the first shell, the flat cable passes through the excess length space from the gap between the tensioning roller and the connecting edge, and extends from an opening formed in a part of the connecting edge toward the lead-out body, and a slack portion corresponding to the rotation angle of the first shell and the second shell is formed in the excess length space.

[0008] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the rotation angle range of the first housing and the second housing can be expanded, and the flat cable can be appropriately protected. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic plan view showing an electronic device according to an embodiment when viewed from above.

[0010] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the winding mechanism.

[0011] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing a tension roller and part of its surroundings.

[0012] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a torsion spring.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a mutual connection portion and its vicinity between a main body casing and a display casing in an electronic device in a state where the rotation angle between the casings is 0 degrees.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a mutual connection portion and its vicinity between a main body casing and a display casing in an electronic device in a state where the casings are rotated at an angle of 90 degrees.

[0015] Figure 7 This is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a connection portion between a main body casing and a display casing and its vicinity in an electronic device in a state where the casings are rotated at an angle of 180 degrees.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a connection portion between a main body casing and a display casing and the vicinity thereof in an electronic device according to a modified example.

[0017] Description of Reference Numerals

[0018] 10…electronic device; 12…main body housing (first housing); 12e, 12f…gap; 12g…extra length space; 14…display housing (second housing); 14b…rod; 14d…side wall (fixed portion); 16…hinge portion; 32, 32A, 32B…flat cable; 34, 34A, 34B…protective film; 40…winding mechanism; 44…idle roller; 46…tension roller; 48…torsion spring; 52…opening; 54…fixed member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the electronic device of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a schematic top view of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device 10 is a clamshell notebook PC in which a main body housing (first housing) 12 and a display housing (second housing) 14 are connected by a pair of hinges 16 so as to be relatively rotatable.

[0021] The display housing 14 is a box that is thinner and flatter than the main housing 12. The display housing 14 is equipped with a display 18. The display 18 is composed of, for example, an organic EL (OLED: Organic Light Emitting Diode) or a liquid crystal. A plurality of electronic devices 19 are mounted on the upper side of the display housing 14. The electronic devices 19 are cameras, microphones, infrared devices, and the like.

[0022] The main body housing 12 and the components mounted on the main body housing 12 are described below. Figure 1 As shown, based on the posture of visually confirming the display 18 by opening the housings 12 and 14 to a specified angle, the near front side is referred to as the front, the inner side is referred to as the rear, the width direction is referred to as the left and right, and the thickness direction is referred to as the top and bottom for explanation.

[0023] The main body shell 12 is a flat box. The main body shell 12 is formed into a box shape by an upper cover part 20 forming an upper surface 12a, and a lower cover part 22 forming a bottom surface 12b and surrounding side surfaces 12c. The cover parts 20 and 22 overlap in the thickness direction and are connected to each other so as to be able to be loaded and unloaded. The lower cover part 22 on the lower side has a roughly bathtub shape with an open upper surface. The upper cover part 20 on the upper side is a cover body having a roughly flat plate shape and closing the upper surface opening of the lower cover part 22. A keyboard 24 and a touch pad 26 are provided on the upper surface 12a of the main body shell 12.

[0024] The hinge 16 connects the rear edge (connecting edge) 12d of the main body housing 12 and the edge 14a of the display housing 14 adjacent thereto so as to be relatively rotatable. If the state in which the housings 12 and 14 are stacked to close the clam shell is referred to as 0 degrees, the rotatable angle range between the housings 12 and 14 based on the hinge 16 in this example is 0 degrees to 180 degrees. The rotation angle between the housings 12 and 14 may also be less than 180 degrees or greater than 180 degrees.

[0025] A motherboard 28, a battery device 30, and the like are mounted inside the main body housing 12. The motherboard 28 is the main board of the electronic device 10. The motherboard 28 is disposed at the rear of the main body housing 12. Various electronic components such as a CPU, a GPU, a power module, a communication module, a memory, and connection terminals are mounted on the motherboard.

[0026] The electronic device 10 has two flat cables 32A and 32B arranged between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14. The flat cables 32A and 32B are arranged side by side in the approximate center, but can also be separated to the left and right. The flat cables 32A and 32B are also representatively referred to as flat cables 32. There can be one or more than three flat cables 32. One end of the flat cable 32 is connected to the motherboard 28 or other sub-board of the main body housing 12, and the other end is directly or indirectly connected to the display 18 and the electronic device 19 of the display housing 14. The flat cable 32 is an FPC (Flexible printed circuit). The FPC is formed by a sheet or film composed of a polyimide layer, a conductive layer, etc., and has excellent softness and flexibility. The flat cable 32 can also be an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable) or the like.

