JP2011165206A - Electronic apparatus and casing structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide electronic apparatus in which successful antenna characteristics, thinning and weight reduction are aimed at. <P>SOLUTION: A display casing 13 is formed of a GFRP area 101 and a CFRP area 103. Antenna areas 101a, 101b and a camera area 101c of GFRP are butted and joined with the CFRP area by wave-like joint parts 201a-201c. The antenna is arranged on the antenna areas of the GFRP. Since the GFRP is a non-conductive material, characteristics of the antenna are successfully maintained. The casing structure does not become thick, since butting joint is performed, even if the jointing parts enter under projection of an LCD module. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a housing structure of an electronic device equipped with an antenna, and more particularly to a housing structure that can be reduced in thickness and weight while maintaining good antenna characteristics.

  In recent years, portable computers such as notebook personal computers (hereinafter referred to as notebook PCs) have been equipped with antennas for wireless communication as standard. The antenna for wireless communication is arranged on the upper side or the side of the liquid crystal display so that the sensitivity of the antenna is best when the user uses the notebook PC. The number of antennas mounted on the display-side housing of notebook PCs is further increased due to reasons such as support for wider frequency bands and multiple bands, support for higher data transfer rates, and support for diversity communications. Tend to.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the display unit 213 of the conventional notebook PC. The display unit 213 includes a display housing 223, a display module 225, antenna attachment units 227 a and 227 b, and a bezel 231. Various antennas for wireless communication are attached to the antenna attaching portions 227a and 227b. The display housing 223 has a box-like structure, and the display module 225 is housed and fixed therein. The antenna attaching portions 227 a and 227 b are disposed between the side portion of the display module 225 and the inner surface of the display housing 223. The bezel 231 is disposed on the front surface of the display module 225 and attached to the display housing 223.

  The display housing 223 is a structure that protects components such as the built-in display module 225 against external pressure. For this reason, the display housing 223 was once formed of a thick glass fiber reinforced plastic, but recently, in order to enable reduction in thickness and weight while maintaining the strength of the housing, recently, an aluminum alloy, Light metals such as magnesium alloys are often used.

  When the antennas attached to the antenna attaching portions 227a and 227b are arranged inside the display housing 223 formed of a conductive material such as metal, the sensitivity is lowered. Therefore, when the display housing 223 is made of metal, a cap 235a made of a non-conductive material such as rubber or plastic is provided by providing notches 233a and 233b in a part of the side corresponding to the position of the antenna. A structure in which 235b is cut into the notches 233a and 233b is common.

  However, when the notches 233a and 233b are provided in the display housing 223, there is a problem that the strength of the portions is inevitably lowered. Therefore, the structure of the display housing 223 has to be determined so that sufficient strength can be secured in anticipation of the strength being reduced by the notches 233a and 233b. In particular, when a plurality of antennas are mounted on a single housing, it is necessary to cut out as many antennas as the number of antennas to be mounted, which has been a limitation in reducing the thickness and weight of a metal housing. .

  In Patent Document 1, a resin material for covering an edge portion of equipment including fibers is bonded without protruding an adhesive from a mating surface between the resin material and a base material, and the fiber at the edge portion is raised. Disclosed is an electronic device casing capable of covering the surface. Patent Document 2 discloses a housing for an electronic device that includes a wall portion formed of a metal plate and a composite thermoplastic resin material in order to cope with multiple purposes such as weight reduction, electromagnetic shielding properties, and deformation. The metal plate and the wall are joined at a corrugated joining surface.

JP 2005-149463 A JP-A-11-298158

  As notebook PCs have become thinner and lighter, the structure of the display housing has been further evolved to accommodate it. In a metal display housing, a notch portion for securing the sensitivity of the antenna becomes a weak point in strength, and there is a design problem, and a display housing having a new structure has been demanded. In the invention according to Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-69947 filed and assigned to the applicant of the present invention, the display casing is made of a non-conductive material and has a decorative cover that shares the design function, and is made of metal and has strength. It consists of a composite member with a frame that shares the functional functions.

  However, this case still has the problem that the number of members increases and it becomes heavy because of the use of metal, and future generations of notebook PCs have excellent antenna characteristics, and are also thinner and lighter. There has been a demand for an electronic device that employs a display housing that can be used. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that achieves good antenna characteristics, thickness reduction, and weight reduction. Furthermore, the objective of this invention is providing the housing | casing structure used for such an electronic device.

