JP2002333012A - Hinge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small and inexpensively manufacturable hinge device with a simple structure. SOLUTION: In the hinge device, a device body and a display body are composed so that they can be relatively folded by connecting each attaching cylinder respectively protrudedly provided on an end part of the device body and an end part of the display body and overlapped so as to mutually share an axis in an axial direction by a hinge constituent member incorporated inside each attaching cylinder and having at least a fixed cam, a fixed member, a sliding cam facing the fixed cam and slidably provided so as to rotate together with the fixed member, and an elastic means pressing the sliding cam toward a fixed cam side. By composing a single hinge body by using the hinge constituent member, inserting the hinge body toward the attaching cylinder positioned in an inner side than the attaching cylinder positioned in an outer side, and respectively engaging the fixed cam to one of the attaching cylinders and the fixed member to another, the device body and the display body are connected so that they can be relatively folded and a part of the hinge body is locked to the attaching cylinder positioned in the inner side so that it does not come loose in the axial direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hinge device suitable for use in a small foldable electronic device such as a portable telephone, a portable computer, and an electronic organizer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a hinge device of this type, mounting cylinders projecting from an end of an apparatus main body and an end of a display body and superimposed on each other so as to have a common axis in an axial direction are used. A fixed cam incorporated in each of the mounting cylinders,
A hinge structure having at least a fixed member, a slide cam slidably opposed to the fixed cam and rotatable with the fixed member, and elastic means for pressing the slide cam toward the fixed cam. A hinge device is known in which the device main body and the display body are relatively foldable by being connected by a member.

[0003]

However, the conventional hinge device has a structure in which the respective hinge components constituting the hinge device are individually incorporated in the respective mounting cylinders, so that the assembling work is complicated and the production cost is reduced. There was a problem that it was expensive. In recent years, the industry has been exposed to a rough wave of cost reduction, and in the technical field of this kind of electronic equipment, there is a very severe demand for miniaturization and cost reduction.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a hinge device which can meet the technical requirements required for the above-mentioned hinge device, and which is small in size, simple in structure and inexpensive to manufacture.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of the present invention is to protrude from an end of an apparatus main body and an end of a display body and have a common axis in the axial direction. A fixed cam, a fixed member, and a slide provided so as to be slidable in opposition to the fixed cam and to rotate together with the fixed member, each of the superposed mounting cylinders being incorporated in each of the mounting cylinders. In the hinge device, the cam body and the display body are relatively foldable by being connected to each other by a hinge body having elastic means for pressing the sliding cam toward the fixed cam side. To form a single hinge body, and insert the hinge body toward the mounting cylinder positioned inside from the mounting cylinder positioned outside, and fix the fixed cam to one of the mounting cylinders. The other By engaging the fixing members with each other, the device main body and the display body are relatively foldably connected to each other, and a part of the hinge body is axially pulled out to a mounting cylinder body located inside. By locking so that the main body and the display body are relatively openable and closable, the work is facilitated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, each of the mounting cylinders projecting from the end of the apparatus main body and the end of the display body and superimposed on each other so as to have a common axis in the axial direction is provided. A fixed cam, a fixed member, a sliding cam provided to be slidable in opposition to the fixed cam and rotated with the fixed member, and pressed to the fixed cam side. A hinge member having at least a resilient means to connect the apparatus main body and the display body to be relatively foldable. A sliding cam is attached so as to be slidable and rotates together with the fixed member, and an elastic member is elastically provided between the sliding cam and the fixed member to form a single hinge body. And, inserted toward the mounting case body is located from the mounting cylinder to position the hinge member to the outside to the inside,
By fixing and engaging the fixed cam to one of the mounting cylinders and the fixing member to the other one, the device body and the display body are relatively foldably connected, and the By locking a part of the hinge body to the mounting cylinder body located inside so as not to come off in the axial direction, the connection between the apparatus body and the display body is facilitated as in the first embodiment, and The configuration is also simplified.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, each of the mounting cylinders is provided with a locking ridge in the axial direction of the inner circumference, and the fixed cam and the fixing member of the hinge body extend in the axial direction on the outer circumference, respectively. The provision of the locking groove for engaging with the protruding ridge facilitates the engagement between the fixing cam and the fixing member with respect to each mounting cylinder.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the cam portion of the fixed cam comprises a recess provided at a predetermined angle and a substantially flat shelf connecting the recesses, and the cam portion of the sliding cam is provided. The present invention is intended to improve the operability of the display body with respect to the apparatus main body by comprising a plurality of convex portions that fall into the concave portions or press against the convex portions depending on the relative rotation angle with respect to the fixed cam.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A case where an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a portable telephone will be described below. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference symbols 1 and 2 are a display body constituting a transmitting unit and a receiving unit constituting a transmitting unit of the mobile phone A, and a keyboard 1a and a microphone 1b are provided on the surface of the apparatus main unit 1 side. And a display unit 2a and a speaker 2b are provided on the display body side.