[0027] The electronic device 10 has protective films 34A and 34B stacked with flat cables 32A and 32B throughout the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14. The protective films 34A and 34B are the same width as the flat cables 32A and 32B or slightly wider than the flat cables 32A and 32B. The protective films 34A and 34B are also representatively referred to as protective films 34. The protective film 34 is a sheet-like component with excellent dimensional stability, wear resistance, cut resistance, electrical insulation, etc. The protective film 34 is soft and flexible, but has high rigidity relative to tensile force. The protective film 34 is thin and does not produce abnormal sounds based on local small breakages, twisting, etc. The protective film 34 is made, for example, by weaving Vectran (registered trademark) that makes a liquid crystal polymer into a thread shape. A winding mechanism 40 for winding the protective film 34 is provided near the rear edge 12d in the main body housing 12 of the electronic device 10.

[0028] Figure 2 4 is a three-dimensional diagram of the winding mechanism 40. The winding mechanism 40 has a first winding portion 42A on the right side, a second winding portion 42B on the left side, and a connecting portion 40a therebetween. Mounting seats 40b are provided at the left and right ends of the winding mechanism 40 and the connecting portion 40a, and are fixed to the main body shell 12 by screws not shown. The connecting portion 40a is bent into an L-shaped cross section to ensure strength. The first winding portion 42A on the right side and the second winding portion 42B on the left side have the same structure except that the width is slightly different, and they are also representatively referred to as the winding portion 42.

[0029] The winding section 42 includes left and right side plates 42a, and an idle roller 44 and a tension roller 46 supported by the two side plates 42a. The idle roller 44 and the tension roller 46 extend in the left-right direction and have substantially the same length, respectively, and are longer than the protective film 34 to be wound. The idle roller 44 is located slightly in front of the upper part of the tension roller 46. The diameter of the tension roller 46 is, for example, about 5 mm. The idle roller 44 is smaller in diameter than the tension roller 46, for example, by about 1 / 2.

[0030] Each front end of the pair of side plates 42a is bent toward the opposite side, and further forms a shaft support curved portion 42b that is curled up to form a circular cross section. Both ends of the idle roller 44 are inserted through the pair of shaft support curved portions 42b and rotate freely. A flange 44a is formed at the left end of the idle roller 44, and a ring 44b is inserted at the other end to prevent it from falling off.

[0031] Figure 3: is a perspective view showing a portion of the tension roller 46 and its surroundings. The tension roller 46 has a winding portion 46a in the central portion whose left and right width is slightly larger than that of the protective film 34, spring insertion portions 46b located on both sides thereof, and shaft support portions 46c protruding slightly at both ends. The winding portion 46a, the spring insertion portion 46b, and the shaft support portion 46c are each coaxial cylindrical. The spring insertion portion 46b is a portion through which the torsion spring 48 is inserted. The spring insertion portion 46b is smaller in diameter than the winding portion 46a, and the shaft support portion 46c is smaller in diameter than the spring insertion portion 46b.

[0032] Figure 4 4 is a perspective view of the torsion spring 48. The torsion spring 48 includes a pair of left and right spring portions 48a, an engaging portion 48b protruding to both ends, and a linear connecting portion 48c connecting the pair of spring portions 48a.

[0033] return Figure 3 , the spring portion 48a and the spring insertion portion 46b are of substantially the same length, and the engaging portion 48b protrudes laterally than the spring insertion portion 46b. The spring insertion portion 46b is appropriately smaller in diameter than the spring portion 48a. The side plate 42a is provided with a cylindrical cover 42c covering the spring portion 48a, an annular protrusion 42d supporting the shaft support portion 46c, and an engaging hole 42e for inserting the engaging portion 48b. Although not shown in the figure, a groove for inserting the connecting portion 48c is formed on the side of the winding portion 46a.

[0034] The winding portion 46a is formed by combining a semicircular first half body 46aa and a second half body 46ab. The second half body 46ab enters between the positioning pieces 46ac located at both ends of the first half body 46aa. Two threaded holes 46ad are formed in the second half body 46ab. A hole 34a is formed at the end of the protective film 34 at a position corresponding to the threaded hole 46ad. The protective film 34 is inserted between the first half body 46aa and the second half body 46ab, and is fixed by the screw 50 passing through the threaded hole 46ad and the hole 34a and screwing with the internal thread portion formed on the first half body 46aa. The tension roller 46 elastically applies force in a manner of winding the protective film 34 through such a structure. The tension roller 46 does not apply force to the flat cable 32, so the flat cable 32 does not have any defects such as pattern breakage.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a mutually connected portion and its vicinity between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 in the electronic device 10 in a state where the rotation angle of the housings 12 and 14 is 0 degrees.

