Electronic device and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide electronic devices that offer a desirable design while maintaining low cost. [Solution] The electronic device 10 comprises a main body housing 12, a display housing 14, and a hinge 16 that connects them so as to be rotatable relative to each other. The display housing 14 has a display 32 provided on the front, a metal cover member 33 provided on the rear and covering the back of the display 32, and a hinge block 34a fixed to the cover member 33 and to which the hinge shaft 16a of the hinge 16 is fixed. The cover member 33 has a bent wall 33c that bends toward the side of the main body housing 12 at the connecting edge 12d to the main body housing 12.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device including a first housing, a second housing, and a hinge that connects the first housing and the second housing so as to be relatively rotatable about their connecting edges, and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] In an electronic device such as a notebook PC, a first housing on which a display is mounted and a second housing on which a motherboard is mounted are connected by a hinge. The back surface of the display is covered with a back cover, and the periphery of the display is surrounded by a low side wall. In the electronic device described in Patent Document 1, the back cover and the side wall are separate components, but from a design perspective, an integrated configuration in which the boundary is not visible is preferred. In the electronic device described in Patent Document 2, the back cover and the side wall are integrally formed, and further, a hinge block to which the hinge shaft is fixed is integrally formed. For strength reasons, the hinge block is generally made of a metal material. In the electronic device described in Patent Document 2, the back cover and the side wall are made of a metal material together with the hinge block.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=2,1]]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Metal is often preferred for back covers due to its superior texture and feel. The electronic device described in Patent Document 2 is aesthetically pleasing because its back cover is made of metal and has no boundary between it and the side wall. However, if the back cover, side wall, and hinge block are integrated into a single structure, the shape becomes complex, requiring CNC machining to form it from metal, resulting in long processing times and high material costs.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an electronic device that has a suitable design and is low cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, an electronic device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an electronic device comprising a first housing, a second housing, and a hinge that connects the first housing and the second housing so as to be rotatable relative to each other at a connecting edge, wherein the first housing has a display provided on one side and a metal cover member provided on the other side that covers the back of the display, and a hinge block fixed to the cover member and to which the hinge axis of the hinge is fixed, and the cover member has a curved wall that bends toward the side of the first housing at the connecting edge toward the second housing.

[0007] A method for manufacturing an electronic device according to a second aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an electronic device comprising a first housing, a second housing, and a hinge that connects the first housing and the second housing so as to be rotatable relative to each other at a connecting edge, comprising the steps of: forming a bent wall by press-working a portion of a metal plate corresponding to the connecting edge that connects to the second housing to obtain a cover member; attaching a hinge block to the cover member; attaching a display to the cover member; and fixing the hinge shaft of the hinge to the hinge block, wherein the bent wall covers the hinge block and the connecting edge of the second housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the above embodiment of the present invention, a suitable design can be obtained while keeping costs low. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device according to one embodiment, viewed from above. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the electronic device from a diagonal rearward angle. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the display enclosure, seen from diagonally below. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the display housing, seen from a diagonal angle below. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cover member, hinge connection structure, and outer parts, seen from a diagonal downward angle. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the cover member, hinge connection structure, and outer parts, viewed from an oblique angle above. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines VII-VII in Figure 3. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines VIII-VIII in Figure 3. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX to IX in Figure 3. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows the same location as in Figure 7, and is a cross-sectional view when the rotation angle between the main body housing and the display housing is 135 degrees. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows the same location as in Figure 7, and is a cross-sectional view when the rotation angle between the main body housing and the display housing is 180 degrees. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a flowchart of the manufacturing method for electronic devices. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an electronic device 10 according to one embodiment, seen from above. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the electronic device 10 seen from the rear at an angle. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic device 10 is a clamshell-type notebook PC in which the main body housing (second housing) 12 and the display housing (first housing) 14 are connected by a hinge 16 so as to be rotatable relative to each other.

[0012] The main casing 12 is a flat box-shaped structure. The main casing 12 is constructed in a box shape by an upper cover member 20 that forms the top surface 12a, and lower cover members 22 that form the bottom surface 12b, the left and right and front sides 12c, and the hinge cover surfaces 12e that form both left and right ends of the rear surface. The cover members 20 and 22 are overlapped 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 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 casing 12.

