JP2010034170A - Wiring body, connection structure and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a wiring body capable of realizing a waterproof structure at low cost while flexibly responding to a design change of a wiring member.
A wiring body includes a fitting portion that fits into a through hole of a casing of an electronic device. In the fitting portion 15, the first and second reinforcing plates 11a and 11b are fixed to the FPC 21 by the first and second adhesive layers 14a and 14b. An O-ring 13 is attached to the groove portion 12 of each reinforcing plate 11a, 11b. The O-ring 13 fastens the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b with the FPC 21 interposed therebetween. An O-shaped groove is formed in the through hole of the housing. Then, the O-ring 13 in the fitting portion 15 is fitted into the O-shaped groove of the through hole. The reinforcing plates 11a and 11b can flexibly cope with a design change of the wiring member and can be manufactured at low cost.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a wiring body connected to a portable terminal, a PDA, a personal computer, etc., a connection structure thereof, and an electronic apparatus including the same.

Conventionally, an FPC-integrated gasket having a sealing structure for a through-hole of a housing of an electronic device such as a portable terminal is known.
1 to 3 of Patent Document 1 disclose an FPC-integrated gasket that is integrated with the FPC 30 and formed in a grommet shape. The FPC integrated gasket 1 is provided with a pair of gaskets 10 made of a rubber-like elastic body. A protrusion 50 that seals the through hole 3 of the housing 2 is provided at the tip of each gasket 10. The protrusion 50 has a tapered surface 53 that is inclined from the cross-sectional area surface 52 larger than the diameter of the through hole 3 of the housing 2 toward the tip surface 54.

In the FPC-integrated gasket, when the protrusion 50 is brought into close contact with the end portion of the through hole 3, water intrusion into the housing 2 is prevented. That is, the pair of gaskets 10 can transmit and receive electrical signals between circuits in each housing 2 while waterproofing the two housings 2.
Registered Utility Model No. 3127071

However, the conventional FPC integrated gasket has the following problems.
First, a mold for integrally molding the protrusion 10 and the FPC 30 is required. Therefore, a new injection mold is required every time the design of the FPC is changed, which increases the cost.
Secondly, since the FPC 30 and the FPC 30 are integrally formed, the material of the rubber-like elastic body constituting the gasket 10 is limited.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive wiring body and an electronic apparatus using the wiring body that can flexibly cope with a design change of a wiring member such as an FPC.

  The wiring body of the present invention is a wiring body into which a part is inserted from a through hole provided in a housing of an electronic device. The wiring body includes reinforcing plates bonded to both surfaces of a flat wiring member. Furthermore, a seal member that engages with the reinforcing plate and is fitted into the through hole of the housing is provided.

Thereby, the following effects are obtained.
The reinforcing plate has a simple structure and can be manufactured without using injection molding. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly cope with a design change of the wiring member. In addition, since the reinforcing plate and the seal member do not need to be integrally formed with the FPC or the like, the material selection range is also expanded. Therefore, the waterproof structure can be realized at low cost by the reinforcing plate and the sealing member having a simple structure.

  The simplest structure of the reinforcing plate is a flat plate shape. Thereby, manufacturing cost can be reduced as much as possible.

Since the reinforcing plates are inclined in opposite directions on both sides of the wiring member, the following effects can be obtained. When the wiring body is inserted into the through hole of the housing, the wiring member is inclined from the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the housing. Therefore, even when tension is applied to the wiring member, the bending force applied to the reinforcing plate and the sealing member is reduced, and the sealing performance is maintained high.
Further, since the wiring member approaches the plate surface outside the housing, the height position of the wiring member can be lowered. Therefore, for example, a connection structure suitable for a structure in which a space in the height direction of the slide portion is desired to be saved, such as a slide-type mobile terminal.

Examples of the flat wiring body include a flexible printed wiring board (hereinafter abbreviated as “FPC”) and a flat cable. The seal member includes an O-ring and a heat shrinkable tube.
The seal member may be fixed to the reinforcing plate via a groove portion like an O-ring, or may be fixed by heat shrinkage force like a heat shrink tube. However, the heat-shrinkable tube may be fixed to the reinforcing plate via a groove. The groove portion may be a groove with a bottom or a through groove.

