Electronic device

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus in which a connection part between a first housing and a second housing can be made compact.SOLUTION: In the electronic apparatus 10, the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 are coupled to each other by the hinge 16 at their coupling edges and are configured to be rotatable about the hinge shaft 16b of the hinge 16. The electronic apparatus 10 includes the first tubular body 32 that rotates integrally with the main body housing 12 coaxially with the hinge shaft 16b, the second tubular body 34 that rotates integrally with the display housing 14 coaxially with the hinge shaft 16b and is adjacent to the first tubular body 32, and the cable group 36 including a plurality of coaxial lines 36a provided between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 through the inside of the first tubular body 32 and the second tubular body 34. The first tubular body 32 is formed by combining a first semicircular member 38 constituting one semicircular portion and a second semicircular member 40 constituting the other semicircular portion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An electronic device such as a notebook PC has a first housing placed on a placement surface and a second housing equipped with a display and rotatably connected to the first housing by a hinge, as shown in Patent Document 1. In the electronic device described in Patent Document 1, a cable connecting the first housing and the second housing is routed along the hinge axis, and a cylindrical cover is provided around the cable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0002] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6698144 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] In the electronic devices described above, the cables are routed along the hinge axis, which means that the cylindrical cover has a large diameter, which poses problems in terms of design and layout.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an electronic device in which the connecting portion between the first housing and the second housing can be made compact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is an electronic device in which a first housing and a second housing are connected by a hinge at their connecting edges and are configured to be rotatable around the hinge axis of the hinge, and includes a first cylindrical body that rotates integrally with the first housing on the same axis as the hinge axis, a second cylindrical body that rotates integrally with the second housing on the same axis as the hinge axis and is adjacent to the first cylindrical body, and a cable that passes through the insides of the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body and is arranged between the first housing and the second housing, and the first cylindrical body is configured by combining a first semicircular body that forms one semicircular portion and a second semicircular body that forms the other semicircular portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the first and second cylindrical bodies through which the cables pass do not have hinge shafts, so the connecting portion between the first housing and the second housing can be made compact. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device according to an embodiment, viewed from above. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection portion between the main body housing and the display housing. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the hinge, hinge extension cover, and cable group assembled together. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bottom of the display housing including the hinge extension cover. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional front view of the hinge extension cover and cable grouping. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the first cylindrical body and its surrounding area. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge extension cover and cable group. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the hinge extension cover, the cables, and the surrounding area. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the boundary between the right side of the first cylindrical body and the left side of the second cylindrical body. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the boundary between the left side of the first cylindrical body and the right side of the second cylindrical body. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the assembly process of a hinge extension cover and its surrounding parts in an electronic device, where (a) is a diagram showing the first stage, (b) is a diagram showing the second stage, and (c) is a diagram showing the third stage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these preferred embodiments.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment, looking down from above. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection between a main body housing 12 and a display housing 14. Fig. 3 is a schematic view of an assembled state of a hinge 16, a hinge extension cover 30, and a cable group 36.

[0010] 1, 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 hinge 16 so that they can rotate relative to each other. Electronic devices according to the present invention include devices other than notebook PCs, such as tablet PCs and foldable smartphones.

[0011] The display housing 14 is a flat box that is thinner than the main body housing 12. The display housing 14 has a configuration in which a display 18 is mounted on a rear cover 17. The display 18 is made up of, for example, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) or liquid crystal. An electronic device 19 such as a camera and a microphone is provided on the top of the display housing 14.

[0012] The main body housing 12 and each component mounted thereon will be described below by referring to the posture in which the housings 12 and 14 are opened at a predetermined angle as shown in Figure 1 and the display 18 is viewed, with the front side being referred to as the front, the back side being referred to as the rear, the width direction being the left and right, and the thickness direction being the top and bottom.

[0013] The main body housing 12 is a flat box. The main body housing 12 is configured in a box shape with an upper cover member 20 that forms the top surface 12a and a lower cover member 22 that forms the bottom surface 12b and the four peripheral side surfaces 12c. The cover members 20, 22 are stacked in the thickness direction and detachably connected to each other. The lower lower cover member 22 has a roughly bathtub shape with an open top surface. The upper upper cover member 20 has a roughly flat plate shape and serves as a lid that closes the top opening of the lower cover member 22. A keyboard 24 and a touchpad 26 are provided on the top surface 12a of the main body housing 12.