[0013] The hinge 16 connects the connecting edge 12d of the main housing 12 to the connecting edge 14a of the adjacent display housing 14 so as to be rotatable relative to it. If we define the state in which the housings 12 and 14 are stacked to form a closed clamshell as 0 degrees, then the rotatable angular range between housings 12 and 14 by the hinge 16 in this example is from 0 degrees to 180 degrees. The rotation angle between housings 12 and 14 may be less than 180 degrees.

[0014] The two hinges 16 are provided at both the left and right ends. The hinge 16 has a substantially cylindrical hinge body 16a provided at both the left and right ends of the connecting edge 12d in the main body housing 12, and a hinge shaft 16b protruding from the hinge body 16a toward the approaching side. There is a torque applying mechanism by frictional force in the hinge body 16a to hold the display housing 14 at an arbitrary angle. The hinge body 16a is fixed to the main body housing 12 via a fixing piece 16c (see FIG. 5). The hinge shaft 16b is inserted and fixed into the shaft hole 34aa of the hinge block 34a in the hinge connection structure 34 (see FIG. 6) of the display housing 14.

[0015] Inside the main body housing 12, a motherboard 29, a battery device 31, etc. are mounted. The motherboard 29 is the main board of the electronic device 10. The motherboard 29 is arranged closer to the rear of the main body housing 12. Various electronic components such as a CPU, a GPU, a power component, a communication module, a memory, and connection terminals are mounted on the motherboard.

[0016] The electronic device 10 has two flat cables 28A and 28B provided across between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14. The flat cables 28A and 28B are provided at positions slightly separated left and right. The flat cables 28A and 28B are also typically called flat cable 28. The flat cable 28 may be one, or three or more. One end of the flat cable 28 is connected to the motherboard 29 or other sub-board of the main body housing 12, and the other end is directly or indirectly connected to the display 32 or the electronic device 19 of the display housing 14. The flat cable 28 is an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit). The FPC is formed of a thin sheet or film made of a polyimide layer, a conductive layer, etc. and is excellent in flexibility and flexibility. The flat cable 28 may also be an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable), etc.

[0017] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the display housing 14 from a diagonal downward angle. Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the display housing 14 from a diagonal downward angle. Figure 5 is a perspective view of the cover member 33, hinge connection structure 34, and outer part (resin member) 35 from a diagonal downward angle. Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the cover member 33, hinge connection structure 34, and outer part (resin member) 35 from a diagonal upward angle.

[0018] In the following description of the display housing 14, the angle with housings 12 and 14 is considered to be 0 degrees. In the front-to-back direction, the side with the connecting edge 14a is considered the rear, and the opposite side is considered the front. In the thickness direction, the side facing the main housing 12 is considered the bottom, and the opposite side is considered the top. The display housing 14 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

[0019] The display housing 14 is a flat box-shaped body that is thinner than the main housing 12, and includes a display 32, a cover member 33, a hinge connection structure 34, an outer part 35, and an inner part 36. The display 32 is made of, for example, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) or liquid crystal, and is provided on the bottom surface (one side) of the display housing 14. The display 32 is attached via a gasket 37.

[0020] The cover member 33 is made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy and is formed by press working. The cover member 33 is provided on the upper surface (the other surface) of the display housing 14 and has a lid portion 33a that covers the back of the display 32, a vertical wall 33b formed on the side, a bent wall 33c formed on the connecting edge 14a, and a device housing projection 33d formed at the front end.

[0021] The lid portion 33a has a slightly convex curved shape towards the top, but it may also be flat. The vertical wall 33b is bent downwards, that is, toward the main body housing 12. The downward projection length of the vertical wall 33b is small, just enough to cover the end face of the display 32. The curved wall 33c is bent downwards, that is, toward the main body housing 12. The downward projection length of the curved wall 33c is greater than that of the vertical wall 33b, reaching about half the thickness of the main body housing 12, and covering the hinge block 34a and the connecting edge 12d of the main body housing 12 (see Figure 2). The curved wall 33c consists of a vertical wall 33ca in roughly the upper half and an arc wall 33cb in roughly the lower half. The vertical wall 33ca follows the vertical direction, and the angle it makes with the lid portion 33a is approximately 90 degrees. The arc wall 33cb forms a gentle arc that slopes slightly diagonally forward from the lower end of the vertical wall 33ca.

