JP7637214B2 - Manufacturing method of electronic equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing electronic devices.

Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic device that includes a housing. The housing has a metal part (conductive part) and a resin part (radio wave transparent part) that are integrally molded (insert molded). The resin part is provided at the corner of the housing.

JP 2020-99004 A

However, in electronic devices in which resin parts are provided at the corners of the housing, the strength of the corners is more likely to be reduced compared to electronic devices in which metal parts are provided over the entire housing. For this reason, for example, if the electronic device is dropped unexpectedly, the corners of the housing may be deformed or damaged.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide an electronic device and a method for manufacturing an electronic device that can improve the strength of corners in a housing in which a metal part and a resin part are integrally molded.

In order to solve the above problem, an electronic device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a housing having a rectangular shape in a plan view and including an integrally molded metal part and a resin part, and an antenna housed in the housing, the resin part being located at a corner of the housing and extending along the outer periphery of the housing and being formed in an L-shape in the plan view, at least a portion of the antenna not overlapping with the metal part in the plan view, the metal part having a metal base part having a shape cut out at the corner of the housing along the resin part, and a peninsula part extending in a peninsula shape from the metal base part toward the corner.

According to the above aspect of the present invention, the metal part has a peninsula part that extends toward the corner where the resin part is located, thereby improving the strength of the corner of the housing.

Here, the peninsula portion may have a peninsula base that is covered by the resin portion.

In this case, the boundary between the metal part and the resin part on the surface of the housing is shorter than when the peninsula part is not covered by the resin part. This makes it easier to perform surface treatment to reduce the step that occurs between the resin part and the metal part on the surface of the housing.

The peninsula portion may further have an auxiliary pin protruding from the peninsula base toward the resin portion, and a portion of the peninsula portion except for the tip surface of the auxiliary pin may be covered by the resin portion.

In this case, when the metal part and the resin part are molded together, deformation of the peninsula part due to the pressure of the resin flowing into the mold can be suppressed.

The distance between the peninsula and the outer periphery of the housing may be less than or equal to the distance between the antenna and the outer periphery of the housing.

In this case, the peninsula portion and the corner of the housing are closer together, which can more reliably improve the strength of the corner of the housing.

A method for manufacturing an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a preparation step of preparing a metal part including a flat metal base, a peninsula base extending from the metal base in a flat and peninsula-like shape, and a peninsula part including an auxiliary pin protruding from the peninsula base in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the peninsula base extends in a flat shape, an insertion step of inserting the metal part into a mold, and a molding step of injecting resin into the mold with the auxiliary pin in contact with the inner wall of the mold to integrally mold the metal part and the resin part.

According to the above aspect of the present invention, the strength of the corners of the housing can be improved by using a metal part having a peninsula. In addition, the auxiliary pin of the peninsula is integrally molded in a state where it is in contact with the inner wall of the mold, so deformation of the peninsula due to the pressure of the resin flowing into the mold can be suppressed.

The above aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device and a method for manufacturing an electronic device that can improve the strength of corners in a housing in which a metal part and a resin part are integrally molded.

1 is a diagram showing an entire electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the electronic device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a metal part according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a metal part according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV shown in FIG. 2. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an example of a manufacturing method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a state following FIG. 6A.

(Electronic devices)
Hereinafter, an electronic device 1 and a manufacturing method for the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 includes a housing C. The housing C according to this embodiment includes a first housing C1 and a second housing C2 that are rotatably connected to each other by a hinge (not shown). Each of the first housing C1 and the second housing C2 has a flat box shape. The first housing C1 has a keyboard, a click pad, a motherboard (not shown), and the like. The first housing C1 is also called a system housing C1 or a base housing C1. The first housing C1 has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The first housing C1 has a fixed end C1a connected to the second housing C2, an open end C1b located on the opposite side of the fixed end C1a, and a pair of side ends C1c. The pair of side ends C1c connect both ends of the fixed end C1a and both ends of the open end C1b. The second housing C2 houses a display and the like. The second housing C2 is also called a display housing C2.