[0036] A vertically narrow opening 52 is formed between the rear edge 12d of the main body housing 12 and the cover member 20 for passing the flat cable 32 and the protective film 34. The opening 52 and the idle roller 44 are provided near the upper end of the main body housing 12 in the thickness direction along the flat shape, and the tension roller 46 is provided near the lower end.

[0037] The tension roller 46 is disposed near the rear edge 12d. A narrow gap 12e is formed between the tension roller 46 and the lower cover member 22, and a narrow gap 12f is formed between the tension roller 46 and the rear edge 12d. The idle roller 44 is located appropriately forward of the tension roller 46, and in the present embodiment, is arranged as far forward as possible without contacting the descending inclined portion 20a of the upper cover member 20 that faces the keyboard 24. The idle roller 44 is relayed in such a manner that the path of the protective film 34 is extended between the rod 14b described later and the tension roller 46 in the main body housing 12. In the main body housing 12, a surplus length space 12g is formed between the protective film 34 folded back by the idle roller 44 and the rear edge 12d.

[0038] The tension roller 46 of this embodiment is elastically urged in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by the circular arrow. The protective film 34 fixed at one end to the tension roller 46 is directed obliquely upward by winding the tension roller 46 in the clockwise direction at a predetermined angle, and is folded back by the idle roller 44 to become substantially horizontal, and is exposed to the outside of the main body housing 12 from the opening 52. The protective film 34 is in contact with the front oblique lower part relative to the tension roller 46 and the idle roller 44, respectively, to form a so-called flat winding (or open winding (Open collar)), and the tension roller 46 and the idle roller 44 rotate in the same direction.

[0039] The flat cable 32 passes through the extra length space 12g from the gap between the tension roller 46 and the rear edge portion 12d in the main body housing 12, and extends from the opening 52 to the lead-out body, and forms a slack portion 32a corresponding to the rotation angle of the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 in the extra length space 12g. The flat cable 32 forms an S-shaped path from the periphery of the tension roller 46 through the slack portion 32a to the opening 52. The protective film 34 is laminated on the upper surface of the flat cable 32 from the opening 52 to the display housing 14 to protect the flat cable 32. Since the end of the protective film 34 is urged by the tension roller 46, there is no slack.

[0040] The display housing 14 has a rod (extractor) 14b coaxial with the hinge 16, a back cover 14c covering the back of the display 18, and a side wall (fixing portion) 14d connecting the rod 14b and the back cover 14c. The rod 14b is sufficiently close to the rear edge 12d. The rod 14b and the pair of hinges 16 have approximately the same diameter and are arranged so as to form an integral image therebetween (see FIG. Figure 1). The rod 14b is integral with the display housing 14 and rotates integrally with the display housing 14. The rod 14b is basically circular in cross section, but has an inclined portion 14ba smoothly connected to the inner surface of the side wall 14d. When the rotation angle of the housings 12 and 14 is 0 degrees, the side wall 14d is oriented along the up and down direction.

[0041] The flat cable 32 abuts against the peripheral surface of the rod 14b (in this case, the inclined portion 14ba) in the display housing 14, and its front end is fixed to the display housing 14 by a fixing member 54 relative to the inner surface of the side wall 14d. The flat cable 32 further extends and is connected to the display 18, etc. The protective film 34 holds the flat cable 32 together with the rod 14b in the display housing 14, and is fixed to the display housing 14 by a fixing member 54 relative to the inner surface of the side wall 14d at its front end. That is, both the flat cable 32 and the protective film 34 are fixed to the side wall 14d. The type of the fixing member 54 is not limited, but for example, an adhesive tape or an adhesive is applied.

[0042] Figure 6 This is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a mutually connected portion and its vicinity between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 in the electronic device 10 in a state where the housings 12 and 14 are rotated at an angle of 90 degrees. Figure 7 This is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a mutually connected portion and its vicinity between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 in the electronic device 10 in a state where the housings 12 and 14 are rotated at an angle of 180 degrees.

[0043] If the rotation angle of the housings 12 and 14 is changed from 0 degrees (refer to Figure 5 ) changes to 90 degrees, the protective film 34 is fixed to the display housing 14 at the side wall 14d, so it is wound around the circumference of the rod 14b, and is pulled out of the main body housing 12 by a predetermined length via the idle roller 44 in a manner that overcomes the elastic force generated by the tension roller 46. At this time, the idle roller 44 and the tension roller 46 rotate in the clockwise direction.

[0044] In addition, the flat cable 32 is also fixed to the display housing 14 at the side wall 14d, so it is wound around the circumference of the rod 14b together with the protective film 34 and pulled out from the main body housing 12 by a predetermined length. At this time, the slack portion 32a of the extra length space 12g becomes smaller according to the pulled-out amount. The flat cable 32 is wound around the arc circumference via the inclined portion 14ba of the rod 14b, so it does not bend at a steep angle.

