Patent Publication Number: US-2012039058-A1

Title: Electronic apparatus

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     The application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-180591 filed on Aug. 11, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus including an antenna cover. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     A portable computer is disclosed in which an antenna cover made of resin is attached to a metallic cover of a liquid crystal display. The portable computer includes a liquid crystal display, a cover surrounding the periphery thereof, an opening portion provided in a part of the cover, an antenna element provided near the opening portion on the cover, and an antenna cover provided so as to block the opening portion. The antenna cover has a protrusion that is an attachment portion for being attached to the cover. The cover has a groove, into which the protrusion is fitted, in the vicinity of the opening portion. 
     The antenna cover is fixed to the opening portion of the cover by applying heat to the protrusion to weld the protrusion around the groove. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A general configuration that implements the various features of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings and the associated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments and not to limit the scope of the embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a portable computer that is an example of an electronic apparatus of a first embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view that shows a cover of the portable computer shown in  FIG. 1  from the inside; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view that shows the periphery of a first protrusion portion of the cover shown in  FIG. 2  in an enlarged manner; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view in which the first protrusion portion shown in  FIG. 3  is seen from a surface of an opposite side of a surface facing a resin portion; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along lines F 3 -F 3  of the cover and the mask shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view in which the second protrusion portion shown in  FIG. 3  is seen from a surface of an opposite side of a surface facing a resin portion; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view that shows the resin portion of the portable computer shown in  FIG. 1  from the inside; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view that shows a second portion of the resin portion shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective cross-sectional view that shows the second portion of the resin portion shown in  FIG. 1  from the inside of the portable computer; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view that shows the first portion of the resin portion shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view that shows a case where other components are disposed in the second portion of the resin portion shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram that shows a case where other components are disposed in the second portion of the resin portion shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view that shows a second portion of a portable computer which is an example of an electronic apparatus of a second embodiment; 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view that shows a second portion of a portable computer which is another example of an electronic apparatus of a second embodiment; and 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view that shows a second portion of a portable computer which is an example of an electronic apparatus of a second embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, an electronic apparatus will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6 . In the present specification, a front side (that is, a user side) is defined as a front direction F, an inside when seen from a user is defined as a rear direction R, a left side when seen from a user is defined as a left direction, a right side when seen from a user is defined as a right direction, an upper part when seen from a user is defined as an upper direction, and a lower part when seen from a user is defined as a lower direction. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a portable computer  11 , which is an example of an electronic apparatus, includes a main body unit  12  and a display unit  13 . The main body unit  12  has a hinge portion  14 , and the hinge portion  14  rotatbly supports the display unit  13 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the main body unit  12  includes, for example, a main body cabinet  15  formed in a box shape by a metal such as a magnesium alloy, a keyboard  16  attached to an upper surface of the main body cabinet  15 , a touch pad  17  provided on an upper surface of the main body cabinet  15 , and a print circuit board  18  accommodated in an inner portion of the main body cabinet  15 . The print circuit board  18  has circuit components such as a CPU, a RAM or a ROM and collectively controls the entire portable computer  11 . The main body cabinet  15  has an upper case  15 A which constitutes an upper half portion thereof and to which the keyboard  16  is fixed, and a lower case  15 B which constitutes a lower half portion. 
