JP2009021749A - Folding electronic apparatus, and housing position detection method for the folding electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a folding electronic apparatus which can detect not only the opening/closing of a housing but also the direction of the housing, and is reduced in the number of components, and to provide a housing position detection method for the folding electronic apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: In the electronic apparatus having two uniaxial hinges, having two movable axes being a horizontal axis 4 and an orthogonal axis 5, first housing 1, second housing 2, third housing 3, first magnetic sensor 9, second magnetic sensor 10 and magnet 8, which is a folding portable terminal apparatus, the magnet 8 is arranged at an arbitrary position on the orthogonal axis of the second housing 2, the second housing 2 is turned with the horizontal axis 4 as a turning axis; and when the fist housing 1 is made adjacent to the third housing 3, the first magnetic sensor 9 and the second magnetic sensor 10 are arranged, at a position where the magnet 8 of the second housing 2 faces, that is, at the first housing 1 and the third housing 3. In the folding portable terminal apparatus, the two magnetic sensors and the one magnet can detect both the opening/closing and direction of the housing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a foldable electronic device, and more particularly to a foldable electronic device using a single-axis hinge typified by a mobile phone and a housing position detection method of the foldable electronic device.

  Typical examples of foldable electronic devices include portable terminal devices, notebook computers, and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). These devices have recently incorporated various functions such as digital camera functions and one-segment functions. There are many more. Especially in mobile terminal devices, not only the telephone function but also the mail function, browser function, etc. have been installed for several years, and the liquid crystal display part has been enlarged with this, the shape of the mobile terminal device is also a folded shape from the straight type Has become mainstream.

  Furthermore, in recent years, in addition to the mail function and the browser function described above, a camera function, a TV function, and the like have been added. In a foldable mobile terminal device, not only a simple opening / closing operation using a conventional single-axis hinge is performed. In many cases, the liquid crystal display unit rotates using a biaxial hinge and performs complicated operations.

  For the detection of opening and closing of foldable electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers, contact-type switches, magnetic sensors and magnets are used, but electronic devices with a biaxial hinge as described above. In this case, in addition to opening / closing detection, it is necessary to detect the orientation of the upper housing, and a plurality of switches, a plurality of magnetic sensors, and a plurality of magnets are required.

  Such multi-functionalization tends to increase the number of components and increase the mounting area. In view of space, it is desired to reduce the mounting area. In addition, in order to improve the portability of electronic equipment, It is necessary to reduce the number of points to reduce the size and weight.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an example in which it is possible to provide a portable information terminal with a reduced number of parts related to detection of an open / close state and a rotation / non-rotation state.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an example in which it is possible to provide a mobile terminal device whose mounting area is reduced by reducing the number of components.

JP 2005-303688 A JP 2005-354384 A

  Patent Document 1 is composed of two magnetic sensors, an MR sensor and a Hall sensor, and one magnet, and identifies the state of the electronic device from the open / closed state and the rotation / non-rotation detection results of the magnetic sensor. Although it has become possible to identify the open / closed state and the orientation of the housing by a magnetic sensor, there has been a problem that it is not sufficient in terms of reducing the number of parts for miniaturization and weight reduction.

  Patent Document 2 includes a magnetic sensor including two MR sensors and a magnet, and can reduce the mounting area. However, there has been a problem that it cannot be said that the number of parts for reduction in size and weight is reduced.