[0014] The hinge 16 connects the rear edge (connecting edge) 12d of the main body housing 12 to one edge (connecting edge) 14a of the adjacent display housing 14 so that they can rotate relatively. There are basically two hinges 16, which are configured symmetrically on both the left and right ends of the electronic device 10. If the stacked state in which the housings 12 and 14 are stacked and the clamshell is closed is referred to as 0 degrees, the range of angles through which the hinge 16 can rotate between the housings 12 and 14 is, for example, from 0 degrees to 135 degrees. The rotation angle between the housings 12 and 14 may be greater or less than 135 degrees.

[0015] When the display housing 14 is stacked on the main housing 12, the top surface 12a of the main housing 12 that faces the display housing 14 corresponds to the front panel, and the bottom surface 12b on the opposite side corresponds to the back panel. A motherboard 28 and various electronic and mechanical components are provided inside the main housing 12. The motherboard 28 is the main board of the electronic device 10. The motherboard 28 is located toward the rear of the main housing 12. The motherboard 28 is a printed circuit board on which a CPU is mounted.

[0016] Relatively short end side surfaces 12ca are formed on both sides of the rear of the main body housing 12. The rear surfaces of the end side surfaces 12ca are semicircular (see FIG. 2). A step portion 12cb is formed between the two end side surfaces 12ca.

[0017] The two hinges 16 each have a hinge body 16a and a hinge shaft 16b that protrudes from the hinge body 16a toward each other. The hinge body 16a is located in a portion that constitutes the end side surface 12ca and is fixed to the main body housing 12 by a bracket. The hinge shaft 16b protrudes from the end side surface 12ca and is fixed by serration connection or the like to a fixing piece 14b that protrudes from the display housing 14 to the stepped portion 12cb. The hinge body 16a is provided with a torque applying mechanism for the hinge shaft 16b.

[0018] A hinge extension cover 30 is provided in a wide area between the fixed pieces 14b at both ends of the stepped portion 12cb, forming a so-called one-bar shape. The fixed piece 14b and the hinge extension cover 30 are cylindrical and coaxial with the hinge shaft 16b, creating a continuous appearance in the left-right direction, which is desirable from a design perspective. The hinge shaft 16b is inserted into and fixed to the fixed piece 14b, but does not reach the hinge extension cover 30.

[0019] The hinge extension cover 30 is divided into first cylinders 32L and 32R that rotate integrally with the main body housing 12 and second cylinders 34L, 34C, and 34R that rotate integrally with the display housing 14. The second cylinders 34L and 34R are located at the left and right ends of the hinge extension cover 30, while the second cylinder 34C is located in the center. The first cylinder 32L is adjacent to the second cylinders 34L and 34C, and the first cylinder 32R is adjacent to the second cylinders 34R and 34C. The first cylinders 32L and 32R have the same length and are hereinafter referred to as the first cylinder 32. The second cylinders 34L and 34R have the same length and are hereinafter referred to as the second cylinder 34. Naturally, the first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 34 do not have hinge shafts 16b. The first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 34 are part of the hinge extension cover 30, and therefore have the same outer diameter. In this embodiment, based on the left-right width of the main body housing 12, the first cylinder 32 is about 1 / 10, the second cylinder 34 is about 1 / 5, and the second cylinder 34C is about 1 / 20.

[0020] The main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 are apparently connected by two cable groups 36L, 36R. The cable groups 36L, 36R are also representatively referred to as the cable group 36. The cable group 36L runs from the main body housing 12 through the inside of the first cylinder 32L and the second cylinder 34L and into the display housing 14. The cable group 36R runs from the main body housing 12 through the inside of the first cylinder 32R and the second cylinder 34R and into the display housing 14. In other words, the cable group 36 runs through the inside of the first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 34 and is provided between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14, connecting the motherboard 28 to the display 18 and the electronic device 19.