     The display unit  13  has a display  21 , a display cabinet  22  formed of a synthetic resin which surrounds the periphery of the display  21 , and a plurality of cushion members  24  which is attached to a mask  23  of the display cabinet  22 . The display  21  is, for example, constituted by a liquid crystal display panel, in the present embodiment, but it may be another type of display panel. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 , the cushion member  24  is constituted by, for example, a rubber or the like with elasticity. The cushion member  24  is fixed to the mask  23 , which is a second case, at a position corresponding to a head portion  25 A of a screw  25  described later. The cushion member  24  is adapted to collide with the main body unit  12 , upon being rotated to a position where the display unit  13  overlaps with the main body unit  12 , that is, a position where a mask  23 , which is a second case of the display cabinet  22 , faces the main body unit  12 . In addition, in the present embodiment, the housing  26  includes a main body cabinet  15  and a display cabinet  22 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the display cabinet  22  has a cover  31  which is a first case covering a rear surface of the display  21 , a mask  23  which is a second case covering a front surface of the display  21 , and a screw  25  fixing the mask  23  to the cover  31 . The mask  23  is provided separately from the cover  31 , and is formed, for example, in a flat frame shape by a synthetic resin material. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the mask  23  has a through hole  23 A through which a boss  46  of a cover  31  describe later and the screw  25  are passed. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cover  31  is one in which a synthetic resin is integrally formed in a part of a metallic base, and is formed in a flat plate shape as a whole. That is, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the cover  31  has a metallic portion  32  provided with an opening portion  32 A, a resin portion  33  formed integrally with the metallic portion  32  so as to cover the opening portion  32 A, a first protrusion portion  34  and a second protrusion portion  35  extending from the metallic portion  32  toward the resin portion  33 , and a sheet-shaped blocking member bonded to the first protrusion portion  34 . The metallic portion  32  is formed by, for example, a magnesium alloy or the like, but other metallic materials may be used. 
     The resin portion  33  is a so-called antenna cover, and a plurality of antennas is disposed inside thereof. The plurality of antennas (the antenna circuit substrates) corresponds to the respective methods such as a communication method such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a wireless LAN, a wireless WAN, WiMAX, UWB or GPS, or a mobile phone method such as 3G or 3.5G. The plurality of antennas is provided near the opening portion  32 A. The plurality of antennas is bonded to an inner surface of the resin portion  33  side by side. 
     The resin portion  33  is formed integrally with the metallic portion  32  by a so-called insert molding that uses the metallic portion  32  as an insert. The resin portion  33  is formed by the synthetic resin material. As shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  6 , the resin portion  33  has a main body portion  41 , a plurality of first holding portions  42  protruding from the main body portion  41 , a plurality of second holding portions  43  protruding from the main body portion  41 , a first portion  33   a  and a second portion  33   b . The first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  are provided in a portion (a joint portion)  323  where the resin portion  33  overlaps with the metallic portion  32 . The respective first holding portions  42  protrude from the main body portion  41  so as to surround a first front end portion  34 A of the first protrusion portion  34  or a second front end portion  35 A of the second protrusion portion  35 . The respective first holding portions  42  form bag shapes together with the main body portion  41 . 
     The respective second holding portions  43  protrude from the main body portion  41  so as to surround the periphery near a second base portion  35 B of a side opposite to the second front end portion  35 A of the second protrusion portion  35 . The respective second holding portions  43  form tubular shapes together with the main body portion  41 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first protrusion portion  34  is formed integrally with the metallic portion  32  and forms a small piece shape protruding toward the resin portion  33 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the first protrusion portion  34  overlaps with the resin portion  33  in a thickness direction T of the resin portion  33 . As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , the first protrusion portion  34  has a boss  46  on a surface  45  of a side opposite to a surface facing the resin portion (a surface directing the resin portion)  44 . As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , in the first protrusion portion  34 , there are provided an opening  47  provided on the surface  44  facing the resin portion, and a screw hole  48 , which is extended from the opening  47  and passes through the boss  46  of the first protrusion portion  34  in the thickness direction T. On the surface  44  of the first protrusion portion  34  facing the resin portion, a concave portion  51 , for example, having a depth of about 0.1 mm for disposing the blocking member  36  is provided. The blocking member  36  is fitted into the concave portion  51 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the second protrusion portion  35  is integral with the metallic portion  32  and has a small piece shape protruding toward the resin portion  33 . The second protrusion portion  35  overlaps with the resin portion  33  in the thickness direction T of the resin portion  33 . In the second protrusion portion  35 , the boss  46  and the screw hole  48  are provided. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the first protrusion portion  34  and the second protrusion portion  35  are alternately disposed in a width direction W of the cover  31  perpendicular to the front and rear direction of the portable computer  11  at a certain gap. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the blocking member  36  is provided at a position of being pinched between the first protrusion portion  34  and the resin portion  33 . The blocking member  36  is an example of an interposition member interposed between the first protrusion portion  34  and the resin portion  33 . The blocking member  36  is constituted by, for example, a heat-resistant tape having a thickness of about 0.1 mm. More specifically, the blocking member  36  is a Kapton (registered trademark) tape, and is a member in which a silicone-based adhesive is applied on one surface of a polyimide film having a heat resistance. The blocking member  36  blocks the opening  47  of the first protrusion portion  34 . 
