JP2011239139A - Portable electronic device and housing structure thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a good waterproof portable device and a housing structure thereof that is configured not to increase thickness of a housing.SOLUTION: At a display section, a waterproof resin 5 coats all surfaces of a circuit board 4 and side edges of a liquid crystal panel 3 and a transparent resin 2, and is charged between the circuit board 4 and the liquid crystal panel 3. The waterproof resin 5, reaching a surface near the transparent resin 2 of a cover panel 1, is bonded to the surface near the transparent resin 2 of the cover panel 1. In an upper housing comprising housings 6a and 6b, electric parts such as the circuit board 4 and the liquid crystal panel 3 are coated together with the waterproof resin 5. At an input section, a waterproof resin 10 coats all electric parts composing the input section that is a key sheet section 7, a battery 8 and circuit boards 9a and 9b. Drain holes 6a1-6a5 are provided in the upper housing 6a and drain holes 11a1-11a5 are provided in a lower housing 11a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile phone and other various portable electronic devices and a housing structure thereof, and particularly to a portable electronic device having excellent water resistance and a housing structure thereof.

  As the portable electronic device, various devices called a portable communication terminal, a portable information processing device, a portable music player, a portable game machine, a digital camera and the like are put into practical use. Examples of portable communication terminals include cellular phones and PHS (Personal Handy-phone System). Examples of portable information processing apparatuses include PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and notebook computers.

  A mobile phone having a typical portable electronic device is likely to be subject to raindrops when used outdoors, water to be washed, or accidentally dropped into water. Therefore, recently, waterproofness is becoming a standard function of mobile phones.

  As a mobile phone provided with a packing in a casing in order to provide waterproofness, for example, there is a mobile radio phone described in JP-A-6-37876 (Patent Document 1). In the portable radio telephone of Patent Document 1, the casing is composed of a lower case (1) and an upper case (2), and a frame-shaped rubber is formed on the end surfaces of the openings of the lower case (1) and the upper case (2). By interposing the packing (40), the housing has a waterproof structure.

  Moreover, as a waterproof structure in a foldable mobile phone, for example, there is one disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-53718 (Patent Document 2). In the mobile phone of Patent Document 2, an upper casing (2) is connected to a lower casing (3) by a hinge (4) so as to be freely opened and closed, and a keypad (53) that also serves as a waterproof packing and a waterproof packing (65). The keypad (53) and the waterproof packing (65) provide waterproofness to the housing.

  As described above, in the cellular phones of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, waterproofing is obtained by interposing a packing in a fitting portion of a member constituting the housing.

JP-A-6-37876 JP 2007-53718 A

  As described above, in the cellular phones described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, waterproofing is obtained by interposing a packing in a fitting portion of a member constituting the casing, so that the waterproof structure has a thickness of the casing. This is one factor that makes it difficult to reduce the thickness of the housing. In this way, the waterproof structure increases the thickness of the housing and makes it difficult to reduce the thickness of the housing. Not only mobile communication terminals such as mobile phones and PHS, but also portable information processing devices such as PDAs and notebook computers, The same applies to various portable electronic devices called portable music players, portable game machines, digital cameras, and the like.

(Object of the present invention)
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device having a structure excellent in waterproofness and not causing an increase in the thickness of the casing, and a casing structure of the portable electronic apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the portable electronic device and the housing structure thereof according to the present invention employ the following characteristic configuration.

(1) In the portable electronic device according to the present invention, all electrical components contained in the housing are integrally covered with a waterproof resin,
The casing is provided with a hole that opens a space between the waterproof resin covering the electrical component and the casing to an external space.
(2) Further, the casing structure of the portable electronic device according to the present invention is a casing structure that encloses the electrical components in the portable electronic device, and all of the electrical components are covered with a waterproof resin, and the waterproof resin and the casing are covered. The casing is provided with a hole that opens a space between the body and the external space.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is excellent in water resistance, and also can provide the portable electronic device and its housing | casing structure which are easy to thin.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view conceptually showing a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows notionally the display part in the mobile telephone of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows notionally the input part in the mobile telephone of FIG.

  Preferred embodiments of a portable electronic device and a housing structure thereof according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Features of the present invention)
Prior to the description of the embodiments of the present invention, an outline of the features of the present invention will be described first. In the portable electronic device according to the present invention, all the electrical components contained in the housing are integrally covered with the waterproof resin, and a space between the waterproof resin covering the electrical components and the housing is opened to the external space. A hole is provided in the housing.

