Abstract:
Folding wireless communication devices incorporate a two-part housing, which includes a first part that is rotatably coupled to a second part. The overall depth of the device is reduced by adjusting the mechanical layout and component placement relative to one another, wherein previously stacked components have been reordered. More specifically, the hinge, the battery, and the communication and control circuitry have been organized so as to be in the same horizontal plane, and so as to not overlap in a vertical direction.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates in general to handheld communication devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to the mechanical layout and component placement for thin handheld communication devices, which have at least a two part housing, where the first housing part is adapted to rotate relative to the second housing part.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     There is an interest in making certain handheld electronic devices such as cellular telephones smaller. Making such devices smaller makes it more convenient to carry them around at all times.  
         [0003]     Concurrently there is a trend toward increasing the functionality of devices. In the case of cellular telephones, increased functionality includes providing operability on multiple frequency bands using multiple protocols and providing the ability to take and playback photographs and/or video clips. Adding more functionality often leads to increased components and/or circuit elements, which often correspond to increased space requirements, which is at odds with the desire to make devices smaller. Thus, generally, the volume available for accommodating components is at a premium.  
         [0004]     Depending upon the overall design and usage goals the reduction of some dimensions may be more desirable than the reduction of other dimensions. For example, while smaller is generally thought to be better in connection with overall size, size reduction can be limited by usage requirements, where if certain components of a device, such as the keypad, are allowed to shrink too much, the device may become difficult to operate. In other instances, there may be a desire to support ever larger components, such as in the case of display screens. Consequently, it becomes a balancing act of competing tradeoffs, when the components are placed relative to one another.  
         [0005]     One of the dimensions for which there is some desire to further reduce the size of the device includes depth. Historically, a reduction in depth has been at least partially achieved by minimizing the depth of each of the individual components contained in a particular component stack up. While this is a valid approach for reducing the overall depth, at any given time, there may be limits as to how far the depth of a particular component may be reduced.  
         [0006]     The present inventors have recognized that a further approach, which can be used to adjust dimensioning in a particular direction, can involve the rearrangement of one or more of the components. Rearranging one or more of the components may allow some of the components to be shifted relative to other components, with the potential overall effect of achieving an aggregate dimension in one or more directions, such as depth, which meets the desired results. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       [0007]     The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments, but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a first perspective view of a first handheld communication device, in a first configuration, for example an opened position;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a second perspective view of the first handheld communication device, shown in a second configuration, for example a closed position;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the handheld communication device shown in  FIGS. 1-2 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a cross sectional side view of the handheld device illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an exemplary mechanical layout and component placement in the prior art;  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of a mechanical layout and component placement, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram of the handheld communication device shown in  FIGS. 1-4 .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a first perspective view of a first handheld communication device, in particular a clamshell wireless communication device  100 , shown in a first configuration and  FIG. 2  is a second perspective view of the first handheld communication device  100 , shown in a second configuration. The device  100  comprises an upper part also know as a flip  102 , and a lower part  104 . The flip  102  and the lower part  104  are coupled by a rotational coupling, in particular a hinge  106 . The device  100  is relatively flat, which is to say that its depth D dimension is smaller than its width W and length L dimensions. In fact, relative to the illustrated embodiment, a reduced depth is an overall design goal. An axis  108  of the hinge  106  is aligned with the width dimension of the device  100 . The flip  102  comprise a first inside surface  110 , and a first outside surface  202 . The lower part  104  comprises a second inside surface  112 , and a second outside surface, which is not shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , wherein the second outside surface is facing away from the viewer. The hinge  106  allows the flip  102  to be rotated from the first configuration in which the flip  102  extends upward away from the lower part  104 , i.e. opened position, to the second configuration in which the flip  102  overlies the lower part  104 , i.e. closed position.  
         [0017]     A main display  114  of the device  100  is located at the inside surface  110  of the flip  102 . An auxiliary display  204  is located at the outside surface  202  of the flip  102 . The main display  114  and the auxiliary display  204  are useful for displaying control screens including menus and information related to communications including lists of received calls, lists of placed calls, telephone numbers in a phone book, email addresses and web addresses, as well as a list of selectable functions, among other things.  