The connection structure of the present invention includes the wiring body and a housing having a through hole into which a sealing member of the wiring body is fitted.
In particular, it is preferable that the wiring body has two fitting portions fitted into the through holes of the two housings. This reliably prevents moisture and water from entering when signals are exchanged between the circuits inside the two housings.
Note that a connection structure suitable for a sliding type terminal or the like can also be obtained by tilting the through hole from the plate surface of the housing.

  The electronic device of the present invention has the connection structure described above, and an inexpensive electronic device having a waterproof structure can be obtained. As a typical example, there is a portable terminal in which a display unit casing and an input unit casing are connected via a hinge unit. In that case, the wiring body is connected to the internal circuit of each casing from the hinge portion through the through hole of each casing. Further, the two fitting portions of the wiring body are fitted into the through holes of the respective housings.

  According to the wiring body, connection structure, or electronic device of the present invention, a waterproof structure can be realized at low cost while flexibly responding to a design change of the wiring member.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a mobile terminal (electronic device) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
The mobile terminal 1 includes a display unit 3 for displaying various types of information, an input unit 4, and a hinge unit 5. The display unit 3 is provided with a display device 6 using a liquid crystal display panel, a speaker, and the like. The input unit 4 is provided with input keys and a microphone. The hinge part 5 has connected the input part 4 and the display part 3 so that rotation is possible.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a connection portion via the hinge portion 3 of the mobile terminal 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the wiring body 20.
The display unit 3 is provided with a display unit casing 31 and a display unit substrate 35 as main members. The display unit substrate 35 includes a circuit or the like for sending a display signal to the display device 6. The display unit casing 31 includes a first casing 31a and a second casing 31b that are connected to each other. A through hole 33 is provided between the first housing 31a and the second housing 31b.

  The input unit 4 is provided with an input unit housing 41 and an input unit substrate 45 as main members. The input key board 45 includes a circuit for controlling a signal sent from the input key. The input unit housing 41 includes a first housing 41a and a second housing 41b that are connected to each other. A through hole 43 is provided between the first housing 41a and the second housing 41b.

Further, a wiring body 20 for connecting the input key substrate 45 and the display unit substrate 35 through the hinge unit 5 is provided. The wiring body 20 includes an FPC 21 and harness portions 25a and 25b provided at both ends of the FPC 21. Each harness part 25a, 25b is connected to each board | substrate 35, 45, and is comprised so that transmission / reception of a signal can be performed.
Furthermore, the wiring body 20 is provided with two fitting portions 15 that are fitted into the through holes 33 and 43 of the respective casings 31 and 41.

  4A and 4B are a cross-sectional view and a plan view of the fitting portion 15 in this order. As shown in the figure, the fitting portion 15 includes first and second reinforcing plates 11a and 11b. The reinforcing plates 11a and 11b are fixed to the FPC 21 by the first and second adhesive layers 14a and 14b. An O-ring 13 is attached to the groove 12 of each reinforcing plate 11a, 11b. The O-ring 13 fastens the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b with the FPC 21 interposed therebetween.

  As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 2, an O-shaped groove 33 a is formed in the through hole 33 of the display unit housing 31. Although not shown, similarly, an O-shaped groove (not shown) having the same shape is also formed in the through hole 43 of the input unit housing 41. The O-ring 13 in the fitting portion 15 is fitted in the O-shaped groove 33 a of the through holes 33 and 43.

  With the above structure, the inside of each of the casings 31 and 41 is sealed to prevent water and moisture from entering the substrates 35 and 45. Therefore, the portable terminal 1 according to the present embodiment has a waterproof structure that can be used in water or in a humid environment.

The reinforcing plates 11a and 11b can be formed by the following method.
As a first method, there is a method of forming a groove portion on a flat plate such as a glass epoxy resin by machining or the like. As a second method, there is a method in which a continuous grooved flat plate is formed by extrusion and cut. As a third method, there is a method of forming a grooved reinforcing plate by injection molding.