  An object of the present invention is to reduce costs by reducing the mounting area of a foldable electronic device and the number of components.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional problems, and in order to detect the opening / closing of the housing and the orientation of the housing, a plurality of switches or a plurality of magnetic sensors and a plurality of magnets are required. An object of the present invention is to provide a housing position detection method for a foldable electronic device in which the opening / closing of the housing and the orientation of the housing can be simultaneously detected by two magnetic sensors and one magnet.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a first uniaxial hinge, a second uniaxial hinge, a first casing, a second casing, a third casing, and a first casing. An electronic device including a first magnetic sensor disposed in a housing, a second magnetic sensor disposed in a third housing, and a magnet disposed in the second housing, The housing, the second housing, and the third housing are plate-like bodies each having a front surface, a back surface, and a side surface, and a direction parallel to the front surface or the back surface is a horizontal axis, and is perpendicular to the front surface or the back surface. The first uniaxial hinge has a horizontal axis as the rotation axis, the second hinge has the orthogonal axis as the rotation axis, and the first casing and the third casing are 1 uniaxial hinge, the second casing and the third casing are coupled by a second uniaxial hinge, and the magnet is disposed at an extension of the orthogonal axis. When the 3rd housing is brought close to Magnet is foldable electronic apparatus, characterized by comprising first magnetic sensor and a second magnetic sensor arranged in a position facing.

  The foldable electronic apparatus is characterized in that the horizontal axis and the orthogonal axis are orthogonal to each other in the positional relationship of torsion.

  Also, one of the front or back surface of the second housing and one of the front or back surface of the third housing always face each other, and when the first hinge is rotated, A foldable electronic device is characterized in that one of the back surface and one of the front surface or the back surface of the second housing face each other.

  Furthermore, the first magnetic sensor and the second magnetic sensor detect the magnetic field strength and magnetic field direction of the magnet, thereby determining the positional relationship between the first housing and the second housing or the second housing. A foldable electronic device that detects a positional relationship between a body and a third housing.

  A first one-axis hinge that rotates about a horizontal axis as a rotation axis, a second one-axis hinge that rotates about an orthogonal axis as a rotation axis, a first casing, a second casing, and a third casing An electronic device comprising: a body; a first magnetic sensor disposed in a first housing; a second magnetic sensor disposed in a third housing; and a magnet disposed in a second housing. The first housing and the third housing are coupled by a first uniaxial hinge, the second housing and the third housing are coupled by a second uniaxial hinge, and a magnet Is disposed in the extension of the orthogonal axis, and when the first housing and the third housing are brought close to each other, the first magnetic sensor and the second magnetic sensor are disposed at positions where the magnets face each other. The first magnetic sensor and the second magnetic sensor detect the magnetic field strength and the magnetic field direction of the magnet, thereby determining the positional relationship between the first housing and the second housing or the second housing and the second magnetic sensor. 3 A housing position detection method of folding electronic device and detecting a positional relationship of the housing.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, in a foldable electronic device in which three housings are connected by two uniaxial hinges each having a horizontal axis and an orthogonal axis, a magnet is arranged at a predetermined position on the second housing vertically. Further, the magnetic sensor is disposed at a predetermined position on the orthogonal axis of the first casing and the third casing facing each other, and a folding sensor is used by using a magnetic sensor capable of two-system output by bipolar detection. Detecting the positional relationship of each of the three housings of an electronic device, and detecting two or more magnetic sensors and magnets conventionally required for opening / closing or orientation detection between the housings with two magnetic sensors and one magnet Therefore, the mounting area can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

  Moreover, not only the opening / closing detection of the housing, but also the orientation of the housing can be detected at the same time, the folding electronic device with a reduced thickness and the opening / closing of the housing of the folding electronic device, An orientation detection method can be obtained.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a foldable electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure of a portable terminal when the 3rd housing | casing 3 is closed in the state which set the liquid crystal panel (not shown) which is a liquid crystal display part inside. A magnet 8 is disposed in the second housing 2, a first magnetic sensor 9 is disposed in the first housing 1, and a second magnetic sensor 10 is disposed in the third housing 3. As the first magnetic sensor 9 and the second magnetic sensor 10, two-system output MR sensors that detect and detect both N-pole and S-pole, that is, polarities, are used. The first casing 1 and the third casing 3 are coupled by a uniaxial hinge having a horizontal axis 4, and the second casing 2 and the third casing 3 are coupled by a uniaxial hinge having an orthogonal axis 5. Has been.