(Configuration example of embodiment)
An example of an embodiment of the portable electronic device and the housing structure thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of a foldable mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the display unit in the folding mobile phone of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view conceptually showing the configuration of the input unit in the folding mobile phone of FIG. FIG.

  This foldable mobile phone is formed by connecting a display unit 20 and an input unit 30 with a connecting unit 15. The display unit 20 is manually tilted with respect to the input unit 30 at an arbitrary angle around the rotation axis (not shown) of the connecting unit 15. The electronic circuit of the display unit 20 and the electronic circuit of the input unit 30 are connected by a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 12 that passes through the connecting unit 15.

  The display unit 20 includes a liquid crystal display, a circuit board 4, a waterproof resin 5 that is an epoxy resin, and an upper housing. The liquid crystal display includes a cover panel 1, a transparent resin 2 and a liquid crystal panel 3. The transparent resin 2 is an ultraviolet (UV) curable resin filled in the gap between the cover panel 1 and the liquid crystal panel 3, and the cover panel 1 and the liquid crystal panel 3 are fixed to each other and the two panels are integrated. By the action of the transparent resin 2, the optical alignment between the cover panel 1 and the liquid crystal panel 3 is taken, and interface reflection in both panels is suppressed. A structure of a liquid crystal display in which a transparent resin is filled in a gap between a cover panel and a liquid crystal panel is known as a screen fit structure. The circuit board 4 is arranged on the back surface of the liquid crystal panel 3 in parallel with the liquid crystal panel 3. The upper housing includes an upper housing 6a and a side housing 6b. The top housing 6a and the side housing 6b are fitted to each other by a fitting portion that fits each other, but the detailed structure of the fitting portion is not shown. The liquid crystal panel 3, the circuit board 4, and the flexible printed board 12 are electrically connected to each other, but illustration of various members such as lead wires for connection is omitted.

  The input unit 30 includes a key sheet unit 7, a non-contact charging type battery 8, circuit boards 9a and 9b, a waterproof resin 10 made of the same material as the waterproof resin 5, a lower case 11a, and side case 11b and 11c. Do it. The side housings 11b and 11c are fitted to each other by a fitting portion that fits each other, but the detailed structure of the fitting portion is not shown. In the key sheet portion 7, a plurality of keys for inputting characters and inputting commands are arranged. The key sheet portion 7, the battery 8, the circuit boards 9a and 9b, and the flexible printed board 12 are electrically connected to each other, but illustration of various members such as lead wires for connection is omitted.

  As described above, the waterproof resins 5 and 10 are made of an epoxy resin. The epoxy resin is generally waterproof, and in this embodiment, an epoxy resin sold under the name of an epoxy resin sealant for semiconductor, an epoxy sealant, or the like is used. The trade name of the epoxy resin used in this embodiment is, for example, sold by “Semiconductor epoxy resin sealing agent CEL” (registered trademark) sold by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. or Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. “Semiconductor Resin Excel (r) CRP” (registered trademark).

  The waterproof resin 5 covers the entire surface of the circuit board 4 and the side edges of the liquid crystal panel 3 and the transparent resin 2 and fills the gap between the circuit board 4 and the liquid crystal panel 3. The waterproof resin 5 covering the side edge of the transparent resin 2 reaches the surface of the cover panel 1 on the transparent resin 2 side, and is fixed to the surface of the cover panel 1 on the transparent resin 2 side. With this structure, the upper casing including the upper casing 6a and the side casing 6b includes electrical components such as the circuit board 4 and the liquid crystal panel 3, and all these electrical components are shown in FIGS. The structure shown in FIG. 1 is integrally covered with the waterproof resin 5. The surface side of the liquid crystal panel 3 (the cover panel 1 side) is covered with the transparent resin 2 and is not covered with the waterproof resin 5. However, all the electrical components in the liquid crystal panel 3 are arranged on the back side (circuit board 4 side) or side surfaces, and it can be said that all are covered with the waterproof resin 5.