  An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes a display housing for housing a display module and a system housing. The display housing includes a region of conductive carbon fiber reinforced resin that forms the central portion of the bottom surface. The display casing is further formed on four sides in contact with the peripheral part of the bottom surface that communicates with the central part so as to surround the periphery of the central part from the direction of the four sides, and on the peripheral part of the bottom surface so as to form a box inside. A region of non-conductive glass fiber reinforced resin that constitutes the side wall. The antenna is arranged at the periphery of the bottom surface. The wireless module connected to the antenna is housed in the system casing. The center end of the bottom surface and the peripheral edge of the bottom surface are butt-joined in the projection of the display module.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic device that achieves good antenna characteristics, thickness reduction, and weight reduction. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a housing structure used for such an electronic device can be provided.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of notebook PC10 concerning this Embodiment. It is a top view of the inner surface in which a display housing accommodates an LCD module It is a top view which shows the state by which the antenna is arrange | positioned at the display housing | casing. It is a top view which shows the state in which the LCD module was accommodated in the display housing | casing. It is the top view and sectional drawing which show the detail of a junction part. It is a perspective view explaining the conventional display housing | casing and LCD module.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a notebook PC 10 according to the present embodiment. In the notebook PC 10, a liquid crystal display (LCD) module 15 is accommodated in a display housing 13. The system housing 11 houses system devices such as a processor, a mother board, a wireless module, and a hard disk drive. A keyboard assembly 17 and a keyboard bezel 19 are attached to the upper surface of the system housing 11. The system casing 11 and the display casing 13 are coupled so as to be opened and closed by hinge portions 21a and 21b.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view of the inside on which the display housing 13 houses the LCD module 15. Hinge portions 21a and 21b are located on the upper side of FIG. The display housing 13 has a strength for housing the LCD module 15 and protecting the display module 15 against pressure, and has a design element that forms the outer shape of the notebook PC 10 on the outside. Therefore, on the display side, a special frame member for securing strength other than the display housing 13 is not required.

  The display housing 13 is formed of two regions: a glass fiber reinforced resin (GFRP) region 101 that is a non-conductive material and a carbon fiber reinforced resin (CFRP) region 103 that is a conductive material. The GFRP region 101 is disposed in the peripheral portion of the display housing 13 and further constitutes a side wall 13a for forming the inside in a box shape. In the GFRP region 101, antenna regions 101a and 101b, an indicator region 101c, and other regions 101d and 101e are representatively shown. The CFRP region 103 is arranged at the center of the display housing 13 and dominates the entire region. Both GFRP and CFRP are based on nylon.

  The antenna regions 101a and 101b and the indicator region 101c extend from the side wall 13a toward the center, and boundaries 201a to 201c with the CFRP region 103 have a regular waveform. The antenna areas 101a and 101b are used as spaces for mounting antennas such as LAN and WAN. The indicator region 101c is used as a space for attaching an indicator light emitting diode. The CFRP area 103 includes a camera area 103a to which a camera is attached.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the antennas 251 a and 251 b are arranged on the display housing 13. The antennas 251a and 251b are composed of radiating element portions 255a and 255b and ground sheets 253a and 253b, respectively. The antennas 251a and 251b are connected to a wireless module housed in the system housing 11. In the radiating element portions 255a and 255b, a plurality of radiating elements corresponding to frequency bands are attached to a synthetic resin frame. The ground sheets 253a and 253b are formed of aluminum foil. The antennas 251a and 251b are arranged so as to be positioned on the upper side when the display housing 13 is opened as shown in FIG. 1 in order to improve the radio wave sensitivity of the antennas.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the LCD module 15 is housed in the display housing 13. As apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, the antenna regions 101a and 101b sufficiently extend from the side wall 13a toward the center so that the entire antennas 251a and 251b can be mounted. As a result, the junctions of the antenna regions 101a and 101b and the CFRP region 103 are inside the projection on the bottom surface of the LCD module 15. Good antenna characteristics can be obtained by arranging the antennas 251a and 251b entirely in the antenna regions 101a and 101b formed of a non-conductive material. In the antennas 251a and 251b, the radiating element portions 255a and 255b are disposed between the inner surface of the side wall 13a of the display housing and the LCD module 15, and most of the ground sheets 253a and 253b are disposed in the LCD module 15 and the antenna region 101a. , 101b.