  The magnet 8 is disposed at an arbitrary position on the orthogonal axis 5 of the second housing 2, and the first magnetic sensor 9 disposed in the first housing 1 includes the first housing 1 and the third housing 3. With the housing 3 closed, the first housing 1 is disposed at a predetermined position facing the magnet 8. Further, the second magnetic sensor 10 disposed in the third housing 3 has the third housing 3 facing the magnet 8 in a state where the second housing 2 and the third housing 3 are closed. Are arranged at predetermined positions. The magnetized direction of the magnet 8 arranged is parallel to the horizontal axis 4 and further perpendicular to the orthogonal axis 5 (the left-right direction in the figure), and the right side is the S pole and the opposite left side is the N pole. The magnetic field direction detected by the first magnetic sensor 9 disposed in the first housing 1 is parallel to the magnetization direction of the magnet 8 disposed in the second housing 2.

  That is, in the state of FIG. 1, the first magnetic sensor 9 detects a magnetic field generated from the south pole of the magnet 8 disposed in the second housing 2 and outputs a signal. The foldable electronic device that has received the signal that has detected the south pole of the magnet 8 is in a state in which the liquid crystal panel 6 that is a liquid crystal display unit is close to the first housing 1 and the third housing 3. That is, the power supply of the liquid crystal panel 6 is turned off by recognizing that it is closed inside.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the foldable electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention when the third housing is opened from the state of FIG. When the third housing 3 is opened, the magnetic field from the magnet 8 to the first magnetic sensor 9 is removed, and the first magnetic sensor 9 does not detect the magnetic field and does not output a signal. Therefore, the foldable electronic device recognizes that the third housing 3 is in an opened state, and the power source of the liquid crystal panel 6 is turned on.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the foldable electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention when the second housing is rotated 90 ° right. When the first casing 1, the second casing 2, and the third casing 3 are opened more than 90 ° and the second casing 2 is rotated 90 ° about the orthogonal axis 5, The second magnetic sensor 10 disposed in the housing 3 receives the N-pole magnetic field of the magnet 8 installed in the second housing 2, detects the N-pole magnetic field, and outputs a signal. Then, the foldable electronic device that has received the signal for detecting the N pole from the second magnetic sensor 10 recognizes that the liquid crystal panel 6 has rotated 90 ° to the right, and rotated the display direction of the liquid crystal display unit 90 ° to the right. To control.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the foldable electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention when the second housing is rotated 90 ° counterclockwise. When the second casing 2 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise about the orthogonal axis 5, the second magnetic sensor 10 disposed in the third casing 3 is a magnet installed in the second casing 2. 8 receives the south pole magnetic field from 8 and detects the south pole magnetic field and outputs a signal. Then, the foldable electronic device that has received the signal for detecting the S pole from the second magnetic sensor 10 recognizes that the liquid crystal panel 6 has rotated 90 ° to the left, and rotated the display direction of the liquid crystal display unit 90 ° to the left. To control. Note that the control processing for opening and closing and direction detection is not limited to the above.

  In the present embodiment, a cellular phone is taken as an example of a foldable electronic device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to an electronic device having a folding mechanism such as a notebook personal computer or a PDA. As described above, conventionally, a magnetic sensor and a magnet for opening and closing detection, a magnetic sensor and a magnet for detecting the orientation of the housing, which required a plurality of magnetic sensors and a plurality of magnets, Both the opening and closing and the direction can be detected by two magnetic sensors and one magnet, and the mounting area and cost can be reduced.

  Next, the foldable electronic device of the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples.

  The dimensions of the folding electronic device of the present invention in FIG. 1 are as follows: the horizontal dimension is 50 mm, and the vertical dimension is 100 mm. The thickness dimension of the first casing 1 and the thickness dimension of the second casing 2 are respectively The thickness of the third housing 3 is 6 mm. The distance between the opposing surfaces of the first magnetic sensor 9 and the magnet 8 was 8.0 mm. At this time, the first magnetic sensor 9 has a sensitivity of an output voltage of 10 mV when the magnetic field is 20 × 10 minus fourth power Tesla. From this state, it is recognized that the liquid crystal panel 6 which is a liquid crystal display unit is closed inside, and the power supply of the liquid crystal panel 6 is turned off.