         [0018]     In the illustrated embodiment, the flip  102  comprises a plurality of buttons including a first button  302  ( FIG. 3 ), a second button  304  ( FIG. 3 ), a third button  306  ( FIG. 3 ), and a fourth button  308  ( FIG. 3 ). These buttons  302 - 308  are not directly visible in  FIGS. 1-2 . The first through third buttons  302 - 306  are located proximate a first side edge  116  of the flip  102 . The fourth button  308  is located proximate a second side edge  118  of the flip  102 . The four buttons  302 - 308  are covered by three button covers including a first button cover  120 , a second button cover  122  and a third button cover  310 . The first button  302  and the second button  304  share the first button cover  120 , the third button  306  is covered by the second button cover  122 , and the fourth button  308  is covered by the third button cover  310 . The four buttons  302 - 308  are used to generate signals for controlling various aspects of the operation of the device  100 . In one or more modes of operation of the device  100  the first button  302  and the second button  304  are used as directional inputs, such as “UP” and “DOWN” commands to control software of the device  100 . A keypad  124  is located on the inside surface of the lower part  112 .  
         [0019]     Referring now to  FIG. 3  an exploded view of the handheld communication device  100  is shown. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the flip  102  comprises a flip outer housing part  312  and a flip inner housing part  314  which are coupled together by screws (not shown), or coupled together using one or more other well known elements and/or methods. A number of components are located in the flip  102  between the flip outer housing part  312  and the flip inner housing part  314 . These components include a display module  316  that includes the main display  114 , and the auxiliary display  204 , an earpiece speaker  320 , a flexible circuit  322 , and a magnet  325 . A camera  318  is incorporated as part of the handheld communication device  100  in the space occupied by the hinge  106 . When the device  100  is assembled, the flexible circuit  322  is positioned on the display module  316 . The flip inner housing part  314  includes an integrally molded rectangular frame  324  that is sized to receive at least a portion of the display module  316 , which generally fits within the frame  324 . The flexible circuit  322  includes three peripheral tab portions  326  that are folded over the frame  324 . The buttons  302 - 308  are mounted on the peripheral tab portions  326  positioned along the side of the display module  316 . A plurality of resilient foam blocks  328  are positioned between the button covers  120 ,  122 ,  310  and the frame  324 . The resilient foam blocks  328  serve to enhance the tactile feel of the buttons  302 - 308 . The magnet  325  is mounted in the flip inner housing part  314  near the hinge  106 , which interacts with a Hall effect sensor, associated with the lower part  104  of the two part housing, as discussed below.  
         [0020]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the lower part  104  of the device  100  comprises a lower part inner housing part  330  and a lower part outer housing part  332  which are coupled together by screws (not shown) and a pair of resilient catches  334  that are integrally molded with the lower part outer housing part  332 . Similar to the upper part, one skilled in the art will recognize other elements and/or methods could be used to hold the lower part inner housing part  330  to the lower part outer housing part  332 . A battery compartment  336  is defined between the lower part inner housing part  330 , and a battery compartment cover  338  that is located adjacent the lower outer housing part  332 . The battery compartment  336  is located proximate a top end  340  of the lower part  104 . A battery  342  is substantially disposed in the battery compartment  336 . An antenna  344  is located proximate a bottom end  346  of the lower part  104 . A populated printed circuit board  348  that includes communication and control circuits of the device  100  is located between the bottom end  346  and the battery compartment  336 . The lower part  104  further includes a transducer  353 , which is adapted for providing vibrational feedback to the user.  
         [0021]     Note that the battery  342  and the populated printed circuit board  348  are located in a common plane  362  ( FIG. 4 ) in a lengthwise L direction, and do not overlap in the direction of depth D. The latter arrangement allows the thickness of the lower part  104  to be reduced, as a result of fewer components being stacked, which reduces the thickness of the entire device  100 , making the device  100  more convenient to carry. Note however that this arrangement also limits the longitudinal size of the battery. In the interest of extending battery capacity and thereby the duration of standby time and the amount of communication that can be conducted with the device  100  before battery recharging is necessary, the width of the battery  342  is increased. Placement of the four buttons  302 - 308  in the flip  102 , as opposed to near the top end  340  of the lower part  104  where they would be positioned according to conventional practice, avoids adding to the width of the device  100 , which in the illustrated embodiment corresponds to the width of the battery  342 , thereby allowing the device  100  to be smaller and making the device  100  more convenient to carry. Positioning the buttons  302 - 308  in the flip  102  also leads to users tending to position their hands closer to the flip  102  and or the upper part in order to more easily actuate the buttons  302 - 308 . In this position a user&#39;s hand will be positioned further away from the antenna  344  located near the bottom end  346  of the lower part  104 , and will absorb less energy from signals emanating from, or being received by the antenna  344  thereby leading to improved Quality of Service (QoS). Also, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the keypad  124  comprises a cover  349  made of a sheet of flexible material. A microphone  350  is mounted on the populated printed circuit board  348  near the bottom end  346  of the lower part  104 .  