  Any of the above forming methods may be used, but it is not necessary to form integrally with wiring such as FPC. Even when the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b are injection-molded, the FPC having the same thickness can have a common structure.

  The FPC 21 generally has a structure including a base film on which a circuit layer is formed and a coverlay that covers the base film. Examples of the material for the base film include polyimide resin, polyester resin, and glass epoxy resin. As the material for the coverlay, the same material as that for the base film is generally used. In addition, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, polyimide resin, polyurethane resin, etc. are used.

  The wiring member of the wiring body 20 is not limited to the FPC 21. In addition to the FPC 21, there are a rigid printed wiring board (PCB), a flat cable, and the like. With these flat wiring members, a waterproof plate can be realized by attaching a reinforcing plate.

  Examples of the material of the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b include glass epoxy resin, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, polyimide resin, and polyurethane resin. In particular, the same material as the base film or coverlay of the FPC 21 can be used. As these resin materials, those suitable for the forming method can be selected and used.

  Examples of the material for the adhesive layers 14a and 14b include an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, a polyimide resin, and a polyurethane resin, and any resin may be used. In particular, the acrylic resin can reliably prevent water infiltration between the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b and the wiring member such as the FPC 21.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The strength of the wiring member (FPC 21) is reinforced by the pair of reinforcing plates 11a and 11b. Therefore, the seal member (O-ring 13) can be attached to a thin flexible wiring member such as an FPC. Therefore, the waterproof structure can be realized by the simple fitting portion 15 including the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b and the O-ring 13.
The reinforcing plates 11a and 11b do not need to be formed integrally with a wiring member such as an FPC. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly cope with a design change of a wiring member such as a PC. In addition, it can be manufactured at a low cost.

In particular, a remarkable effect can be obtained by forming the adhesive layers 14a and 14b with an acrylic resin. Acrylic resins have high resistance to moisture and moisture, and can maintain resistance even at high temperatures. Therefore, by using the acrylic resin, it is possible to reliably prevent water from entering between the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b and the wiring member such as the FPC 21.
An adhesive layer may also be provided between the O-ring 13 and the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b. By doing so, the waterproof function can be further enhanced.

  In the present embodiment, a connection structure including the wiring body 20, the display unit casing 31, and the input unit casing 41 is configured. With such a connection structure, a waterproof function can be ensured even if a wiring member for connecting circuits in two cases is provided.

In particular, in the portable terminal 1, there is a great demand for expansion of the waterproof function such as dropping into the water due to an accident or responding to a telephone call while taking a bath. The portable terminal 1 of the present embodiment is inexpensive and has a high waterproof function, and can sufficiently meet such a request.
Electronic devices include PDAs, personal computers, digital cameras, and the like, and are not limited to the portable terminal 1.

(Modification of Embodiment 1)
FIGS. 5A and 5B are longitudinal sectional views showing the structure of the fitting portion 15 according to the first and second modifications of the first embodiment in order. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the same members as those in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The fitting part 15 which concerns on the modification 1 of Fig.5 (a) is provided with the heat contraction tube 16 as a sealing member. The heat shrinkable tube is made of an electron beam cross-linked polyethylene resin or the like. Examples of the resin material used include polyolefin resins, fluoropolymers, and thermoplastic elastomers. The heat-shrinkable tube shrinks by about 40 to 50% when hot air is applied. Therefore, a heat shrinkable tube 16 that is larger than the cross-sectional area of the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b with the FPC 21 interposed therebetween may be used.

  Also in this modification, through-holes 33 and 43 into which the heat-shrinkable tubes 16 that are seal members are fitted are provided in the respective casings 31 and 41. Thereby, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to flexibly cope with a design change and to realize an inexpensive waterproof structure.

  In this modification, the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b may not have a groove. However, by providing the U-shaped groove 12 shown by the broken line in FIG. 5A, it is possible to reliably prevent the heat-shrinkable tube 16 from coming off.

  Moreover, it is preferable to use a heat-shrinkable tube with an adhesive. Thereby, even between the heat shrinkable tube 16 and the reinforcing plates 11a and 11b, a waterproof function can be surely achieved.