[0021] Each of the cable groups 36L and 36R is composed of multiple (three or more) coaxial wires (cables) 36a, but appears and is handled as a single wire. The cable group 36 is formed by, for example, gathering together coaxial wires 36a with a diameter of approximately 2.7 mm at a converging portion 36aa. The multiple coaxial wires 36a are bundled at a portion designated by reference numeral 36aa (hereinafter also referred to as the converging portion 36aa) inside the first and second cylindrical bodies, and are parallel and thin at a portion designated by reference numeral 36ab (hereinafter also referred to as the parallel portion 36ab) inside the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14. The converging portion 36aa has an appropriate length so that it will not be damaged even if twisted. The converging portion 36aa may be wrapped with tape or twisted as necessary. Both ends of the cable group 36 are connected to a flat connector 36b. One end of the cable group 36 is connected to the motherboard 28 via the connector 36b inside the main body housing 12. The cable groups 36L and 36R are arranged symmetrically, but may differ in details such as the number of coaxial wires 36a, which are element wires. The cable group 36 and the coaxial wires 36a connecting the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 are not limited to this, and may be, for example, a flat cable.

[0022] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lower part of the display housing 14 including the hinge extension cover 30. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional front view of the hinge extension cover 30 and the cable group 36. Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the first cylinder body 32 and its surrounding area. Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge extension cover 30 and the cable group 36. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the hinge extension cover 30, the cable group 36 and its surrounding area.

[0023] The first cylindrical body 32 is formed by combining a first semicircular body 38 constituting one semicircular portion and a second semicircular body 40 constituting the other semicircular portion. The first semicircular body 38 and the second semicircular body 40 abut against each other at point P1 (see FIG. 8) closest to the rear end of the top surface 12a and at point P2 180 degrees opposite thereto. That is, the first semicircular body 38 forms a diagonal region extending from the upper side (top panel side) to the front side (second housing side) based on the center of the first cylindrical body, and the second semicircular body 40 similarly forms a diagonal region extending from the lower side (back panel side) to the front side (first housing side). This ensures that the connection point P2 between the first semicircular body 38 and the second semicircular body 40 is not visible to the user even when the display housing 14 is open (see FIG. 8), which is preferable from a design perspective.

[0024] The first semicircular body 38 is a part of an upper guide 42, and the second semicircular body 40 is a part of a lower guide 44. The upper guide 42 and the lower guide 44 are combined to form a guide 46, and are lightly engaged with each other.

[0025] The upper guide 42 includes a first semicircular body 38 and a guide piece 42a. The guide piece 42a extends forward from the front upper end of the first semicircular body 38 while abutting against the inner surface of the upper cover member 20, with its front end bent downward. A rectangular hole 42b and multiple positioning holes 42c are formed in the upper part of the guide piece 42a. The rectangular hole 42b provides space for moving the cable group 36 toward the upper cover member 20. Screw seats 42d are provided on both ends of the guide piece 42a. A small step 42e is provided between the guide piece 42a and the first semicircular body 38.

[0026] The lower guide 44 includes a second semicircular body 40 and a guide piece 44a. The guide piece 44a extends forward in a crank shape from the front upper end of the second semicircular body 40. The guide piece 44a is formed with multiple positioning protrusions 44b that fit into the positioning holes 42c. Screw seats 44c and restricting pieces 44d are provided at both ends of the guide piece 44a. The two restricting pieces 44d overlap with the screw seats 42d, 44c that hold the left and right sides of the guide piece 42a and are fastened together to bosses 50 (see FIG. 11(c)) on the main body housing 12 with screws 48 (see FIG. 7). The bosses 50 are provided perpendicular to the inner surface of the upper cover member 20, and the guide 46 is configured to be detachable in a direction perpendicular to the flat surface of the main body housing 12, making it easy to assemble. In other words, the lower guide 44 is detachable from the upper guide 42 in a consistent manner, making it easy to handle. The upper guide 42 and the lower guide 44 may be fixed to the main body housing 12 separately.

[0027] A gap 46a through which the cable group 36 passes is formed between the guide pieces 42a and 44a, and an entrance 46b for the cable group 36 is formed between the respective tip ends. The width and height of the entrance 46b are adjusted to match the converging portion 36aa.

