Patent Publication Number: US-8116833-B2

Title: Grounding apparatus of portable electronic devices

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to grounding apparatuses, particularly to a grounding apparatus of a portable electronic device with a sliding mechanism. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Sliding cover mechanisms are widely used in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Generally, such portable electronic device includes a base, a cover and a sliding apparatus, and the cover is slidingly mounted on the base via the sliding apparatus. The cover includes a liquid crystal module (LCM), and the base includes a circuit board. The liquid crystal module is electrically connected to the circuit board via a flexible printed circuit (FPC). 
     When the aforementioned portable electronic device is used, a high electrostatic discharge (ESD) may be generated in the LCM and the damage portable electronic device. For example, when walking on a carpet floor, a person can easily acquires static charge with high electrostatic. The static charge is likely to cause an instantaneous discharging between the body of the person and the portable electronic device. Thus, the discharging could possibly create an electrical current significantly enough to cause damages to the circuits of the portable electronic device. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the circuits of the portable electronic device to from being damaged by electrostatic discharge. 
     In use of the aforementioned portable electronic device with a sliding cover mechanism, a typical method to prevent the circuit from being damaged by electrostatic discharge is directly connecting the flexible printed circuit to a grounding plane for conducting the electrostatic charges. However, the flexible printed circuit usually does not have an enough conductivity to conduct an electrostatic discharge having a potential higher than a thousand volts. 
     Therefore, a new grounding apparatus is desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcomings. 
     SUMMARY 
     A grounding apparatus for a portable electronic device includes a conductive member, at least one connecting member and a grounded sliding mechanism. The connecting member is electronically connected to the conductive member. The sliding mechanism is electrically connected to the conductive member via the connecting member. 
     Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the present grounding apparatus can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the various drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present grounding apparatus. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of electronic connection of the portable electronic device in accordance with a present embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a closed, schematic view of a portable electronic device with the grounding apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an opened, schematic view of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a partly disassembled view of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is similar to  FIG. 4 , but shown in another visual angle. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged, schematic view of a frame of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged, schematic view of a connecting member of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 8  is similar to  FIG. 7 , but shown in a second visual angle. 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged, schematic view of a block member of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 10  is an assembled view of the frame shown in  FIG. 6 , the connecting member shown in  FIG. 7  and the block member shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is similar to  FIG. 10 , but shown in another visual angle. 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged view of the area XII shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a grounding apparatus  200  in accordance with a present embodiment is provided. The grounding apparatus  200  is mounted in a portable electronic device  100  and includes a conductive member  20 , at least one connecting member  30  and a sliding mechanism  40 . 
     Also referring to  FIG. 3 , the portable electronic device  100  can be a mobile phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. The portable electronic device  100  includes a cover  10 , a base  50  and a circuit board  60 . The cover  1   0  is movably mounted on the base  50  via the sliding member  40 . 
     Also referring to  FIG. 4 , the cover  10  includes an approximately rectangular housing  11 , an approximately rectangular frame  13  and a display unit  19 . The housing  11  is mounted on the frame  13  and defines a rectangular first opening  112  corresponding to an outer shape of the display unit  19  in its middle portion. The frame  13  includes four sides  131 ,  132 ,  133  and  134 , and defines a rectangular second opening  136  corresponding to the first opening  112  in its middle portion. The frame  13  also defines a first container  15  and a second container  17  in each corner thereof. 
     Also referring to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the first container  15  is a hollow protrusion formed on a surface at each corner of the frame  13 . Each first container  15  includes a rectangular installing hole  153  and a containing wall  155 . The frame  13  defines the installing hole  153  in a middle portion of the first container  15 , and thus forms the containing wall  155  corresponding to the installing hole  153 . The installing hole  153  runs through both sides of the frame  13 . Each second container  17  is formed between each first container  15  and the verge of the frame  13 . Each second container  17  includes a installing aperture  172  and a block wall  173 . The installing aperture  172  runs through both sides of the frame  13 . The block wall  173  is formed between the first container  15  and the installing aperture  172 , and approximately perpendicular to the containing wall  155 . 
     The conductive member  20  is an approximately rectangular board made of conductive materials such as metal. The conductive member  20  is mounted between the housing  11  and the frame  13 . The conductive member  20  defines an approximately rectangular third opening  202  corresponding to the first opening  112  of the housing  11  and the second opening  136  of the frame  13 . In this way, when the housing  11 , the frame  13  and the conductive member  20  are assembled together, the first opening  112 , the second opening  136  and the third opening  202  can contain the display unit  19  of the portable electronic device  100 . 
     Also referring to  FIGS. 7-9 , the connecting member  30  includes a resilient component  32  and a block component  35 . The resilient member  32  is made of conductive materials such as metal and includes a main portion  320 , a first bent portion  321 , a second bent portion  322 , a third bent portion  323 , a fourth bent portion  324 , a resilient portion  325  and a connecting portion  326 . The main portion  320  is approximately cross-shaped, and includes a central portion  3202  and four extending portions  3204  extending from the central portion  3202 . An approximately hemispherical protrusion  328  is formed on the central portion  3202 . The end of each extending portion  3204  bends towards a same direction approximately perpendicular to the central portion  3202  to form the first bent portion  321 , the second bent portion  322 , the third bent portion  323  and the fourth bent portion  324 . The first bent portion  321  and the second bent portion  322  are perpendicular to the third bent portion  323  and the fourth bent portion  324 . An end of the second bent portion  322  bends towards the first bent portion  321  to form the resilient portion  325 . An end of the resilient portion  325  bends towards the main portion  320  to form the connecting portion  326 . 