         [0022]     A portion of the lower part inner housing part  330  is shown cutaway to show a Hall effect sensor  352  that is located in lower part  104 . The Hall effect sensor  352  works in conjunction with the magnet  325  to sense whether the flip  102  is positioned overlying the lower part  104 , such as a proximately closed position, as shown in  FIG. 2 , or extended away from the lower part  104 , such as in an opened position, as shown in  FIG. 1 . A flexible circuit feedthrough  354  connects circuits in the lower part  104  to circuits in the flip  102 . In the assembled device  100  the flexible circuit feedthrough  354  passes through the hinge  106 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional side view of the hand-held device illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , in a closed position. The cross-sectional side view further illustrates the battery  342  in the same horizontal plane as the printed circuit board  348 , containing the communication and control circuitry, and the hinge  106 . This is a departure from prior systems which largely vertically stacked the printed circuit board  348 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , with the battery  342 .  FIG. 4  further highlights an antenna  344 , which is located near the bottom end  346  of the lower part  104 , and which is located in an enclosure further including a polyphonic speaker  321 . By placing the antenna  344  proximate the bottom end  346  of the lower part  104 , the hinge  106  can similarly be located in the same plane  362  as the battery  342  and the printed circuit board  348 . As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , an antenna  345  alternatively located proximate the top end of the lower part  104 , could potentially preclude the placement of a hinge  107  in the same plane  362  as the battery  342  and/or the printed circuit board  348 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram  370  of an exemplary mechanical layout and component placement in the prior art. As noted above, the exemplary prior art mechanical layouts generally included a printed circuit board  348 , which was vertically stacked relative to the battery  342 . The block diagram  370  further illustrates the general spatial relationship of a keypad  124 , display assembly  316 , hinge  107  and antenna  345 . The dashed line  372  represents a common separation point between items located in the upper part or flip  102 , and the lower part  104  of the handheld communication device  100 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of a mechanical layout and component placement, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, where consistent with the cross sectional side view illustrated in  FIG. 4  illustrates the hinge  106 , battery  342  and printed circuit board  348 , which includes communication and control circuitry, that is located in the same horizontal plane  362 . The vertical dashed lines  382 , serve to highlight a component placement, where the corresponding elements, which are located in the same horizontal plane  362 , do not vertically overlap. In this way the overall depth of the device can be reduced, in so far as the depth of the printed circuit board does not need to be added to the stack up including the battery  342 , keypad  124 , and display assembly  316 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is a block diagram of the handheld communication device  100  shown in  FIGS. 1-4 . As shown in  FIG. 7  the device  100  comprises a transceiver  402 , a processor  404 , an analog-to-digital converter (A/D)  406 , the flip position sensor  352 , a camera interface  408 , a digital-to-analog converter (D/A)  410 , a display driver  412 , a button interface decoder  414 , a program memory  416 , and a workspace memory  418  coupled together through a system bus  420 .  
         [0027]     The transceiver  402  is coupled to the antenna  344 . Radio Frequency and/or microwave signals that are modulated with encoded data (e.g., digitized voice audio, text messages, photos, etc.) pass between the transceiver  402  and the antenna  344 .  
         [0028]     The processor  404  executes control programs, and may also perform communication encoding and decoding tasks. Programs executed by the processor  404  are stored in the program memory  416 . The processor  404  uses the workspace memory  418  in executing programs. The processor  404  is suitably part of a highly integrated micro-controller integrated circuit. The micro-controller suitably includes one or more of the other above mentioned components that are coupled together through the signal bus  420 . The transceiver  402 , the processor  404 , and optionally other blocks shown in  FIG. 7  are embodied in circuits of the populated printed circuit board  348 .  
         [0029]     The microphone  350  is coupled through a first amplifier  422  to the A/D  406 . The A/D  406  is used to digitize a user&#39;s spoken words, which are then encoded by a voice encoder (vocoder) component of the processor.  
         [0030]     The camera  318  is interfaced to the processor  404  through the camera interface  408 . The camera interface  408  reads and digitizes pixel data from the camera  318 , and makes such data available to the processor  404  for further processing, e.g., image/video compression encoding.  
         [0031]     The button input decoder  414  is coupled to the one or more buttons  301 , which in the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  includes the first through forth buttons  302 - 308  located in the flip  102 , as well as to the keys of keypad  124 . The button input decoder  414  receives the electrically encoded actuation signals from the keypad  124  and the one or more buttons  301  and identifies each depressed key or button to the processor  404 .  
         [0032]     The display driver  412  drives the main display  114  and the auxiliary display  204 . The D/A  410  drives the earpiece speaker  320  through a second amplifier  424 . A similar or the same circuit could also be used to drive the polyphonic speaker  321 , shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0033]     While the preferred and other embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be clear that the invention is not so limited. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.