The electronic device 1 according to this embodiment is a so-called clamshell-type notebook computer, but other types of electronic devices 1 may also be used. For example, the electronic device 1 may be a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a game console, etc. In these cases, the housing C may not include the second housing C2, and the first housing C1 may have a display and a motherboard. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, the first housing C1 alone may be referred to simply as housing C.

(Direction definition)
Here, in this embodiment, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set to explain the positional relationship of each component. The Z-axis direction is the thickness direction of the housing C (first housing C1). The X-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the Z-axis direction, in which the fixed end C1a and the open end C1b of the housing C extend. The Y-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to both the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction, in which the side end C1c of the housing C extends. In this specification, the X-axis direction may be referred to as the first direction X, the Y-axis direction may be referred to as the second direction Y, and the Z-axis direction may be referred to as the thickness direction Z. A direction along the first direction X is referred to as the +X direction, and a direction opposite to the +X direction is referred to as the -X direction or the left direction. A direction along the second direction Y from the open end C1b toward the fixed end C1a is referred to as the +Y direction or the back side. A direction opposite to the +Y direction is referred to as the -Y direction or the front side. One direction along the thickness direction Z is referred to as the +Z direction or upward. The direction opposite to the +Z direction is referred to as the -Z direction or downward. Viewing from the thickness direction Z is referred to as a planar view.

The housing C (first housing C1) according to this embodiment has a flat box-like shape due to the combination of the first outer wall A1 and the second outer wall A2 (see also FIG. 5). The first outer wall A1 constitutes the upper wall of the housing C and at least a part of the peripheral wall of the housing C. The second outer wall A2 constitutes the lower wall of the housing C and at least a part of the peripheral wall of the housing C. The second outer wall A2 according to this embodiment is mainly formed of metal.

The first outer wall A1 has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The first outer wall A1 includes an integrally molded metal part 10 and a pair of resin parts 20. Examples of integral molding include insert molding and hybrid molding.

The resin part 20 is formed of a resin material having radio wave permeability, such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). Each of the pair of resin parts 20 is located at a corner P of the housing C (first outer wall A1). In this embodiment, the pair of resin parts 20 are aligned in the first direction X and located at both ends of the open end C1b of the housing C. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, each resin part 20 extends along the outer periphery of the housing C (upper surface of the first outer wall A1) and is formed in an L-shape in a plan view. More specifically, each resin part 20 includes a first resin part 21 extending from the corner P of the housing C in the first direction X and a second resin part 22 extending from the corner P in the second direction Y. In addition, each resin part 20 has a resin part outer surface 20a facing the outside of the housing C (see also FIG. 5). In this embodiment, the resin part outer surface 20a faces upward.

The metal part 10 is formed of a metal material such as magnesium or aluminum. As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the metal part 10 according to this embodiment has a flat metal base part 11 and a pair of peninsula parts 12. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the metal base part 11 has a metal part outer surface 11a exposed to the outside of the housing C. As shown in Fig. 1, in this embodiment, the metal base part 11 is provided with a keyboard, a click pad, etc. The metal base part 11 according to this embodiment has a shape in which the corners of a rectangular flat plate are cut out. In other words, the metal base part 11 has a shape cut out at the corner P of the housing C so as to fit along the resin part 20. In other words, the shape of the metal base part 11 corresponds to a shape in which the L-shaped part of the resin part 20 is cut out from a rectangular flat plate.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each peninsula portion 12 according to this embodiment has a peninsula base 12a and four auxiliary pins 12b. The peninsula base 12a constitutes most of the peninsula portion 12. The peninsula base 12a is covered by the resin portion 20. In other words, the upper surface of the peninsula base 12a is located below the upper surface of the resin portion 20 (the outer surface 20a of the resin portion) and is not exposed to the resin portion 20.

