Abstract:
A slidable portable electronic device comprising a first cabinet and a second cabinet slidably coupled on a surface of the first cabinet, the first cabinet comprising at least one of an operating unit and a display unit provided on a surface of the first cabinet to be exposed when the second cabinet is slidingly moved in the opening direction, a through-hole formed extending to an inner space from a surface of the first cabinet that remains unexposed when the second cabinet is slidingly moved in the opening direction, a microphone having a sound collecting face and provided on the inner space side of the first cabinet, with the sound collecting face facing the through-hole, and a gap formed between the first cabinet and the second cabinet and communicating with the through-hole.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-067280 filed on Mar. 24, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a slidable portable electronic device comprising a microphone, such as a slide mobile phone. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    A slide mobile phone comprises a first cabinet and a second cabinet slidably coupled on the first cabinet. The first cabinet is provided on the surface thereof with an operating unit having a plurality of operating key. The second cabinet is provided on the surface thereof with display unit having a liquid crystal display panel (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-71364). By relatively moving the first cabinet and the second cabinet in a sliding direction, the slide mobile phone can be placed in a closed state where the operating unit is covered with the second cabinet and in an opened state where the operating unit of the first cabinet is exposed. On the other hand, the surface of the first cabinet is provided with a covered region that remains covered with the second cabinet, in either state whichever the slide mobile phone is in the closed state or in the opened state. 
         [0006]    The surface of the first cabinet is further formed with a sound collecting hole that extends from the surface of the first cabinet to an inner space, at an area that is to be exposed when the slide mobile phone is in the opened state but is not the region wherein the operating unit is provided. In addition, the first cabinet is provided on the inner space side thereof with a microphone having a sound collecting face, in a posture where the sound collecting face faces the sound collecting hole. 
         [0007]    As stated above, with the conventional slide mobile phones, the sound collecting hole is formed in the area to be exposed when the phone is placed in the opened state, and therefore reduces the area to install the operating unit and/or the display unit. Thus, the area available to install the operating unit is insufficient, leading to a likelihood of lowering operability and visibility of the slide mobile phone. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    An object of the present invention is to provide a slidable portable electronic device, such as a slide mobile phone, which includes a first cabinet having a sufficient area available to install the operating unit and/or the display unit. 
         [0009]    A slidable portable electronic device according to the present invention comprises a first cabinet and a second cabinet slidably coupled on a surface of the first cabinet, 
         [0010]    the first cabinet comprising: 
         [0011]    an operating unit and/or a display unit provided on a surface of the first cabinet to be exposed when the second cabinet is slidingly moved in the opening direction; 
         [0012]    a through-hole formed extending to an inner space from a surface of the first cabinet that remains unexposed when the second cabinet is slidingly moved in the opening direction; 
         [0013]    a microphone having a sound collecting face and provided on the inner space side of the first cabinet, with the sound collecting face facing the through-hole; and 
         [0014]    a gap formed between the first cabinet and the second cabinet and communicating with the through-hole. 
         [0015]    In the slidable portable electronic device described above, the first cabinet is formed with the through-hole opposed to the microphone, at the surface that remains unexposed even when the first cabinet is slidingly moved in the opening direction. Therefore, the through-hole is not required to form on the surface to be exposed when the device is in the opened state. This ensures that the exposed area provides a sufficient area available to install the operating unit and/or the display unit. 
         [0016]    As the operating unit and/or the display unit can be provided at a wider area, the operability and visibility of the slidable portable device can be enhanced. 
         [0017]    Even in the case where the slidable portable device is downsized, a sufficient area available to install the operating unit and/or the display unit can be obtained. 
         [0018]    In addition, even in either closed or opened state of the device, the outside sound passes through the gap formed between the first and second cabinets into the through-hole to reach the sound collecting face of the microphone. Therefore, the outside sound can be clearly captured by the microphone through the gap and the through-hole without involving the second cabinet, to thereby inhibit the lowering of sound quality etc. 
         [0019]    Further, in the opened state of the device, the through-hole is not directly exposed to outside, so that the waterproof and dustproof properties can be improved as compared to the conventional slidable portable electronic device. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a front view illustrating a slide mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the slide mobile phone; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a plan view illustrating a sliding mechanism included in the slide mobile phone; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a front view used for describing a closed state of a slide mobile phone of the slide mobile phone; 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0026]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of region A in  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]    Hereinafter, the present invention embodied as a slide mobile phone  10  will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 
         [0028]      FIG. 1  is a front view illustrating a slide mobile phone  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the slide mobile phone  10  comprises a first cabinet  1  and a second cabinet  2  which are slidably coupled to each other. A first operating unit  18  constituted by a plurality of operating keys  180  is provided on a front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1 . A display unit constituted by a liquid crystal display panel  27  is provided on a front surface  201  of the second cabinet  2 . The front surface  201  of the second cabinet  2  is also provided with a second operating unit  28  constituted by a lever switch  4  and a plurality of operating keys  280  in a region that differs from the region in which the liquid crystal display panel  27  is provided. 