     Next, a configuration of the first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  of the present embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 7 to 11 . As shown in  FIGS. 7 to 10 , the first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  protrude from the main body portion  41  and are extended to the inner portions of the opening portions (the first through hole and the second through hole)  32   a  and  32   b  provided in the metallic portion  32 . The first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  have approximately the same inner diameters as the diameters of the opening portions  32   a  and  32   b  and are fitted into the opening portions  32   a  and  32   b.    
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the first portion  33   a  has a first front end portion  33   a   1  protruded from the opening portion  32   a  toward a housing inner portion. The first front end portion  33   a   1  is fixed to an opening portion of the cover by applying the heat to the protrusion portion made of the synthetic resin material passing through the opening portion  32   a  to weld the protrusion portion around the groove. Thus, an outer edge size of the first front end portion  33   a   1  is greater than the diameter of the opening portion  32   a.    
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , an outer edge shape of the first front end portion  33   a   1  has a shape such as an oval or an elongated circle extended along a longitudinal direction of the housing cover  31 . For example, a display housing of the portable computer  11  requires a design similar to the outer edge size of the display device  21  in order to achieve miniaturization and thinning. However, by extending the outer edge shape of the first front end portion  33   a   1  in the longitudinal direction of the housing cover  31  as in the present embodiment, the welding surface can be expanded without enlarging the display housing, and the joint force between the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33  can be raised. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the second portion  33   b  has a second front end portion  33   b   1 . In the present embodiment, the outer edge size of the second front end portion  33   b   1  is provided so as to be approximately the same as the diameter of the opening portion  32   b . The second front end portion  33   b   1  is situated in the state of being situated in an inner portion of the opening portion  32   b  or in the state of being approximately the same surface as the inner surface of the metallic portion  32  provided with the opening portion  32   a . That is, the second front end portion  33   b   1  does not protrude from the inner surface of the metallic portion  32  as compared to the first front end portion  33   a   1 . By having such a configuration, as shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , it is possible to provide an antenna component  33 H, an insulator or the like in a region, where the second portion  33   b  is provided, in an overlapped manner, which can realize high density mounting. 
     By having the configuration of the present embodiment, in the region where the first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  are situated, the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33  can be firmly fixed without interposing a separate member such as an adhesive or a double-sided tape between the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33 . As a result, in the present embodiment, the thinning of the housing can be further realized. 
     The first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  can be provided to be thin in a range in which the stiffness thereof is maintained, that is, so as to have a small diameter. Particularly, since the second portion  33   b  can be provided so as to be approximately the same as the diameter of the opening portion  32   b , an efficient joint effect can be obtained even in a region having a narrow mounting area. 
     Herein, in a region where a relatively large component is mounted on an antenna cover such as a 3G antenna or 3.5G antenna, there is a possibility in which a region of the periphery thereof is narrowly designed so as to be pressed. For example, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the peripheral region  33   h  of a region  33   g , on which the 3G antenna  300 A is mounted, becomes narrower than another region  33   i . It is desirable to provide the second portion  33   b  of the present embodiment in the region having the narrow mounting area and bond the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33 . 
     Furthermore, the first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  are alternately provided as far as possible, whereby the bonding force is uniformized. For example, as shown in  FIG. 7 , in a region  33   h  near the region  33   g  mounting the 3G antenna, a plurality of second portions  33   b  is provided. However, by disposing the first portion  33   a  in regions  33   i  of both ends of the region  33   h  so as to surround the second portions  33   b , it is possible to prevent a bonding portion near the region  33   g  from being weakly bonded compared to other regions. 