2, each peninsula base 12a extends from the metal base 11 toward the corner P of the housing C in a flat peninsula shape. As a result, each of the pair of peninsula portions 12 extends from the metal base 11 toward the corner P of the housing C in a peninsula shape. In this embodiment, each peninsula portion 12 (peninsula base 12a) extends from the L-shaped notched corner of the metal base 11 to a portion near the corner P of the housing C. More specifically, when the minimum value of the distance L1 between each peninsula portion 12 (peninsula base 12a) and the outer periphery of the housing C (upper surface of the first outer wall A1) in the second direction Y is L1min and the maximum value of the dimension L3 of the first resin portion 21 in the second direction Y is L3max, the following formula (1) may be established.
L1min≦L3max/2…(1)
Similarly, when the minimum value of the distance L2 between each peninsula portion 12 (peninsula base 12a) in the first direction X and the outer peripheral edge of the housing C (upper surface of the first outer wall A1) is L2min, and the maximum value of the dimension L4 of the second resin portion 22 in the first direction X is L4max, the following equation (2) may hold:
L2min≦L4max/2…(2)

Each auxiliary pin 12b protrudes from the peninsula base 12a in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the peninsula base 12a extends in a flat plate shape (first direction X and second direction Y). In other words, each auxiliary pin 12b protrudes upward from the peninsula base 12a toward the resin part outer surface 20a. As shown in Figures 2 and 5, the tip surface 12ba (upper surface) of the auxiliary pin 12b according to this embodiment is on the resin part outer surface 20a. In other words, the tip surface 12ba of the auxiliary pin 12b and the resin part outer surface 20a are located on approximately the same plane. Note that the phrase "approximately on the same plane" also includes cases where the two surfaces can be considered to be located on the same plane if manufacturing errors are removed. As a result, the peninsula part 12 except for the tip surface 12ba of the auxiliary pin 12b is covered by the resin part 20. In addition, the shape of the auxiliary pin 12b in this embodiment is circular in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the thickness direction Z, but the shape of the auxiliary pin 12b is not limited to a circle and may be, for example, an ellipse or a rectangle. In addition, the number of auxiliary pins 12b provided on each peninsula portion 12 may be three or less or five or more.

2 and 3, the metal part 10 according to this embodiment is provided with a flange 11b that protrudes from the side of the metal base 11 toward the outside in the first direction X or the second direction Y. The upper surface of the flange 11b is located below the upper surface of the metal base 11 (metal part outer surface 11a) and the upper surface of the resin part 20 (resin part outer surface 20a), and is not exposed to the outside of the housing C. In other words, the side of the metal base 11 has a stepped shape. As shown in the example of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the upper surface of the flange 11b and the upper surface of the peninsula base 12a may be located on approximately the same plane.

2 and 3, the flange 11b and the peninsula 12 (peninsula base 12a) according to this embodiment have a plurality of holes 14 extending in the thickness direction Z. In addition, the side of the metal base 11, the side of the flange 11b, and the side of the peninsula 12 (peninsula base 12a) have a plurality of recesses 15 recessed inward in the first direction X or the second direction Y. These holes 14 and recesses 15 increase the area of contact between the metal part 10 and the resin part 20, and serve to increase the fixing strength between the integrally molded metal part 10 and the resin part 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, the underside of the metal base 11 and the peninsula portion 12 (peninsula base 12a) according to this embodiment has a rib 16 that protrudes downward. The rib 16 according to this embodiment extends over the entire metal base 11 and the peninsula portion 12 (peninsula base 12a). The rib 16 serves to increase the rigidity of the metal base 11 and the peninsula portion 12 (peninsula base 12a).

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the housing C according to this embodiment houses four antennas 30. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, the four antennas may be referred to as the first antenna 30A, the second antenna 30B, the third antenna 30C, and the fourth antenna 30D. The first antenna 30A and the second antenna 30B are wireless communication antennas that support, for example, a WWAN (Wireless Wide Area Network) communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication. Either one of the first antenna 30A and the second antenna 30B may be a MAIN antenna, and the other may be an AUX antenna. The third antenna 30C and the fourth antenna 30D are wireless communication antennas that support, for example, 4×4 MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output). Either the third antenna 30C or the fourth antenna 30D may be a MAIN antenna, and the other may be an AUX antenna.

