Mobile instrument with flexible printed wiring board

• US 7,248,903 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 07/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Yoda, Masaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US10/746,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/575.8, 455/90.1, 455/90.2, 455/90.3, 455/556.1, 379/408.01, 379/408.02
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 35/025 having a flexible conductor wound around a rotation axis
• 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 2201/051 Rolled
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/2027 Guiding means, e.g. for guiding flexible circuits

Abstract

A mobile instrument includes two housings that each incorporate circuit substrates, a hinge portion that joins the two housings such that they can rotate, and a flexible printed wiring board that is passed through a cavity formed inside the hinge portion, and that electrically connects together the circuit substrates in the two housings. The flexible printed wiring board is curled inside the cavity and an elastic body is placed on an inner side of the curled flexible printed wiring board.

Claims

1. A mobile instrument comprising:

two housings that each incorporate circuit substrates;

a hinge portion that joins the two housings such that they can rotate; and

a flexible printed wiring board that is passed through a cavity formed inside the hinge portion, and that electrically connects together the circuit substrates in the two housings, wherein

the flexible printed wiring board is curled inside the cavity and an elastic body is placed on an inner side of the curled flexible printed wiring board wherein a transverse cross-sectional configuration of the elastic body and a transverse cross-sectional configuration of the cavity are substantially circular, and a diameter of the elastic body is equivalent to or greater than a diameter of the cavity.

2. The mobile instrument according to claim 1, wherein a waterproof material is provided that covers an outer side of the curled flexible printed wiring board and an outer side of the elastic body.

3. The mobile instrument according to claim 2, wherein the waterproof material is a substantially cylindrical body having a C-shaped transverse cross section, and an inner diameter of the substantially cylindrical body is equivalent to or less than a diameter of the elastic body.

4. The mobile instrument according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body is a columnar shaped body having a through hole.

5. The mobile instrument according to claim 4, wherein in one of the two housings there is provided a component that is either an antenna, a microphone, or a speaker, and this component is electrically connected via wiring with a circuit substrate incorporated in the other housing, and the wiring is made to pass through the through hole formed in the elastic body.

6. The mobile instrument according to claim 5, wherein the elastic body has a slit formed therein that extends from an outer surface of the elastic body to an inner surface of the through hole along an entire length in a longitudinal direction of the elastic body.

7. The mobile instrument according to claim 4, wherein the through hole is filled with a drying agent or aromatic agent.

8. The mobile instrument according to claim 4, wherein a hollow or solid rod shaped body is placed inside the through hole.

9. The mobile instrument according to claim 8, wherein in one of the two housings there is provided a component that is either an antenna, a microphone, or a speaker, and this component is electrically connected via wiring with a circuit substrate incorporated in the other housing, and the wiring is made to pass through the through hole formed in the elastic body.

10. The mobile instrument according to claim 1, wherein the flexible printed wiring board is a belt shaped body that, when laid out flat, has a crank portion that is curled in a transverse direction at a position partway along the longitudinal direction of the flexible printed wiring board.

11. The mobile instrument according to claim 1, wherein the flexible printed wiring board is a belt shaped body having two elongated portions and a joining portion that joins the two elongated portions at end portions thereof, and, when the flexible printed wiring board is laid out flat, the two elongated portions are placed facing in substantially the same direction.

12. The mobile instrument according to claim 1, wherein the mobile instrument is a mobile telephone having a display unit and a speaker in one of the two housings and an input unit and a microphone in the other of the two housings.

13. The mobile instrument according to claim 1, wherein the mobile instrument is a personal digital assistant (PDA) having a display unit in one of the two housings and an input unit in the other of the two housings.

14. A mobile instrument comprising:

two housings that each incorporate circuit substrates;

a hinge portion that joins the two housings such that they can rotate; and

a flexible printed wiring board that is passed through a cavity formed inside the hinge portion, and that electrically connects together the circuit substrates in the two housings, wherein

the flexible printed wiring board is wound around an outer circumference of the columnar shaped elastic body, and the elastic body around which the flexible printed wiring board has been wound is placed inside the cavity.

15. The mobile instrument according to claim 14, wherein the mobile instrument is a mobile telephone having a display unit and a speaker in one of the two housings and an input unit and a microphone in the other of the two housings.

16. The mobile instrument according to claim 14, wherein the mobile instrument is a personal digital assistant (PDA) having a display unit in one of the two housings and an input unit in the other of the two housings.

17. A mobile instrument comprising:

two housings that each incorporate circuit substrates;

a hinge portion that joins the two housings such that they can rotate; and

a flexible printed wiring board that is passed through a cavity formed inside the hinge portion, and that electrically connects together the circuit substrates in the two housings, wherein

the flexible printed wiring board is provided with two terminal portions that are connected with the respective circuit substrates provided in the two housings, and a flexible wiring portion that connects the two terminal portions, and wherein

the flexible wiring portion has two elongated portions that extend respectively from the two terminal portions and a joining portion that joins the two elongated portions at end portions thereof, and, when laid out flat, the two terminal portions are each placed facing in the same direction, and wherein

the flexible printed wiring board is contained inside a cavity provided in the hinge portion with the joining portion curled in a longitudinal direction of the elongated portions.

18. The mobile instrument according to claim 17, wherein a columnar shaped elastic body is placed on an inner side of the curled joining portion.