[0045] When the rotation angle of the housings 12 and 14 changes from 90 degrees to 180 degrees, the protection film 34 and the flat cable 32 are further wound around the rod 14 b and pulled out from the main housing 12 , and the slack portion 32 a is reduced.

[0046] When the rotation angle of the housings 12, 14 changes from 180 degrees to 90 degrees and 0 degrees, the protective film 34 is wound by the tension roller 46 and pulled into the main housing 12. At this time, the flat cable 32 is pulled into the main housing 12 together with the protective film 34 by the friction force with the protective film 34 and the pressing force received from the rod 14b, so that the slack portion 32a becomes larger.

[0047] In the electronic device 10 thus configured, the tension roller 46 serves as a guide for the flat cable 32 and appropriately maintains the S-shape. Therefore, even when the rotation angle range of the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 is wide, the path length change accompanying the change in the rotation angle can be appropriately absorbed.

[0048] In addition, the protective film 34 is folded back by the idle roller 44 to form an appropriate excess length space 12g between the rear edge portion 12d, so as not to hinder the formation of the slack portion 32a of the flat cable 32. Since the flat cable 32 is covered by the protective film 34 between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14, it is protected from contact with a pen tip or the like.

[0049] The opening 52 and the idle roller 44 are provided near the upper end of the main body housing 12, and the protective film 34 is maintained substantially horizontally toward the rod 14b. In contrast, the tension roller 46 is provided near the lower end, and a wider surplus length space 12g can be ensured. The tension roller 46 has a relatively large diameter so that a predetermined amount of the protective film 34 can be wound, while the idle roller 44 only needs to be able to fold back the protective film 34, and has a relatively small diameter in order to reduce the occupied area relative to the surplus length space 12g. Since the protective film 34 is wound flat relative to the tension roller 46 and the idle roller 44, a wider surplus length space 12g can be ensured.

[0050] As described above, in the electronic device 10 of the present embodiment, since the extra length space 12g can be ensured to be wide, the relatively large S-shaped portion formed by the flat cable 32 can be accommodated, and the rotation angle between the housings can be set to be large. In addition, the protective film 34 can be properly protected by the tension roller 46, which is always under tension. In addition, the flat cable 32 cannot be seen by the user due to the protective film 34. The flat cable 32 and the protective film 34 do not have a portion that slides while being subjected to a large pressure, and thus will not be worn.

[0051] Figure 81 is a schematic side sectional view of the mutual connection part and its vicinity of the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 in the electronic device of the modified example. In this modified example, the protective film 34 is hooked from the rear oblique upper part of the tension roller 46 to the front oblique lower part of the idle roller 44 to form a so-called cross winding (or cross winding), and the tension roller 46 and the idle roller 44 rotate in opposite directions. The tension roller 46 is elastically urged in the clockwise direction as shown by the arc arrow. In this modified example, although the excess length space 12g is slightly narrow, it is possible to ensure space for arranging certain components 7 on the inner surface of the lower cover part 22.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can of course be freely modified within a scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electronic device, wherein a first housing and a second housing are connected at their connecting edges by a hinge so as to be relatively rotatable. The electronic device is characterized in that it has: a flat cable, the flat cable being arranged between the first shell and the second shell; a protective film, the protective film extending between the first shell and the second shell and stacked with the flat cable; A lead-out body, the lead-out body is coaxial with the hinge portion and rotates integrally with the second shell; A tensioning roller, wherein the end of the protective film is fixed in the first shell and the tensioning roller applies force by winding the protective film; as well as an idle roller which is relayed in the first housing in such a manner as to extend the path of the protective film between the lead-out body and the tension roller, The flat cable is in contact with the peripheral surface of the lead-out body in the second housing, and is fixed to the second housing by a fixing portion at the front end thereof. The protective film holds the flat cable together with the lead-out body in the second housing, and is fixed to the second housing by the fixing portion at the front end thereof. In the first housing, a surplus space is formed between the protective film folded back by the idle roller and the connecting edge. In the first shell, the flat cable passes through the excess length space from the gap between the tension roller and the connecting edge, extends from an opening formed in a portion of the connecting edge toward the lead-out body, and forms a slack portion in the excess length space corresponding to the rotation angle of the first shell and the second shell.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first shell is flat in shape. The opening and the idle roller are disposed near one end of the first housing in the thickness direction of the flat shape. The tension roller is disposed near the other end.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first housing has a keyboard on a surface of the one end, and the second housing has a display.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The idle roller has a smaller diameter than the tension roller.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective film is flatly wound around the tension roller and the idle roller.

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