[0022] The bent walls 33c are provided at all points on the connecting edge 14a except for the left and right ends. The bent walls 33c are positioned between the hinge cover surfaces 12e at both the left and right ends of the main housing 12. The hinge cover surfaces 12e appear to be continuous with the bent walls 33c and cover the rear surface of the hinge body 16a. The rear end of the lower cover member 22 of the main housing 12 forms a gently sloping arc surface 22a (see Figure 7) that is slightly inclined upward. The lower end of the bent wall 33c and the rear end of the arc surface 22a form an apparent continuous arc. The arc wall 33cb covers the circumferential surface 34ab (see Figure 9) of the hinge block 34a with respect to the hinge axis 16b.

[0023] The device storage projection 33d is located at the front end of the cover member 33 and protrudes slightly from the lid portion 33a. It has a shape that is slightly elongated in the left-right direction and is equipped with multiple electronic devices 19 (see Figure 1). The electronic devices 19 include cameras, microphones, infrared devices, etc.

[0024] The hinge connection structure 34 connects the hinge 16 to the display housing 14 and is made of a single piece of metal. It comprises a hinge block 34a, a connecting piece 34b, and a fixing piece 34c. The hinge block 34a is fixed to the cover member 33 via the connecting piece 34b and the fixing piece 34c. The hinge block 34a is roughly columnar in shape (cylindrical, hexagonal, etc.), and the hinge shaft 16b is inserted and fixed into the central axial hole 34aa. The hinge shaft 16b and the hinge block 34a are fixed, for example, by a serration joint. The fixing piece 34c is a thin plate fixed to both the left and right ends of the rear of the cover member 33. The fixing piece 34c is roughly triangular in shape and has a moderately large area, and is fixed to the lid portion 33a by adhesive tape or bonding. Multiple positioning holes 34ca are formed in the fixing piece 34c. The connecting piece 34b is a short, vertically oriented portion that connects the rear end of the fixing piece 34c to the hinge block 34a. The connecting piece 34b is moderately thick and has sufficient strength.

[0025] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines VII-VII in Figure 3. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines VIII-VIII in Figure 3. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines IX-IX in Figure 3. Figures 7-9 show the state where the rotation angle between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 is 0 degrees.

[0026] The outer part 35 is made of resin and is provided within the same left-right width range as the bent wall 33c. The outer part 35 has a top portion 35a that contacts the lower rear end surface of the lid portion 33a and a wall portion 35b that contacts the front surface of the bent wall 33c. A cable hole 35c is formed in the outer part 35 through which the flat cable 28 passes. The flat cable 28 extends from inside the main body housing 12 through the cable hole 35c into the display housing 14. The flat cable 28 passes between the outer part 35 and the inner part 36. The flat cable 28 may be fixed to the outer part 35 and a part of the inner part 36 with adhesive tape or the like as needed. The shape of the wall portion 35b differs between the area where the cable hole 35c is formed (see Figure 7) and the other areas (see Figure 8).

[0027] As shown in Figure 7, an arc-shaped bulge 35ba is provided at the lower part of the wall portion 35b where the cable hole 35c is formed. The bulge 35ba is located in front of the arc-shaped wall 33cb and has an arc shape that is convex toward the front. The bulge 35ba extends slightly below the bent wall 33c, and the rearward-facing projection 35bb at its lower end covers the end of the bent wall 33c. However, the projection 35bb is small and does not extend beyond the outer circumferential surface formed by the arc-shaped wall 33cb and the arc-shaped surface 22a. The tip of the projection 35bb is sufficiently thin and inconspicuous.

[0028] The inner part 36 is made of resin and has a top part 36a located below the top part 35a and a wall part 36b located in front of the wall part 35b. The wall part 36b is provided within the same left-right width range as the bent wall 33c and the wall part 35b. The top part 36a is longer to the left and right than the wall part 36b. The lower part of the wall part 35b where the cable hole 35c is formed (see Figure 7) has an arc shape and faces the bulging part 35ba vertically, and the opening of the cable hole 35c widens in a trumpet shape. As shown in Figure 8, in places where the cable hole 35c is not formed, the wall part 35b and the wall part 36b form a vertically continuous wall.

[0029] As shown in Figure 7, when the rotation angle between the main body housing 12 and the display housing 14 is 0 degrees, the flat cable 28 extends downward from the cable hole 35c, makes contact with the upper part of the bulging portion 35ba, and changes direction in a gentle curve, so that it is guided in the appropriate direction within the main body housing 12.

[0030] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the same location as in Figure 7, when the rotation angle between the main housing 12 and the display housing 14 is 135 degrees. In this case, the flat cable 28 is guided in contact with the area of ​​the bulging portion 35ba excluding the protruding portion 35bb.