  The fitting part 15 which concerns on the modification 2 of FIG.5 (b) provides the groove part 12 which is a through groove in the 1st, 2nd reinforcement board 11a, 11b. Each reinforcing plate 11a, 11b is divided into two parts by the through groove. Even with such a structure, similarly to the first embodiment, an inexpensive wiring body 20 or electronic device having a waterproof function can be obtained.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a mobile terminal (electronic device) according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
The mobile terminal 1 includes a display unit 3 for displaying various information, an input unit 4, and a slide unit 8. The display unit 3 is provided with a display device 6 using a liquid crystal display panel, a speaker, and the like. The input unit 4 is provided with input keys and a microphone. The slide unit 8 is configured by slidingly fitting an outer frame 8a provided on the display unit 3 side and an inner frame 8b provided on the input unit 4 side.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a connection portion through the slide portion 8 of the mobile terminal 1 according to the second embodiment. In the figure, members having the same functions as those shown in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
In the present embodiment, through holes 33 and 43 are provided in the first housings 31 a and 41 a of the input unit housing 31 and the display unit housing 41.

Further, a wiring body 20 for connecting the input key substrate 45 and the display unit substrate 35 through the slide unit 8 is provided. The wiring body 20 includes an FPC 21 and harness portions 25a and 25b provided at both ends of the FPC 21, as in the first embodiment.
Furthermore, the wiring body 20 is provided with two fitting portions 15 that are fitted into the through holes 33 and 43 of the respective casings 31 and 41.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the fitting portion 15 in the second embodiment. Since the planar shape of the fitting part 15 is as shown in FIG.4 (b), illustration is abbreviate | omitted. 8, members having the same functions as the members shown in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
As shown in the figure, in the fitting portion 15 of the present embodiment, the first and second reinforcing plates 11a and 11b are not flat. The first and second reinforcing plates 11 a and 11 b are inclined in opposite directions along the length direction of the FPC 21. The total thickness of the FPC 21 and the first and second reinforcing plates 11a and 11b is uniform at each part.

  As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 7, an O-shaped groove 33 a is formed in the through hole 33 of the display unit casing 31. Although not shown, similarly, an O-shaped groove (not shown) having the same shape is also formed in the through hole 43 of the input unit housing 41. The O-ring 13 in the fitting portion 15 is fitted in the O-shaped groove 33 a of the through holes 33 and 43.

According to the present embodiment, the same effect as the embodiment can be obtained by providing the pair of reinforcing plates 11a and 11b on both surfaces of the FPC 21.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first and second reinforcing plates 11a and 11b are inclined in opposite directions. Accordingly, the FPC 21 is inserted from an oblique direction inclined from a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the first housing 31a. Hereinafter, the difference in the operational effects between the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described.

  FIGS. 10A and 10B are sectional views showing, in order, the connection structure according to the first embodiment and the connection structure according to the second embodiment in a simplified manner. Fig.10 (a) has shown the case where the fitting part 15 in Embodiment 1 is employ | adopted for the slide-type portable terminal. FIG. 10B shows the fitting portion 15 and the connection structure in the second embodiment. FIGS. 10A and 10B show the state when the FPC 21 is pulled. That is, the display unit casing 31 is slid to the position where the input keys of the input unit casing 41 are exposed to the maximum.

In the case of the structure shown in FIG. 10A, since the FPC 21 is in a direction perpendicular to the plate surfaces of the first housings 31a and 41a, a large bending force M acts on the fitting portion 15 due to the tension T of the FPC 21. Therefore, the sealing performance at the contact portion between the sealing member (O-ring 13 shown in FIG. 7) of the fitting portion 15 and the through-hole wall surface (groove portion 33a shown in FIG. 7) may be deteriorated. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the FPC 21 is inclined from the direction perpendicular to the plate surfaces of the first housings 31a and 41a, only a small bending force m is applied to the fitting portion 15.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even when the FPC 21 is pulled, the above-described deterioration of the sealing performance can be suppressed.
However, the direction in which the FPC 21 tilts is the direction in which the tension T is applied when the FPC 21 is pulled.