[0028] 4 and 5, a one-bar cover 54 is combined with a lower edge member 52 formed at the bottom of the display housing 14. The second cylinder 34 is primarily constituted by the one-bar cover 54, with the lower edge member 52 serving as a secondary component.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 8, the lower edge member 52 has a lower end 52a that supports the rear cover 17 and the display 18, and a jaw 52b that protrudes from the lower end 52a. The portion of the jaw 52b that is adjacent to the display 18 forms a flat surface 52c, on which part of the one-bar cover 54 is placed. Reference numeral 58 in Fig. 8 denotes a display board.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5, the jaw portion 52b has a different thickness and shape in the left-right direction. A central portion 52ba corresponding to the second cylindrical body 34C in the center is relatively thick. Of the portion corresponding to the second cylindrical bodies 34L, 34R, both end portions 52bb, which are approximately halfway toward both ends, are as thick as the central portion 52ba. Of the portion corresponding to the second cylindrical bodies 34L, 34R, approximately halfway toward the center forms an arcuate surface portion 52bc. A cylindrical support portion 52bd (see also FIG. 8) corresponding to the first cylindrical bodies 32L, 32R has an arcuate shape that slides and supports the rotation of the first cylindrical body 32.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7, the one-bar cover 54 has a base 54a extending in the left-right direction, and the second cylinders 34L, 34R, and 34C are connected to the base 54a. The second cylinders 34L-34C are spaced apart enough to allow the first cylinder 32L to be placed therebetween. The second cylinders 34R-34C are spaced apart enough to allow the first cylinder 32R to be placed therebetween. Of the second cylinders 34L and 34R, a hollow arc portion 54b in approximately the center half forms the inner circumferential surface of the second cylinders 34L and 34R together with the arc surface portion 52bc. The underside 54c of the one-bar cover 54 is almost flat, but a shallow step 54d is formed on the underside of the second cylinders 34L and 34R, including the base 54a. The step surface 54d is located at a position including the center of the second cylindrical bodies 34L, 34R, and has a left-right width that is about half that of the second cylindrical bodies 34L, 34R, and a depth that is about the thickness of the parallel portion 36ab.

[0032] FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the boundary between the first cylindrical body 32L and the second cylindrical body 34C. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the boundary between the first cylindrical body 32L and the second cylindrical body 34L. As shown in FIG. 9, a coaxial circular recess 34a is provided at the left end of the second cylindrical body 34C. The circular recess 34a is formed by a lower edge member 52 and a one-bar cover 54. The second cylindrical body 34C has a solid structure except for the circular recess 34a. The right end of the first cylindrical body 32L is provided with an internal fitting portion 32a that fits into the circular recess 34a on the inner periphery of the second cylindrical body 34C. The internal fitting portion 32a is formed by a portion of the first semicircular body 38 and a portion of the second semicircular body 40, and has a cylindrical portion 32aa that is slightly smaller in diameter than the circular recess 34a and a flange protrusion 32ab at its tip. The inner fitting portion 32a is inserted moderately deep into the circular recess 34a, and the flange projection 32ab is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the circular recess 34a.

[0033] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the assembly process of the hinge extension cover 30 and its surrounding parts in the electronic device 10, where (a) is a diagram showing the first stage, (b) is a diagram showing the second stage, and (c) is a diagram showing the third stage.

[0034] As described above, the hinge extension cover 30 is composed of the first cylindrical body 32 and the second cylindrical body 34. The first cylindrical body 32 is composed of the first semicircular body 38 of the upper guide 42 and the second semicircular body 40 of the lower guide 44, and is assembled as shown in FIG. 11 . That is, as shown in FIG. 11(a), the portion extending from one of the two parallel portions 36ab (on the left side of FIG. 11(a)) to the converging portion 36aa is sandwiched from above and below between the first semicircular body 38 of the upper guide 42 and the second semicircular body 40 of the lower guide 44. The upper guide 42 and the lower guide 44 combine to form the guide 46. The entire width of one of the parallel portions 36ab is supported by the guide 46. The half of the converging portion 36aa, close to the one of the parallel portions 36ab, is supported by the guide 46. The other parallel portion 36ab (on the right side of FIG. 11(a)) is attached to the display housing 14. The process shown in FIG. 11(a) is carried out in the same manner for the two first cylindrical bodies 32.