[0031] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the same location as in Figure 7, when the rotation angle between the main housing 12 and the display housing 14 is 180 degrees. In this case, the flat cable 28 is guided in contact with the area of ​​the bulging portion 35ba that includes the protruding portion 35bb. The bent wall 33c is facing the opposite direction to that in Figure 7. The flat cable 28 straddles the end of the bent wall 33c, which is made of metal, but since the bent wall 33c is covered with the protruding portion 35bb, which is made of resin, it does not directly touch the edge of the metal and is not damaged. In addition, the flat cable 28 follows a path along the bulging portion 35ba in the range of housing angles from 0 to 180 degrees, so it does not bend excessively.

[0032] Figure 12 is a flowchart of the manufacturing method for the electronic device 10. In step S1, a metal plate such as an aluminum alloy is press-formed to obtain a cover member 33. At this time, the portion corresponding to the connecting edge 14a that connects to the main body housing 12 is press-formed to create a bent wall 33c that is bent downwards. The vertical wall 33b, device housing projection 33d, etc. are basically press-formed at the same time, but may be done in a separate process. In step S2, the hinge block 34a is attached to the cover member 33. In step S3, the display 32 is attached to the cover member 33. In step S4, the hinge shaft 16b of the hinge 16 is fixed to the hinge block 34a. In step S5, the fixing piece 16c of the hinge 16 is attached to the main body housing 12.

[0033] In this embodiment, the electronic device 10 has a display housing 14 whose rear surface is formed by a curved wall 33c that is integral and continuous with the lid 33a, without any boundary. The lid 33a and the curved wall 33c are made of metal, which provides a desirable texture. The curved wall 33c is separate from the hinge block 34a and has a simple shape, so it can be formed by press working, which reduces processing time and material requirements compared to CNC machining, etc. Thus, the electronic device 10 has a desirable design and is low cost.

[0034] The arc-shaped wall 33cb of the curved wall 33c covers the circumferential surface 34ab of the column-shaped hinge block 34a with respect to the hinge axis 16b, resulting in a smooth appearance with no dead space. Furthermore, since the arc-shaped wall 33cb is inclined slightly diagonally forward from the lower end of the vertical wall 33ca, it is difficult to see from above and diagonally above, and the protruding portion 35bb is almost invisible, which is aesthetically pleasing.

[0035] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be freely modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Electronic equipment 12 Main cabinet (second cabinet) 12d, 14a Connecting edge 14 Display enclosure (first enclosure) 16 hinges 16a Hinge body 16b Hinge axis 32 displays 33 Cover component 33a Lid 33b Standing wall 33c curved wall 33ca Vertical Wall 33cb Circular wall 34 Hinge connection structure 34a Hinge Block 34aa shaft hole 34b Connecting piece 35. Outer parts (resin components) 35ba bulge 35bb protrusion 35c cable hole 36 Inner Parts

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising a first housing, a second housing, and a hinge connecting the first housing and the second housing so as to be rotatable relative to each other at their connecting edges, The first enclosure is, A display is provided on one side, A metal cover member provided on the other side and covering the back of the display, A hinge block fixed to the cover member and to which the hinge shaft of the hinge is fixed, It has, The cover member has a bent wall at the connecting edge that is bent toward the side of the second housing. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

2. In the electronic device described in claim 1, The first housing and the second housing are connected by a flat cable. The curved wall is provided with a resin member that guides the flat cable toward the inside of the first housing. The resin member covers the end of the bent wall. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

3. In the electronic device described in claim 1, The bent wall covers the circumferential surface of the hinge block with respect to the hinge axis. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

4. In the electronic device described in claim 1, The hinge block has a columnar shape centered on the hinge axis, The bent wall has an arc portion that follows the hinge block. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. In the electronic device described in claim 1, The aforementioned bent wall is formed by press working. An electronic device characterized by the following features.

6. A method for manufacturing an electronic device comprising a first housing, a second housing, and a hinge that connects the first housing and the second housing so that they can rotate relative to each other at their connecting edges, A step of obtaining a cover member by press-forming the portion of the metal plate corresponding to the connecting edge to form a bent wall that is bent toward the side of the second housing, The process involves attaching a hinge block to the cover member, A step of attaching the display to the cover member, The steps include fixing the hinge shaft of the hinge to the hinge block, It has, The bent wall covers the hinge block and the connecting edge of the second housing. A method for manufacturing electronic equipment characterized by the following:

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