  Here, a junction structure between the GFRP region 101 and the CFRP region 103 will be described. The GFRP region 101 and the CFRP region 103 are integrated to secure the strength of the display housing 13 so as to hold the LCD module 15 or withstand external pressure. Accordingly, the joint portion is required to have a predetermined strength. As shown in FIG. 2, the joint portion between the GFRP region 101 and the CFRP region 103 includes butt joint portions 201 a to 201 c that form a regular waveform on the bottom surface, and overlapping joint portions 201 d and 201 e indicated by straight lines. There is. The overlapping bonding portions 201d and 201e are examples, and all the bonding portions of the GFRP region 101 and the CFRP region 103 other than the butt bonding portions 201a to 201c are overlap-bonded.

  In the overlapping joints 201 d and 201 e, the GFRP region 101 is superimposed on the CFRP region 103 so as to rise inside the display housing 13. In the butt joint portions 201a to 201c, the end portion of the GFRP region 101 and the end portion of the CFRP region 103 are attached to each other on the contact surface that draws a regular uneven curve like a waveform on the bottom surface. The superposition joining can be stronger than the butt joining, but since it becomes thicker inward at the superposition portion, it is employed only in the region that does not enter the projection onto the bottom surface of the LCD module 15. There is a method of superimposing the GFRP region 101 so that the GFRP region 101 swells outside the display housing 13 at the overlapping portion, but it cannot be adopted because of a design problem.

  In this embodiment, the CFRP region 103 has a thickness of 1.5 mm, and the antenna region 101a has a thickness of 1 mm to 1.5 mm. The CFRP region 103 is manufactured by cutting a laminated panel in which a foam layer is sandwiched between two CFRP layers into the shape of the CFRP region 103 as shown in FIG. By adopting such a laminated panel at the central portion where the strength of the display housing 13 needs to be increased, the display housing 13 that is lightweight and strong can be manufactured. Then, the processed CFRP 103 panel is set in a mold, and the display casing 13 is formed by injection molding in which the heated and melted GFRP is press-fitted into the mold.

  FIG. 5A is a plan view showing details of the antenna region 101a and the joint portion 201a. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view in which the joint portion 201a is enlarged. In FIG. 5B, the thickness t1 of the principal surface constituting the antenna region 101a is 1 mm, but the thickness t2 near the joint surface with the CFRP region 103 is 1.5 mm. The thickness is the same as that of the region 103.

  Since the antenna regions 101a and 101b are coupled to each other with the camera region 103a by butt joint, sufficient strength can be secured. Since the radiating element portion 255a of the antenna 251a can be disposed at the portion of the antenna region 101a having the thickness t1, a space is provided in the thickness direction of the display housing 13 with respect to the radiating element portion 255a of the antenna. Therefore, good antenna characteristics can be obtained. Furthermore, the display housing 13 can be reduced in weight by thinning the antenna regions 101a and 101b.

  In the joint portion 201a, the end portions of the antenna region 101a and the CFRP region 103 are in contact with each other by a curved surface formed by a regular uneven curve having a width L1 of about 6 mm and a length L2 of about 7 mm on a plane. The shape of the contact surface may be other than this because it is intended to increase the bonding strength by increasing the contact area between the two materials. Since the CFRP region 103 has a laminated structure in which the foam layer 109 is sandwiched between the CFRP layers 105 and 107, the GFRP melted in the process of injection molding partially enters the foam layer 109, both of which are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.

  2 and 4, since the joint portions 201 a to 203 d are in an orthographic projection with respect to the bottom surface of the LCD module 15, the joint portions 201 d and 201 e are hidden below the orthographic projection of the LCD module 15. Located outside of. Therefore, even if the joining portions 201d and 201e overlap the GFRP region 101 on the inner side of the CFRP 105, there is no problem in attaching the LCD module 15.

  Since the joining of the camera region 103a and the GFRP region existing in the vicinity of the side wall 13a can be overlapped and joined, the strength of the camera region 103a can be secured, and further, the strength of the camera region 103a with secured strength can be secured. The strength of the antenna regions 101a and 101b can be ensured by performing butt-joining. In the joining portions 201a to 201c, a flat attachment surface is provided on the bottom surface of the LCD module 15 by performing butt joining. The outside of the display housing 13 is painted so that the joints 201a to 201e cannot be seen from the outside.

  Although the present invention has been described with the specific embodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings, and is known so far as long as the effects of the present invention are achieved. It goes without saying that any configuration can be adopted.

  It can be used for electronic devices such as portable computers and mobile phones.