[0035] As shown in Figure 11(b), the one-bar cover 54 is attached to the lower edge member 52. This forms the hinge extension cover 30. The one-bar cover 54 may be fixed with, for example, adhesive tape. The first cylindrical body 32 has an internal fitting portion 32a, and the circular recess 34a of the second cylindrical body 34 fits over the internal fitting portion 32a, making assembly easy.

[0036] 11(c), the guide 46 is attached to the boss 50 of the upper cover member 20 by screws 48 through the screw seats 42d and 44c. The hinge 16, motherboard 28, etc. are separately attached to the upper cover member 20, and then the lower surface is covered with the lower cover member 22.

[0037] In the electronic device 10 configured in this manner, the cable group 36 is provided between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14, passing through the inside of the first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 34, without running along the hinge axis 16b. Therefore, the first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 34 can be small in diameter, which is preferable from a design perspective because the connecting portion between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 can be made compact. Furthermore, having the first cylinder 32 and the second cylinder 34 with small diameters is also preferable from a layout perspective; for example, a wide gap 56 (see FIG. 8) can be secured between the hinge extension cover 30 and the lower cover member 22, reducing the resistance to ventilation of exhaust heat.

[0038] The first cylindrical body 32 is composed of a first semicircular body 38 and a second semicircular body 40, so the cables 36 can be clamped and held in the hollow space inside the first cylindrical body 32 (see FIG. 11(a)), making assembly easy. The hinge extension cover 30 has the same outer diameters for the first cylindrical body 32 and the second cylindrical body 34 (see FIG. 2), resulting in a desirable, integrated and continuous design.

[0039] The upper guide 42 and the lower guide 44 are combined to form the guide 46, which is preferable because it is easy to handle in the step of Figure 11(c), but the upper guide 42 may be configured as one piece with the top cover member 20. In other words, of the first semicircular body 38 and the second semicircular body 40, it is preferable that at least the second semicircular body 40 is configured to be detachable from the main body housing 12. In that case, in the step of Figure 11(c), it is sufficient to fix only the lower guide 44 to the boss 50 with the screw 48.

[0040] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can of course be freely modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Electronic equipment 12 Main body housing (first housing) 14 Display case (second case) 16 Hinge 16b Hinge axis 28 Motherboard 30 Hinge extension cover 32,32L,32R 1st cylinder 32a Inner fitting part 34,34L,34C,34R 2nd cylinder 34a Circular recess 36, 36L, 36R cable group 36a cable 36aa focusing section 36ab parallel section 38 First Semicircular Body 40 Second Semicircular Body 42 Upper guide 44 Lower guide 46 Guide 52 Lower edge member 54 One bar cover

Claims

1. An electronic device in which a first housing and a second housing are connected to each other by a hinge at their connecting edges, and the electronic device is configured to be rotatable around a hinge axis of the hinge, a first cylindrical body that rotates integrally with the first housing coaxially with the hinge shaft; a second cylindrical body that rotates integrally with the second housing coaxially with the hinge shaft and is adjacent to the first cylindrical body; a cable that passes through the inside of the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body and is provided between the first housing and the second housing; and The first cylindrical body is formed by joining a first semicircular body constituting one semicircular portion and a second semicircular body constituting the other semicircular portion. An electronic device characterized by:

2. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, the first housing has a front panel that faces the second housing when the second housing is stacked on top of the first housing, and a back panel on the opposite side; the first cylindrical body is provided on the front plate at the connecting edge, the first semicircular body forms an oblique region extending from the front panel side to the second housing side with the center of the first cylindrical body as a reference; The second semicircular body forms an oblique region extending from the back plate side to the first housing side with the center of the first cylindrical body as a reference. An electronic device characterized by:

3. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, Of the first semicircular body and the second semicircular body, at least the second semicircular body is configured to be detachable from the first housing. An electronic device characterized by:

4. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The first cylindrical body has an inner fitting portion that fits into the inner peripheral side of the end portion of the second cylindrical body. An electronic device characterized by:

5. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body have the same outer diameter. An electronic device characterized by:

6. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, The cables are made up of three or more cables, which are bundled together inside the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body, and which are arranged in parallel inside the first housing and the second housing. An electronic device characterized by:

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