  Further, in order to recognize the current state of the foldable electronic device, the size of the foldable electronic device of the present invention needs to have a sensitivity of an output voltage of 10 mV, and the first magnetic sensor 9, The distance between the surfaces facing the magnet 8 is limited to 8.0 mm. If the interval exceeds 8.0 mm, the output voltage decreases from 10 mV, and sufficient sensitivity cannot be obtained. If the interval is less than 3.0 mm, the first magnetic sensor 9 and the magnet are structurally different. Since 8 cannot be accommodated, the interval is preferably within the range of 3.0 to 8.0 mm.

Explanatory drawing of the foldable electronic device concerning embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing of the foldable electronic device concerning embodiment of this invention when the 3rd housing | casing is opened from the state of FIG. Explanatory drawing of the foldable electronic device concerning embodiment of this invention when a 2nd housing | casing is rotated 90 degrees right. Explanatory drawing of the foldable electronic device concerning embodiment of this invention when a 2nd housing | casing is rotated 90 degrees left.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st housing | casing 2 2nd housing | casing 3 3rd housing | casing
4 Horizontal axis
5 orthogonal axis
6 LCD panel
7 Operation buttons
8 Magnet
9 First magnetic sensor
10 Second magnetic sensor 11 Receiver

Claims (5)

  A first uniaxial hinge, a second uniaxial hinge, a first casing, a second casing, a third casing, and a first casing disposed in the first casing An electronic device comprising a magnetic sensor, a second magnetic sensor disposed in the third housing, and a magnet disposed in the second housing, wherein the first housing and the second housing The casing and the third casing are plate-like bodies each having a front surface, a back surface, and a side surface, and a direction parallel to the front surface or the back surface is a horizontal axis, and a direction perpendicular to the front surface or the back surface is an orthogonal axis. The first one-axis hinge has a horizontal axis as a rotation axis, the second hinge has an orthogonal axis as a rotation axis, and the first casing and the third casing have the first axis The first casing is coupled by the first uniaxial hinge, the second casing and the third casing are coupled by the second uniaxial hinge, and the magnet is disposed at an extension of the orthogonal axis, First When brought close to the the body third enclosure, the foldable electronic device in which the magnet is characterized by comprising arranging the second magnetic sensor and the first magnetic sensor at opposite positions.   The foldable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the horizontal axis and the orthogonal axis are orthogonal to each other in a torsional positional relationship.   One of the front surface or the back surface of the second housing and one of the front surface or the back surface of the third housing always face each other, and when the first hinge is rotated, 3. The foldable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein one of the front surface and the back surface is configured to face one of the front surface and the back surface of the second housing.   The first magnetic sensor and the second magnetic sensor detect the positional relationship between the first casing and the second casing or the positional relationship between the first casing and the second casing by detecting the magnetic field strength and magnetic field direction of the magnet. The foldable electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a positional relationship between the second housing and the third housing is detected.   A first one-axis hinge that rotates about a horizontal axis as a rotation axis, a second one-axis hinge that rotates about an orthogonal axis as a rotation axis, a first casing, a second casing, and a third casing A body, a first magnetic sensor disposed in the first housing, a second magnetic sensor disposed in the third housing, and a magnet disposed in the second housing. In the electronic device, the first casing and the third casing are coupled by the first uniaxial hinge, and the second casing and the third casing are connected to the second casing. The magnet is disposed at an extension of the orthogonal axis, and the magnet is positioned at a position where the magnet faces when the first housing and the third housing are brought close to each other. 1 magnetic sensor and the second magnetic sensor are arranged, and the first magnetic sensor and the second magnetic sensor detect the strength of the magnetic field and the direction of the magnetic field of the magnet. By detecting the positional relationship between the first housing and the second housing or the positional relationship between the second housing and the third housing, the folding electronic apparatus is characterized in that Case position detection method.

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