Each antenna 30 according to this embodiment is arranged so as not to overlap with the metal part 10 in a plan view. In other words, each antenna 30 is covered by the resin part 20 in a plan view. More specifically, the first antenna 30A and the second antenna 30B are arranged along the open end C1b of the housing C and are covered by the first resin part 21. The third antenna 30C and the fourth antenna 30D are arranged along the side end C1c of the housing C and are covered by the second resin part 22. With this configuration, the radio waves transmitted and received by each antenna 30 pass through the resin part 20 and are less likely to be blocked by the metal part 10. However, as long as communication can be performed by each antenna 30, a part of the antenna 30 may overlap with the metal part 10 in a plan view.

Furthermore, the distance between the peninsula 12 (peninsula base 12a) and the outer periphery of the housing C may be equal to or less than the distance between each antenna 30 and the outer periphery of the housing C. More specifically, when the minimum value of the distance L5 between the first antenna 30A (second antenna 30B) and the outer periphery of the housing C (upper surface of the first outer wall A1) in the second direction Y is L5min, and the minimum value of the distance L6 between the third antenna 30C (fourth antenna 30D) and the outer periphery of the housing C (upper surface of the first outer wall A1) in the first direction X is L6min, the following formulas (3) and (4) may be satisfied for the above-mentioned L1min and L3min.
L1min≦L5min…(3)
L2min≦L6min…(4)

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the electronic device 1 configured as described above will be described. The method for manufacturing the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment includes a preparation process, an insertion process, and a molding process.

In the preparation process, the metal part 10 described above is prepared. That is, the metal part 10 is prepared, which includes a flat metal base 11 and a peninsula part 12 including a peninsula base 12a and an auxiliary pin 12b. As described above, the peninsula base 12a extends from the metal base 11 in a flat peninsula shape. The auxiliary pin 12b protrudes from the peninsula base 12a in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the peninsula base 12a extends in a flat shape (first direction X and second direction Y).

After the preparation process, the insertion process is performed. As shown in FIG. 6A, in the insertion process, the metal part 10 is inserted into the mold M for integral molding. In the insertion process according to this embodiment, the metal part 10 is inserted into the mold M so that the tip surface 12ba of the auxiliary pin 12b contacts the inner wall of the mold M.

After the insertion process, the molding process is performed. As shown in FIG. 6B, in the molding process, a resin such as PPS that has been heated and melted is injected into the mold M while the tip surface 12ba of the auxiliary pin 12b is in contact with the inner wall of the mold M. The resin is then cooled and solidified, and the metal part 10 and the resin part 20 are integrally molded (insert molding, hybrid molding, etc.), to produce the first outer wall A1.

The electronic device 1 according to this embodiment is manufactured by carrying out the preparation process, insertion process, and molding process described above, and then assembling the second outer wall A2, which is manufactured separately, to the first outer wall A1. However, the metal part 10, the resin part 20, and the second outer wall A2 may be integrally molded at the same time. Furthermore, after the above-mentioned processes, a surface treatment or the like may be performed to reduce the step between the metal part outer surface 11a and the resin part outer surface 20a.

Next, the operation of the electronic device 1 configured as described above and the method for manufacturing the electronic device 1 will be described.

Conventionally, electronic devices are known that have a housing in which a metal part and a resin part are integrally molded. In such electronic devices, the resin part may be provided at the corner of the housing. For example, in the case of a notebook PC or the like that has a narrow frame structure and multiple antennas, due to design constraints, a configuration in which the antennas and resin part are located at the corner of the housing is often adopted.

However, in electronic devices in which resin parts are provided at the corners of the housing, the strength of the corners is more likely to be reduced compared to electronic devices in which metal parts are provided over the entire housing. For this reason, for example, if the electronic device is dropped unexpectedly, the corners of the housing may be deformed or damaged.

In contrast, in the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment, the metal part 10 has a peninsula part 12 that extends toward the corner P where the resin part 20 is located. This improves the strength of the corner P of the housing C.

The peninsula portion 12 according to this embodiment also has a peninsula base 12a that is covered by the resin portion 20. Therefore, for example, compared to a case where the peninsula portion 12 is not covered by the resin portion 20 (exposed to the resin portion outer surface 20a), the boundary line between the metal portion outer surface 11a and the resin portion outer surface 20a is shorter. This makes it easier to perform surface treatment to reduce the step that occurs between the resin portion outer surface 20a and the metal portion outer surface 11a.