  Drainage holes 6a1, 6a2, 6a3, 6a4 and 6a5 are provided in the upper surface casing 6a. The diameter of each drain hole 6a1-6a5 should just be a magnitude | size suitable for an internal water to flow out, for example, is 5 mm (PHI). In the display unit having such a structure, a space between the waterproof resin 5 and the upper surface housing 6a is opened to an external space by drain holes 6a1-6a5. Therefore, the waterproof resin 5, the upper surface housing 6 a, and the side housing 6 b are passed through a fitting portion between the upper surface housing 6 a and the side housing 6 b, a fixing surface boundary between the side housing 6 b and the cover panel 1, and the like. Even if water intrudes into the space between the two, the internal electrical parts are waterproofed by being covered with the waterproof resin 5, and the invaded water is discharged to the outside through the drain holes 6a1-6a5. Is done. Thus, the display unit (FIG. 2) in the present embodiment was given waterproofness.

  In the input unit shown in FIG. 3 as well, like the display unit of FIG. Further, drain holes 11a1, 11a2, 11a3, 11a4, and 11a5 are provided in the lower surface casing 11a. Therefore, the input unit (FIG. 3) according to the present embodiment is also provided with waterproofness in the same manner as the display unit (FIG. 2).

  In the above-described display section (FIG. 2), the waterproof resin 5 is made of an epoxy resin, but the waterproof resin 5 is made of the same material as the transparent resin 2, so that the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display having the screen fit structure is followed. By implementing the waterproof resin filling step in the present embodiment, the manufacturing process of the mobile phone of this embodiment can be simplified, and as a result, the manufacturing cost of the mobile phone of this embodiment can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, since all of the electrical components are covered with the waterproof resin, not only the waterproof property is given, but also the liquid crystal display and the circuit board 4 are integrated, and the battery 8 and the circuit boards 9a and 9b are integrated. Is integrated, the rigidity of the casing is increased, and the impact resistance of the casing can be improved.

  The embodiment of the mobile phone has been described in detail above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, for example, not a mobile phone but a PHS. Of course, the present invention can be applied to various portable electronic devices referred to as portable information processing devices such as PDAs and notebook personal computers, portable music players, portable game machines, and digital cameras.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cover panel 2 Transparent resin 3 With a liquid crystal panel 4 Circuit board 5 Waterproof resin 6a which is epoxy resin Top surface housing 6a1, 6a2, 6a3, 6a4, 6a5 Drain hole 6b Side housing 7 Key sheet portion 8 Non-contact charging type Batteries 9a, 9b Circuit board 10 Waterproof resin 11a Bottom casing 11a1, 11a2, 11a3, 11a4, 11a5 Drain hole 11b, 11c Side casing 12 Flexible printed circuit (FPC)
15 Connecting unit 20 Display unit 30 Input unit

Claims (6)

All the electrical components contained in the housing are integrally covered with waterproof resin,
A portable electronic device, wherein a hole for opening a space between the waterproof resin covering the electrical component and the housing to an external space is provided in the housing. It has a liquid crystal display with a screen fit structure in which a transparent resin is filled in the gap between the cover panel and the liquid crystal panel,
The electrical component includes a circuit board;
At least one of the circuit boards is disposed on the back surface of the liquid crystal panel in parallel with the liquid crystal panel;
The waterproof resin covers all the surfaces of the circuit board and the side edges of the liquid crystal panel and the transparent resin, and fills a gap between the circuit board and the liquid crystal panel,
The waterproof resin covering a side edge of the transparent resin reaches a surface of the cover panel on the transparent resin side, and is fixed to the surface of the cover panel on the transparent resin side. A portable electronic device according to claim 1.   The portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the waterproof resin is made of the same material as the transparent resin.   A structure of a housing that encloses electrical components in a portable electronic device, wherein all of the electrical components are covered with a waterproof resin, and a hole that opens a space between the resin and the waterproof housing to an external space is the housing A housing structure of a portable electronic device, which is provided in The portable electronic device has a liquid crystal display having a screen fit structure in which a transparent resin is filled in a gap between a cover panel and a liquid crystal panel,
The electrical component includes a circuit board;
At least one of the circuit boards is disposed on the back surface of the liquid crystal panel in parallel with the liquid crystal panel;
The waterproof resin covers all the surfaces of the circuit board and the side edges of the liquid crystal panel and the transparent resin, and fills a gap between the circuit board and the liquid crystal panel,
5. The waterproof resin covering a side edge of the transparent resin reaches a surface of the cover panel on the transparent resin side, and is fixed to the surface of the cover panel on the transparent resin side. The housing structure of the portable electronic device described in 1.   The case structure of the portable electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the waterproof resin is made of the same material as the transparent resin.

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