     In manufacturing the cover  31  of the portable computer  11  of the present embodiment, firstly, the metallic portion  32 , the first protrusion portion  34  and the second protrusion portion  35  are integrally formed by the die cast. Next, as shown in  FIG. 5 , a lower hole passed through the boss  46  of the first protrusion portion  34  in the thickness direction T is provided, and a screw hole  46  (a female screw) along the lower hole using a tap (not shown) is formed. At that time, since the screw hole  48  passes through the first protrusion portion  34  in the thickness direction T, it is possible to form a screw thread in the entire inner surface of the screw hole  48 . Next, the first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  are led to the inner portions of the opening portions  32   a  and  32   b  provided in the metallic portion  32 , respectively, and a heat-resistant tape, which is the blocking member  36 , is bonded to the surface  44  facing to the resin portion of the first protrusion portion  34 , thereby blocking the opening  47  on the surface. Moreover, one, in which the metal portion  32 , the first protrusion portion  34 , the second protrusion portion  35  and the blocking member  36  are integral, is disposed in the inner portion of a mold for the injection molding as an insert. The injection molding is performed in this state to form the resin portion  33  integrated with the metallic portion  32 . At that time, since the opening  47  is blocked by the blocking member  36 , a situation does not occur where the synthetic resin enters the inner portion of the screw hole  48 . Furthermore, since the blocking member  36  is concealed by the resin portion  33 , even if the blocking member  36  is provided, the aesthetics of the portable computer  11  are not spoiled. 
     According to the present embodiment, the portable computer  11  includes a first case provided with the screw hole  48 , a second case separated from the first case, and the screw  25  which is passed through the screw hole  48  and fixes the second case to the first case. The first case has the metallic portion  32  provided with the opening portion  32 A, the resin portion  33  formed integrally with the metallic portion  32  so as to cover the opening portion  32 A, a protrusion portion which is extended from the metallic portion  32  and overlaps with the resin portion  33  in the thickness direction, and a blocking member  36  which is provided in a position between the protrusion portion and the resin portion  33 . In the protrusion portion, an opening  47  provided on the surface  44  facing the resin portion, and a screw hole  48  extended from the opening  47  and passed through the protrusion portion in the thickness direction T are provided. The blocking member  36  blocks the opening  47 . 
     Generally, in the case of forming the screw hole (a female screw) having a bottom using a tap, it is difficult to form a structural upper female screw of the tap from a bottom of the lower hole, for example, in the range of about 0.6 mm. This is caused by the fact that the female screw cannot be cut in the vicinity of the front end of the tap. Furthermore, in a case where the screw hole has a bottom, the thickness of the bottom portion needs to secure, for example, at least the thickness about equal to or greater than 0.6 mm considering a tolerance or the like of the lower hole. For this reason, in the case of the general screw hole having the bottom, both of them are added and a loss of size, for example, at least equal to or greater than about 1.2 mm was generated. 
     According to the above-mentioned configuration, since the screw hole  48  is provided so as to pass through the protrusion portion, it is possible to make the screw length efficient, which is length in which the female screw is actually formed in the screw hole  48 , identical to the entire length of the screw hole  48 . As a result, the entire length of the screw hole  48  can be shortened, which can reduce the thickness size of the first case. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide the bottom portion of the screw hole  48 , the thickness size of the first case can be further reduced as much as the bottom portion. As a result, the portable computer  11  can be further thinned. 
     Furthermore, since the opening  47  is blocked by the blocking member  36 , upon integrally molding the resin portion  33 , it is possible to prevent a situation where the resin enters the inner portion of the screw hole  48  to block the screw hole  48 . Moreover, since the blocking member  36  has a sheet shape, the thickness size of the first case is not enlarged by the provision of the blocking member  36 . Particularly, if, for example, a sheet having a thickness of about 0.1 mm is used as the blocking member  36 , it is possible to thin the first case to as little as, for example, about 1.1 mm at least. As a result, the portable computer  1  can be thinned as much as the size. 
     In this case, in the metallic portion  32 , a concave portion  51 , into which the blocking member  36  is fitted, is provided. According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the resin portion  33  from being thinned by the provision of the blocking member  36 . As a result, it is possible to make the mobility of the resin satisfactory during extrusion molding, thereby reducing the frequency that generates the defective product in the resin portion  33 . As a result, the yield of the first case can be improved. 
     Furthermore, the resin portion  33  has a first holding portion  42  that surrounds and holds the front end portion of the protrusion portion. According to such a configuration, the strength around the resin portion  33  can be improved. As a result, even when the thinning of the first case is enhanced, it is possible to prevent the strength around the resin portion  33  from declining. 