Further, since the FPC 21 is inclined from the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the housing, the FPC 21 approaches the plate surface of the housing in the slide portion 8. Therefore, the FPC 21 can be stored in the slide portion 8 in a compact manner.
That is, such a structure of the fitting portion 15 is suitable for a sliding portable terminal that wants to save the space in the height direction of the sliding portion 8.

(Modification of Embodiment 2)
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a connection structure according to a modification of the second embodiment.
In this modification, the structure of the fitting portion 15 of the wiring body 20 is the same as that of the first embodiment (see FIG. 4A). On the other hand, the through hole 33 is formed so as to be inclined from a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the first housing 31 a of the display unit housing 31. Although not shown, the first housing 41a of the input unit housing 41 is also formed so that the through hole is inclined from a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the first housing 41a.

  Also according to this modification, since the FPC 21 is inclined from the direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the first housing 31a, the same effects as those of the second embodiment can be exhibited.

(Other embodiments)
The structure of the embodiment of the present invention disclosed above is merely an example. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of these descriptions. The scope of the present invention includes the scope indicated by the recitation of the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention includes all modifications within the meaning and range equivalent to the description of the claims.

  The wiring body of the present invention can be used for electronic devices such as portable terminals, PDAs, personal computers, and digital cameras.

It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the portable terminal which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a connection portion via a hinge portion of the mobile terminal according to Embodiment 1. 3 is a plan view of the wiring body according to Embodiment 1. FIG. (A), (b) is sectional drawing and the top view of the fitting part of Embodiment 1 in order. (A), (b) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the fitting part which concerns on the modifications 1 and 2 of Embodiment 1 in order. It is a perspective view which shows roughly the structure of the portable terminal which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. 5 is a cross section showing a configuration of a connection portion through a slide portion of a mobile terminal according to Embodiment 2. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fitting portion according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a connection structure according to a modification of the second embodiment. FIG. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which simplifies and shows the connection structure which concerns on Embodiment 1, and the connection structure which concerns on Embodiment 2 in order.

Explanation of symbols

1 Mobile terminal (electronic equipment)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Display part 4 Input part 5 Hinge part 6 Display apparatus 8 Slide part 8a Outer frame 8b Inner frame 11a 1st reinforcement board 11b 2nd reinforcement board 12 Groove part 13 O-ring 14a 1st adhesive layer 14b 2nd adhesive layer 15 fitting Joint part 16 Heat shrinkable tube 20 Wiring body 21 FPC (wiring member)
25a, 25b Harness unit 31 Display unit housing 31a First housing 31b Second housing 33 Through hole 33a O-shaped groove 41 Input unit housing 41a First housing 41b Second housing 43 Through hole

Claims (11)

A wiring body into which a part is inserted from a through hole provided in a housing of an electronic device,
A flat wiring member;
A pair of reinforcing plates respectively bonded to both surfaces of the wiring member, and a sealing member fixed to each reinforcing plate, and a fitting portion to be fitted into the through hole;
Wiring body equipped with. The wiring body according to claim 1,
The reinforcing plate is a wiring body which is a flat plate member. The wiring body according to claim 1,
The pair of reinforcing plates is a wiring body that is a plate-like member that is inclined in opposite directions along the length direction of the wiring member on both sides of the wiring member. In the wiring body according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The wiring body, wherein the sealing member is fixed to each reinforcing plate via a groove. In the wiring body according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The wiring member is a flexible printed wiring board. In the wiring body according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The wiring member, wherein the seal member is an O-ring. In the wiring body according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The wiring member, wherein the seal member is a heat shrinkable tube. The wiring body according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A housing having a through hole into which the fitting portion of the wiring body is fitted;
Connection structure. The connection structure according to claim 8,
The connection structure, wherein the through hole is inclined from a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the housing. The connection structure according to claim 9, wherein
The housing is two housings,
The said wiring body is a connection structure which has two fitting parts fitted in each through-hole of said two housing | casing.   The electronic device which has a connection structure as described in any one of Claims 8-10.

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