         [0029]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the slide mobile phone  10 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a sliding mechanism  3  that slidably couples the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2  is provided between the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2 , and the sliding mechanism  3  is constituted by a slider  31  and a slide regulating portion  32 . The slider  31  is fixed to an opposed surface of the side of the second cabinet  2  (in other words, a rear surface  202  of the second cabinet  2 ) among the opposed surfaces of the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2 . On the other hand, the slide regulating portion  32  is fixed to an opposed surface of the side of the first cabinet (in other words, the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1 ) among the opposed surfaces of the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2  or, more specifically, to a region that differs from the region in which the first operating unit  18  is provided. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  is a plan view illustrating the sliding mechanism  3 .  FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a pair of left and right guiding grooves  320  is provided at both end positions of the slide regulating portion  32 , and left and right edge portions  310  of the slider  31  slidably engage the pair of guiding grooves  320 . In this manner, the slide regulating portion  32  regulates a sliding direction of the slider  31  to a longitudinal direction (refer to  FIG. 1 ) of the first cabinet  1 . 
         [0031]    Therefore, by relatively moving the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2  in the sliding direction, the slide mobile phone  10  described above is capable of alternating states between a closed state illustrated in  FIG. 5  in which both cabinets  1  and  2  are closed and the entire first operating unit  18  is covered by the second cabinet  2  and an opened state illustrated in  FIG. 1  in which both cabinets  1  and  2  are opened and the entire first operating unit  18  is exposed. In addition, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , a covered region R that is covered by the second cabinet  2  regardless of whether the slide mobile phone  10  is set to the closed state or the opened state is provided on the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1 . 
         [0032]    When the slide mobile phone  10  is set to the opened state as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a user of the slide mobile phone described above can operate the slide mobile phone using the first operating unit  18  and the second operating unit  28 . In addition, even when the slide mobile phone  10  is set to the closed state as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the user can operate the slide mobile phone  10  using the second operating unit  28 . 
         [0033]    In the sliding mechanism  3  described above, the slide regulating portion  32  further regulates a height position of the slider  31  from the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . Specifically, the slide regulating portion  32  regulates the height position of the slider  31  to a position that enables a gap G to be formed between the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2 . Therefore, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 7 , in an assembled state of the slide mobile phone  10 , the gap G is formed between the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2 , by the sliding mechanism  3 . In the present embodiment, a width of the gap G is set to around 0.4 mm. 
         [0034]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first cabinet  1  is constituted by a front surface-side case half body  11  that forms the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1  and a rear surface-side case half body  12  that forms the rear surface  102  of the first cabinet  1 , wherein the front surface-side case half body  11  and the rear surface-side case half body  12  are joined to each other. A circuit board  5  is provided inside the first cabinet  1 . Moreover, the circuit board  5  is shaped so as to expand over a wide range along the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1 . Therefore, in the circuit board  5 , at least the region in which the first operating unit  18  is provided and the covered region R (refer to  FIG. 6 ) among the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1  overlap each other. 
         [0035]    As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the first cabinet  1  is further provided with a metallic plate  13  that covers the region overlapped by the covered region R among a surface of the circuit board  5 , and a sealing member  14  to be interposed between joint surfaces of the front surface-side case half body  11  and the rear surface-side case half body  12 . Moreover, a cover portion  141  having a part thereof that spreads from the region between the joint surfaces to the inside of the slide mobile phone  10  so as to cover an entire region that is not covered by the metallic plate  13  among the surface of the circuit board  5  is formed on the sealing member  14 . In addition, the metallic plate  13  and the sealing member  14  are integrally formed without having a gap provided therebetween. 
         [0036]    A first through-hole  15  that extends from the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1  to an inner space is opened in the covered region R of the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1 . In addition, a second through-hole  131  that extends from a front surface of the metallic plate  13  to a rear surface thereof is opened on the metallic plate  13  in a region opposing the first through-hole  15 . The gap G is to be formed between the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2  in an assembled state of the slide mobile phone. Therefore, the first through-hole  15  and the second through-hole  131  communicate with the outside of the slide mobile phone  10  via the gap G regardless of whether the slide mobile phone  10  is set to the closed state or the opened state. 