10 ... Notebook PC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... System housing | casing 13 ... Display housing | casing 13a ... Side wall 15 ... LCD module 17 ... Keyboard assembly 19 ... Keyboard bezel 21a, 21b ... Hinge part 101, 101d, 101e ... GFRP area | region 101a, 101b ... Antenna area | region (GFRP area | region) )
101c ... Indicator area (GFRP area)
103 ... CFRP area 103a ... Camera area (CFRP area)
105, 107 ... CFRP layer 109 ... foamed layers 201a, 201b, 201c ... butt joints 201d-201e ... overlapping joints 251a, 251b ... antennas 253a, 253b ... ground sheets 255a, 255b ... radiating element parts

Claims (17)

A conductive carbon fiber reinforced resin constituting the central portion of the bottom surface and a peripheral portion and an inner side of the bottom surface that communicate with the central portion so as to surround the periphery of the central portion from four sides. A display housing formed of a non-conductive glass fiber reinforced resin that communicates with a peripheral portion of the bottom surface and constitutes a side wall formed on the four sides ;
A display module housed in the display housing;
An antenna disposed in the periphery of the bottom surface;
A system housing for housing a wireless module connected to the antenna;
An electronic device in which an end portion of a central portion of the bottom surface and an end portion of a peripheral portion of the bottom surface are butt-joined in the projection of the display module. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the central portion of the bottom surface and the thickness of the peripheral portion of the bottom surface are the same in the vicinity of the joint portion of the butt joint. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the side wall does not include a cutout portion near a position where the antenna is disposed. The carbon fiber reinforced resin is formed of a laminated structure panel in which a foam layer is sandwiched between carbon fiber reinforced resin layers, and a part of the glass fiber reinforced resin is partially in the foam layer at a joint portion of the butt joint. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is embedded. The display casing and the system casing are connected to each other by a hinge portion so that the display casing can be opened and closed. When the display casing is closed, the carbon fiber reinforced resin and the glass fiber reinforced resin are integrated into the display casing. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is formed so as to withstand pressing. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the display casing is formed by setting the processed carbon fiber reinforced resin in a mold and pouring the glass fiber reinforced resin melted by heating into the mold.   The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the entire antenna is disposed on a peripheral portion of the bottom surface.   A portion of the ground sheet of the antenna is disposed between the display module and a peripheral portion of the bottom surface, and a radiating element of the antenna is disposed between the side wall and the display module. The electronic device according to claim 7. A housing structure of a display housing for housing a display module of an electronic device,
  A region of conductive resin disposed in the center of the bottom surface of the housing structure and formed of carbon fiber reinforced resin;
  A glass fiber including a peripheral portion of the bottom surface including an antenna mounting space disposed so as to surround the entire periphery of the region of the conductive resin, and a side wall which is connected to the peripheral portion of the bottom surface and forms an inner side in a box shape on four sides. A non-conductive resin region formed of reinforced resin,
  A housing structure in which a joining portion between an end portion of the conductive resin region and an end portion of the non-conductive resin region is joined by butt joining at the bottom surface. The housing structure according to claim 9, wherein a thickness of a central portion of the bottom surface and a thickness of a peripheral portion of the bottom surface are the same in the vicinity of the joint portion. The carbon fiber reinforced resin is formed of a laminated structure panel in which a foam layer is sandwiched between carbon fiber reinforced resin layers, and a part of the glass fiber reinforced resin partially enters the foam layer at the joint. The housing structure according to claim 9 or 10. The display housing is connected to the system housing of the electronic device by a hinge portion so that the display housing can be opened and closed, and when the display housing is closed, the region of the carbon fiber reinforced resin and the region of the glass fiber reinforced resin are integrated. The housing structure according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the housing structure is formed so as to withstand pressing against the display housing. 13. The housing structure according to claim 12, wherein the display housing is formed by setting the processed carbon fiber reinforced resin in a mold and pouring the glass fiber reinforced resin melted by heating into the mold. The joint portion draws a regular uneven curve on the bottom surface, and the pitch of the conductive resin region is equal to the pitch of the non-conductive resin region in the joint portion. The housing structure described in 1. The case structure according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the antenna mounting space is formed in a region of the nonconductive resin thinner than a thickness of the joint portion and a thickness of the conductive resin region. . The housing structure according to claim 9, wherein the joint portion is formed inside a projection of the display module with respect to the bottom surface. The housing structure according to any one of claims 9 to 16, wherein the conductive resin region and the non-conductive resin region are overlapped and bonded to each other outside a projection surface of the display module.

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