In addition, in the manufacturing method of the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment, the metal part 10 and the resin part 20 are integrally molded with the tip surface 12ba of the auxiliary pin 12b in contact with the inner wall of the mold M. This makes it possible to prevent the peninsula part 12 from being deformed by the pressure of the resin flowing into the mold M.

As described above, the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment includes a housing C that has a rectangular shape in a plan view and includes an integrally molded metal part 10 and resin part 20, and an antenna 30 housed in the housing C, the resin part 20 is located at a corner P of the housing C and extends along the outer periphery of the housing C, and is formed in an L-shape in a plan view, at least a portion of the antenna 30 does not overlap with the metal part 10 in a plan view, and the metal part 10 has a metal base part 11 that has a shape that is cut out at the corner P of the housing C so as to follow the resin part 20, and a peninsula part 12 that extends in a peninsula shape from the metal base part 11 toward the corner P.

This configuration improves the strength of the corners P of the housing C.

The peninsula portion 12 also has a peninsula base 12a that is covered by the resin portion 20. This configuration makes it easy to perform surface treatment of the resin portion outer surface 20a and the metal portion outer surface 11a.

The metal part 10 further has an auxiliary pin 12b that protrudes from the peninsula base 12a toward the resin part 20 (the outer surface 20a of the resin part), and the peninsula part 12 is covered by the resin part 20 except for the tip surface 12ba of the auxiliary pin 12b. This configuration makes it possible to suppress deformation of the peninsula part 12 when the metal part 10 and the resin part 20 are integrally molded.

The distance between the peninsula 12 (peninsula base 12a) and the outer periphery of the housing C may be equal to or less than the distance between the antenna 30 and the outer periphery of the housing C. With this configuration, the peninsula 12 and the corner P of the housing C are closer together, and the strength of the corner P can be improved more reliably.

The manufacturing method of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a preparation step of preparing a metal part 10 including a flat metal base 11, a peninsula base 12a extending from the metal base 11 in a flat and peninsula-like shape, and a peninsula part 12 including an auxiliary pin 12b protruding from the peninsula base 12a in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the peninsula base 12a extends on the flat plate, an insertion step of inserting the metal part 10 into a mold M, and a molding step of integrally molding the metal part 10 and the resin part 20 by injecting resin into the mold M with the auxiliary pin 12b in contact with the inner wall of the mold M. According to this configuration, since the metal part 10 having the peninsula part 12 is used, the strength of the corner part P of the housing C can be improved. Furthermore, since the auxiliary pin 12b of the metal part 10 is integrally molded in a state in which it is in contact with the inner wall of the mold M, deformation of the peninsula part 12 during integral molding can be suppressed.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the metal part 10 may not have the auxiliary pin 12b. Also, the peninsula part 12 (peninsula base part 12a) may be exposed on the outer surface 20a of the resin part.

The type and number of antennas 30 are not limited to those in the above embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate. For example, a wireless communication antenna supporting the WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) communication standard may be used as the antenna 30. The number of antennas 30 may be three or less, or five or more. The number of plastic parts 20 and peninsula parts 12 provided at the corners P of the housing C may be changed depending on the number and arrangement of the antennas 30. For example, the number of plastic parts 20 and peninsula parts 12 may be one, three, or four, respectively.

In addition, the metal part 10 does not have to have the flange part 11b, the hole 14, the recess 15, and the rib 16.

In addition, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate.

1...Electronic device 10...Metal part 11...Metal base 11a...Outer surface of metal part 12...Peninsula part 12a...Peninsula base 12b...Auxiliary pin 12ba...Tip surface 20...Resin part 20a...Outer surface of resin part C...Housing M...Mold

Claims (1)

a preparation step of preparing a metal part including a flat metal base, a peninsula base extending from the metal base in a flat and peninsular shape, and an auxiliary pin protruding from the peninsula base in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the peninsula base extends in a flat shape;
an inserting step of inserting the metal part into a die;
a molding process of injecting resin into the mold with the auxiliary pin in contact with an inner wall of the mold to integrally mold the metal part and the resin part ,
In the molding step, the resin is injected into the mold so that the resin contacts the edge of the tip surface of the auxiliary pin .

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