         [0037]    In the state where the first cabinet  1  is set to the opened state, the through-hole  15  is not directly exposed to outside, so that the waterproof and dustproof properties can be improved. 
         [0038]    Meanwhile, as illustrated in  FIG. 7  (also refer to  FIG. 2 ), a waterproof sheet  60  covering the second through-hole  131  is adhered and fixed to the surface of the metallic plate  13 , whereby the waterproof property is further improved. Specifically, the waterproof sheet  60  is adhered and fixed to the surface of the metallic plate  13  by an adhesive tape  61 . The waterproof sheet  60  has both waterproofing and aeration properties. The waterproof sheet  60  is resistant to passage of water while permitting passage of sound. For example, a GORE-TEX (trademark) sheet manufactured by Japan Gore-Tex Inc. can be used as the waterproof sheet  60 . It is needless to say that various sheets having waterproofing and aeration properties can be adopted as the waterproof sheet  60 . 
         [0039]    According to the configuration of the first cabinet  1  described above, penetration of water from between the joint surfaces of the front surface-side case half body  11  and the rear surface-side case half body  12  is to be inhibited by the sealing member  14 . In addition, even if water penetrates into the first cabinet  1  from the first through-hole  15 , the water is prevented from passing through the second through-hole  131  and reaching the circuit board  5  by the waterproof sheet  60 . Furthermore, even when water penetrates into the first cabinet  1  from the side of the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1 , the water is inhibited from reaching the circuit board  5  by the integrally-formed metallic plate  13  and sealing member  14 . In this manner, the first cabinet  1  is provided with a waterproofing structure. 
         [0040]    As illustrated in  FIG. 7  (also refer to  FIG. 2 ), a microphone  6  is provided on the surface of the circuit board  5  in a posture in which a sound collecting face of the microphone  6  faces the second through-hole  131 . Moreover, the first through-hole  15  and the second through-hole  131  communicate with the outside of the slide mobile phone  10  via the gap G between the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2 . Therefore, a sound outside of the slide mobile phone  10  enters the inside of the slide mobile phone  10  through the gap G between the first cabinet  1  and the second cabinet  2  and subsequently passes through the first through-hole  15  and the second through-hole  131  to reach the sound collecting face of the microphone  6 . In other words, the first through-hole  15  and the second through-hole  131  function as sound collecting holes. Therefore, in the slide mobile phone  10  described above, a sound outside the slide mobile phone  10  can be clearly captured by the microphone  6 . 
         [0041]    In the slide mobile phone  10  described above, the covered region R is not exposed even if the slide mobile phone  10  is set to the opened state, and the first through-hole  15  that functions as a sound collecting hole is formed in the covered region R. Therefore, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , an entire region that is exposed when the slide mobile phone  10  is set to the opened state among the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1  can be used as a region in which the first operating unit  18  is provided. Consequently, compared to a conventional slide mobile phone, the slide mobile phone  10  can be downsized while ensuring a sufficient area available to install the first operating unit  18 . Therefore, even when the slide mobile phone  10  is downsized, the operability and the visibility of the slide mobile phone can be maintained. 
         [0042]    In addition, in the slide mobile phone  10  described above, the region in which the first operating unit  18  is provided may be expanded to increase the sizes of the respective operating keys  180  that constitute the first operating unit  18 . According to this configuration, the operability of the slide mobile phone  10  can be improved. 
         [0043]    Moreover, the respective components of the present invention are not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in the claims. In the slide mobile phone  10  described above, a display unit such as a liquid crystal display panel may be provided on the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1  in addition to, or in place of, the first operating unit  18 . In addition, only the display unit, i.e., the liquid crystal display panel  27  may be provided on the front surface  201  of the second cabinet  2 . Furthermore, a touch panel-type liquid crystal display panel that becomes the operating unit and/or the display unit may be provided on the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1  and/or the front surface  201  of the second cabinet  2 . Moreover, the display unit may be constituted using various image display panels such as an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display panel or an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display panel in place of the liquid crystal panel. 
         [0044]    In the slide mobile phone  10  described above, when the slide mobile phone  10  is set to the opened state, a part of the first operating unit  18  instead of the entire first operating unit  18  may be exposed from the second cabinet  2 . In addition, the slider  31  of the sliding mechanism  3  may be fixed to the front surface  101  of the first cabinet  1  and the slide regulating portion  32  of the sliding mechanism  3  may be fixed to the rear surface  202  of the second cabinet  2 . 
         [0045]    The respective components adopted in the slide mobile phone described above can be applied to various slidable portable electronic devices such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).