     Referring particularly to  FIG. 9 , the block component  35  is an approximately rectangular board bent to L-shaped and made of conductive materials such as metal. The block component  35  includes a mounting portion  352  and an inserting portion  355 . The mounting portion  352  and the inserting portion  355  are both approximately rectangular board, and the inserting portion  355  is configured to be approximately perpendicular to the mounting portion  352 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , the sliding mechanism  40  includes a static member  41 , a sliding member  43  and two resilient members  45 . The static member  41  is an approximately rectangular board and made of conductive materials defining two sliding grooves  412  in its two opposite sides. The sliding member  43  is also an approximately rectangular board and made of conductive materials. Two opposite sides of the sliding member  43  respectively engage in the sliding grooves  412 , thus the sliding member  43  is mounted on the static member  41  and can slide along the sliding grooves  412 . The resilient members  45  are two coiled springs, one end of each resilient member  45  is mounted on the static member  41 , and another end of each resilient member  45  is mounted on the sliding member  43 . In this way, the resilient members  45  can resile to move the slid sliding member  43  to its initial position. 
     The base  50  is an approximately rectangular board and defines a installing recess  52  corresponding to an outer shape of the static member  41 . The circuit board  60  of the portable electronic device  100  is mounted in the base  50 . Also referring to  FIG. 1 , the circuit board  60  has a grounding plane  61 . 
     In assembly, four connecting members  30  are mounted to the frame  13  of the cover  10 . Referring to  FIG. 10  to  FIG. 12 , the connecting portion  326  and the resilient portion  325  of each connecting member  30  are respectively inserted into an installing hole  153 . The second bent portion  322  is sustained by an inner surface of the containing wall  155 , and the connecting portion  326  exposes out of the installing hole  153 . The main portion  320  covers the installing hole  153  and the containing wall  155 . The first bent portion  321 , the third bent portion  323  and the fourth bent portion  324  together envelop the first container  15  and keep in tight contact with an outer surfaces of the containing wall  155 . The block component  35  is then mounted in the second container  17 . The mounting portion  352  of the block component  35  is sustained by the block wall  173 , and an end of the mounting portion  352  keeps in tight contact with the first bent portion  321  enveloping the first container  15 . The inserting portion  355  is inserted into the installing aperture  172 , and an end of the inserting portion  355  extends out of the installing aperture  172 . In this way, the connecting member  32  and the block member  35  are held on the frame  13 . 
     Also referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the frame  13  with the connecting members  30  are assembled with the housing  11  and the conductive member  20  via bolting, soldering or gluing. The conductive member  20  is mounted between the frame  13  and the housing  11 . The protrusion  328  is in contact with the conductive member  20  for conducting electricity. The display unit  19  is contained within the first opening  112 , the second opening  136  and the third opening  202 , and the display unit  19  is electronically connected to the conductive member  20 . In this way, the cover  10  is completely assembled. 
     The sliding member  40  is then assembled with the cover  10 . The sliding member  43  is assembled with the frame  13  and electronically connected to the frame  13  via bolting, soldering or gluing. The exposing connecting portion  326  of each connecting member  32  is in contact with the static member  41  for conducting electricity. The sliding member  43  mounted on the static member  41  is moved to a predetermined initial position corresponding to a closed state of the portable electronic device  100 . The inserting portion  355  of each block member  35  is in contact with the sliding member  43  for conducting electricity. Finally, the static member  41  is contained in the installing recess  52  of the base  50 , and is electronically connected to the grounding plane  61  of the circuit board  60  via wires, bolting, soldering or gluing, etc. In this way, the portable electronic device  100  is completed, the cover  10  is movably mounted to the base  50  via the sliding mechanism  40 , and the display  19  is electronically connected to the grounding plane  61  via the grounding apparatus  200 . 
     In use, a high electrostatic charge may be generated and collected on the display unit  19  of the portable electronic device  100  and it is inclined to occur discharging. However, when an instantaneous discharging occurs, the collected electrostatic charge passes through the conductive member  20 , the connecting members  32 , the block member  35 , the sliding member  43  and the static member  41  to the grounding plane  61  in the order written, and finally is conducted to the grounding plane  61 . In this way, the grounding apparatus  200  prevents the electrostatic charges from damaging the potable electronic device  100 . Understandably, the electrostatic charge can also be transferred from the connecting member  32  directly via the connecting portion  326  of the static member  41  to the grounding plane  61 , and thus is conducted to the grounding plane  61 . Compared with the typical protecting method of directly connecting a flexible printed circuit of a portable electronic device to a grounding plane to conduct the electrostatic charges, the present embodiment contains more channels to conduct electrostatic charges, thus protects the portable electronic device more effectively. 
     Understandably, the number of the connecting member  30  can be changed according to the size and shape of the portable electronic device  100 . 
     It is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of structures and functions of various embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.