Folding electronic apparatus and flexible substrate thereof

• US 20020187803A1
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iizuka, Akira, Nakamura, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 6,829,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0216 Foldable in one direction, i.e. using a one degree of freedom hinge
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/055 Folded back on itself
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0191 Using tape or non-metallic foil in a process, e.g. during filling of a hole with conductive paste

Abstract

A folding electronic apparatus invention comprises a flexible substrate where a first belt-like part and a second belt-like part are connected by a middle part so as to form a crank shape. At least one of the first belt-like part and the second belt-like part of the flexible substrate is rolled with the middle part as an axis to form a roll buffer part. The roll buffer part is housed in the hollow of a hinge axis. A tips of the first and second belt-like parts are pulled into a first and second units through an opening in the hinge axis and then connected to the first and second circuits in the first and second units.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a first unit with a first circuit;

a second unit with a second circuit;

a hinge unit which couples said first unit and said second unit in such a manner that they can rotate and which has a cylindrical axis member whose side face has an openings that leads to the inside of said first unit and to the inside of said second unit; and

a flexible substrate which connects the first circuit and the second circuit and which has such a structure as connects a first belt-like part and a second belt-like part by a middle part so as to form a crank shape, either the first belt-like part or the second belt-like part being rolled with the middle part as an axis to form a roll buffer part, the roll buffer part being housed in the cylindrical axis member of said hinge unit, and a tips of the first and second belt-like parts being pulled into said first and second units through the opening in the cylindrical axis member and connected to the first and second circuits.

2. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said flexible substrate has a cut for bending the middle part into a V shape in the middle part.

3. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a wire cable which connects the first circuit and the second circuit and is passed into the roll buffer part of said flexible substrate.

4. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein said wire cable is a coaxial cable which transmits a radio signal between the first circuit and the second circuit.

5. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein said wire cable is an earth cable which connects an earth pattern in the first circuit and an earth pattern in the second circuit.

6. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a first unit with a first circuit;

a second unit with a second circuit;

a hinge unit which couples said first unit and said second unit in such a manner that they can rotate and which has a cylindrical axis member whose side face has an openings that leads to the inside of said first unit and to the inside of said second unit; and

a flexible substrate which connects said first circuit and said second circuit and which has such a structure as connects a first belt-like part and a second belt-like part by a middle part so as to form a crank shape, each of the first and second belt-like parts being rolled with the middle part as an axis to form a first and a second roll buffer part, the first and second roll buffer parts being housed in the cylindrical axis member of said hinge unit, and a tips of the first and second belt-like parts being pulled into said first and second units through the opening in the cylindrical axis member and connected to the first and second circuits.

7. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 6, wherein

said flexible substrate has a cut for bending the middle part into a V shape in the middle part.

8. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 6, further comprising:

a wire cable which connects the first circuit and the second circuit and is passed into the first and second roll buffer parts of said flexible substrate.

9. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein said wire cable is a coaxial cable which transmits a radio signal between the first circuit and the second circuit.

10. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 8, wherein said wire cable is an earth cable which connects an earth pattern in the first circuit and an earth pattern in the second circuit.

11. A flexible substrate which connects a first unit with a first circuit and a second unit with a second circuit in such a manner that they can rotate by using a hinge unit with a cylindrical axis member which has a hollow in its inside and an opening in its side face, said flexible substrate comprising:

a structure which connects a first belt-like part and a second belt-like part by a middle part so as to form a crank shape, either said first belt-like part or said second belt-like part being rolled with said middle part as an axis to form a roll buffer part, said roll buffer part being housed in the cylindrical axis member of said hinge unit, and a tips of said first and second belt-like parts being pulled into said first and second units through the opening in the cylindrical axis member and connected to the first and second circuits.

12. The flexible substrate according to claim 11, wherein said middle part has a cut for bending the middle part into a V shape.

14. The flexible substrate according to claim 13, wherein said middle part has a cut for bending the middle part into a V shape.

13. A flexible substrate which connects a first unit with a first circuit and a second unit with a second circuit in such a manner that they can rotate by using a hinge unit with a cylindrical axis member which has a hollow in its inside and an opening in its side face, said flexible substrate comprising:

a structure which connects a first belt-like part and a second belt-like part by a middle part so as to form a crank shape, each of said first belt-like part and said second belt-like part being rolled with said middle part as an axis to form a first and a second roll buffer part, said first and second roll buffer parts being housed in the cylindrical axis member of said hinge unit, and a tips of said first and second belt-like parts being pulled into said first and second units through the opening in the cylindrical axis member and connected to the first and second circuits.