     In this case, the portable computer  11  is provided separately from the first case and the second case, and includes the main body unit  12  which rotatably supports the first case and the second case, and the cushion member which is fixed to the second case at a position corresponding to the head portion  25 A of the screw  25  and collides with the main body unit  12  when the second case is rotated to a position facing the main body unit  12 . According to the configuration, since the cushion member  24  is provided to correspond to the head portion  25 A of the screw  25 , it is possible to prevent the second case from severely colliding with the main body unit  12  by the cushion member  24 . Furthermore, the head portion  25 A of the screw  25  can be concealed by the cushion member  24 , which can satisfactorily maintain the exterior of the portable computer  11 . For this reason, it is further required that the portable computer  11  has a structure of the cushion member  24 . 
     Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the opening portion  32 A, the opening portions  32   a  and  32   b  situated near the opening portion  32 A, respectively, the antenna cover  33  covering the opening portions, and a joint portion  323 , which joins the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33 , and has the first portion  33   a  in which the first front end portion  33   a   1  protrudes from the opening portion  32   a  to the inside of the housing and the second portion  33   b  in which the second front end portion  33   b   1  is situated in the opening portion  32   b , are included. In the region where the first portion  33   a  and the second portion  33   b  are situated, it is possible to strongly fix the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33  without interposing a separate member such as an adhesive or a double-sided tape between the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33 . 
     Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the second portion  33   b  is provided between the first portions  33   a . As a result, the joint force between the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33  can be uniformized. 
     Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 12 , the accommodation component  33 H is situated between two first front end portions  33   a   1  protruding from the opening portion  32   a  to the inside of the housing. As a result, it is possible to realize the high density mounting of the component that effectively utilizes the narrow space. 
     Furthermore, the second portion  33   b  is situated closer to the center portion of the housing than the first portion  33   a . That is, by providing the first portion  33   a  having a high joint strength near the periphery of the antenna cover  33 , it is possible to further stably join the metallic portion  32  and the resin portion  33 . 
     Next, a second embodiment of an electronic apparatus will be described with reference to  FIGS. 13 and 14 . The portable computer  11 , which is an example of the electronic apparatus of the second embodiment, is different from the first embodiment in the shape of the second portion  33   b , but other portions are common to those of the first embodiment. For this reason, the different portions are mainly described, and the common portions are denoted by common reference numerals and the descriptions thereof will be omitted. The portable computer  11  of the second embodiment has the same exterior as that shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the second portion  33   b  of the second embodiment has a slope portion  33   bs . By such a configuration, it is possible to increase the contact area between the second portion  33   b  and the opening portion  32   b . The slope portion  33   bs  shown in  FIG. 13  has a widening shape so as to be expanded toward the outside of the housing. The slope portion  33   bs  shown in  FIG. 14  has a widening shape so as to be expanded toward the inside of the housing. In the case of adopting the shape of  FIG. 13 , it is easier to mount the antenna cover to the housing. Meanwhile, in the case of adopting the shape of  FIG. 14 , it is possible to improve the joint strength between the housing and the antenna cover. 
     Next, a third embodiment of an electronic apparatus will be described with reference to  FIG. 15 . Similarly to the second embodiment, the portable computer  11 , which is an example of the electronic apparatus of the third embodiment, is different from the first embodiment in the shape of the second portion  33   b , but other portions are common to those of the first embodiment. For this reason, the different portions are mainly described, and the common portions are denoted by common reference numerals and the descriptions thereof will be omitted. The portable computer  11  of the third embodiment has the same exterior as that shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 15 , the second portion  33   b  of the third embodiment has a stepped portion  33   bd . By such a configuration, similarly to the second embodiment, it is possible to increase the contact area between the second portion  33   b  and the opening portion  32   b . The slope portion  33   bs  shown in  FIG. 15  has a widening shape so as to be expanded toward the inner portion of the housing. By such a configuration, it is possible to make the joint strength of the second portion  33   b  closer to that of the first portion  33   a , which can improve the joint strength between the housing and the antenna cover. 
     While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.