Mounting cylinders 3, 3, 4 and 4 project from each end of the apparatus main body 1 and the display body 2, and of these mounting cylinders, the mounting cylinders protrude from the apparatus main body 1 side. The mounting cylinders 3 and 3 are located on both outer sides, and the mounting cylinders 4 and 4 projecting from the display body 2 are positioned inside the mounting cylinders 3 and 3. Then, the mounting cylinders 3, 3, 4 and 4 are overlapped in the axial direction with a common axis, and the hinge bodies B and C are inserted into the mounting cylinders 3, 3, 4 and 4. Thereby, the apparatus main body 1 and the display body 2 are connected to each other so as to be able to open and close relatively.

The structures of the hinges B and C are the same, except that they are symmetrical only. Therefore, only the hinge B will be described. In particular, in FIGS.
Is a shaft, a flange 6 is provided at one end of the shaft 5, and a deformed shaft 7 having a substantially elliptical cross section is provided following the flange 6; An engagement groove 8 for attaching a locking ring and a peripheral groove 9 for an E-ring are provided in the respective portions. The reference symbol 10 is a fixing member. The fixing member 10 has a stepped hole 11 formed of a circular hole 11a for attaching a locking ring and an elliptical deformed hole 11b in an axial direction of a central portion thereof, and is prevented from rotating around the outer periphery. Are provided. A plurality of locking grooves 10a, 10a,. Then, the deformed shaft portion 7 of the shaft 5 is inserted and locked into the deformed hole 11b, and the locking ring 12 fitted in the engagement groove 8 of the shaft 5 is fitted into the circular hole 11a inside the stepped hole 11.
And is locked to the shaft 5 so as not to get out of the shaft 5 and to rotate together with the shaft 5.
An E-ring 13 is fitted in the other circumferential groove 9.

On the flange portion 6 side of the shaft 5, a deformable shaft portion 7 of the shaft 5 is rotatably inserted into a circular hole 14a provided at the center thereof, and the fixed cam 14 is locked and fixed by the flange portion 6. A friction plate 15 made of, for example, a synthetic resin is interposed between the flange portion 6 and the fixed cam 14 while the deformable shaft portion 7 is inserted through a circular hole 15a provided at the center thereof. This fixed cam 1
4 is further provided with a plurality of locking grooves 14b, 14b,... Constituting a detent on its outer periphery, and a cam portion 16 comprising a plurality of recesses 16a and a flat shelf 16b is provided on one side thereof. I have. The locking groove 10 of the fixing member 10
a and the locking groove 14b of the fixed cam have different widths, and the locking groove 10a of the fixing member 10 is deeper and wider in both depth and width.

Between the fixed cam 14 and the fixed member 10, the deformed shaft portion 7 is provided with a deformed through hole 17a provided in the axial direction of the central portion thereof.
The sliding cam 17 is attached to the shaft 5 so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the deformable shaft portion 7 and rotatable together with the shaft 5. On a side surface of the sliding cam 17 facing the cam portion 16 of the fixed cam 14, a cam portion 17c including a plurality of convex portions 17b, 17b is provided.

The sliding cam 17 and the fixed member 10
An elastic member 18 composed of a compression spring is elastically provided around the shaft 5 around the shaft 5 so that the sliding cam 17 is constantly pressed toward the fixed cam 14 so that the convex portions 17b,
17b is pressed against the cam portion 16. Incidentally, the size of the entire hinge is approximately 5φ in the outer diameter of the largest part thereof, and the hinge is a small size of about 10 mm in the entire length of the hinge.

Therefore, especially as shown in FIG.
The hinge members B and C are inserted from the mounting cylinders 3 and 3 positioned outside with the fixing member 10 side first, and the fixing members 10 and
The locking groove 10a for preventing rotation is engaged with the locking ridges 4a, 4a provided on the mounting cylinders 4, 4, thereby fixing the fixing member 10 to the mounting cylinder positioned inside the display body 2. Are fixed in the mounting holes 4b, 4b of the bodies 4, 4, and then the locking grooves 14b, 14b,. The device body 1 and the display body 2 are connected by being inserted and engaged with the locking ridges 3b, 3b,.

Next, the E-ring 13 is fitted into the peripheral groove 9 of the deformed shaft 7 of the shaft 5 protruding from the end of the mounting cylinder 4 located inside, and the hinges B and C are pulled out. It is locked to the ends of the mounting cylinders 4 and 4 so as not to come in contact. When the display body 2 is opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body 1 in this manner, the shaft 5 is fixed to the fixing member 10.
And rotates together with the mounting cylinder 4 of the display 2. However, the device body 1 and the display body 2
Opening and closing are relative, and the apparatus body 1 is
May be opened and closed. In this case, fixed cam 1
Reference numeral 4 denotes a shaft 5 together with the mounting cylinder 4 to which this is fixed.
Will rotate around. Locking groove 1 of fixing member 10
If the depth or width of the fixing member 14 is made deeper or wider than the locking groove 14b of the fixing cam 14, when the fixing member 10 is inserted from the mounting cylinders 4 and 4 first, the fixing member 10
Has the advantage that it does not catch on the locking projections 3b, 3b of the outer mounting cylinders 3, 3.

In FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, when the apparatus body 1 is closed at 0 ° with respect to the display body 2,
The convex portion 17b of the cam portion 17c of the sliding cam 17 is the fixed cam 1
4 is located in the recess 16a of the cam portion 16. This 0 °
Since the concave portion 16a in which the convex portion 17b has fallen from the state of FIG.
Not completely dropped into a. Therefore, the display body 2 is locked in this state by being urged to rotate in the closing direction, and does not open naturally.
When the display body 2 is opened, the convex portion 17b moves onto the flat shelf 16b from the concave portion 16a of the cam portion 16, is opened free by a friction function, and falls into the concave portion 16a again when the opening angle is about 160 °. It is automatically opened by going out. At this time, the convex portion 17b falls completely into the concave portion 16a and is locked. And 160
It is possible to open further beyond °. When the display body 2 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 1 after use, the convex portion 17b is automatically closed as it is sucked by dropping into the concave portion 16a near the closing position, and the convex portion 17b is closed. Is not completely dropped into the concave portion 16a, so that the closed state is maintained as described above.

The control by the hinge device according to the present invention at the time of opening / closing operation of the display body 2 can be configured in various variations by changing the shape, installation position, etc. of each cam portion in addition to those described above. Thus, the feeling at the time of opening / closing operation can be changed. Thus, the hinge device according to the present invention can be used as a hinge device for opening and closing a display body of another small electronic device.

As another embodiment, the cam 1
The member provided with the cam 7c and the cam portion 16 may be reversed from that of the above-described embodiment. The shapes and installation positions of the projections and depressions can be variously changed depending on the application.

The hinge device according to the present invention can be used for opening / closing a display body of a foldable small electronic device other than a portable telephone. The required functions can be obtained at low cost by changing the installation position.

[0021]

The present invention is configured as described above.
According to the first aspect of the invention, the hinge body is small in size and has a simple configuration with a small number of parts, so that the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced. After being inserted into the mounting cylinder provided on the body, the fixing member and the fixing cam are engaged with each mounting cylinder, and only a part of the hinge body is locked to the mounting cylinder located inside. Since the assembling of the hinge device is completed, the labor and time required for the assembling can be greatly reduced, so that the cost can be significantly reduced.

According to the second aspect, the structure of the hinge body is made as simple as possible, and the cost can be further reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the fixing member of the hinge body and the fixing cam can be easily engaged and fitted to the mounting cylinders loaded therein, thereby facilitating the assembling work.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the apparatus main body and the display body can be locked in a closed state with a simple configuration, can be freely opened and closed at an intermediate opening angle, and can be fully opened. Can be locked again, thereby improving the operability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a hinge device according to the present invention implemented in a mobile phone.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 1 in an open state.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the hinge device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the hinge device shown in FIG. 3;

5 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge device shown in FIG.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of a hinge device implemented in the mobile phone shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view corresponding to the enlarged sectional view shown in FIG. 6 and explaining its operation.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the fixed cam and the sliding cam at 0 °.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation at 160 ° of the fixed cam and the sliding cam.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus main body (transmitting part) 2 Display body (receiving part) 3 Mounting cylinder 3a Mounting hole 3b Locking ridge 4 Mounting cylinder 4a Locking ridge 4b Mounting hole 5 Shaft 10 Fixing member 10a Locking groove 12 locking ring 13 E-ring 14 fixed cam 16 cam 16a recess 16b flat shelf 17 sliding cam 17b convex 17c cam 18 elastic member

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A mounting cylinder body projecting from an end of an apparatus main body and an end of a display body and superimposed on each other so as to have a common axis in an axial direction is incorporated into each of these mounting cylinders. A fixed cam, a fixed member, a sliding cam slidably opposed to the fixed cam and provided so as to rotate with the fixed member, and elastic means for pressing the sliding cam toward the fixed cam. In a hinge device in which the device main body and the display body are relatively foldable by being connected with at least a hinge component member having the hinge component member, a single hinge body is formed by using the hinge component member, and the hinge body is disposed outside. And the fixed cam is engaged with one of the mounting cylinders and the fixing member is engaged with the other of the mounting cylinders. Further, the apparatus main body and the display body are relatively foldably connected to each other, and a part of the hinge body is locked to a mounting cylinder body located inside so as not to come off in the axial direction. A hinge device. 2. Mounting cylinders projecting from an end of an apparatus main body and an end of a display body and superimposed on each other so as to have a common axis in an axial direction are incorporated in the mounting cylinders. A fixed cam, a fixed member, a sliding cam slidably opposed to the fixed cam and provided so as to rotate with the fixed member, and elastic means for pressing the sliding cam toward the fixed cam. By connecting with at least a hinge component member having, in the hinge device configured to be able to relatively fold the device body and the display body, fixed cams and fixed members are installed on both sides of the shaft, and slidable on the shaft, A sliding cam is attached so as to rotate with the fixing member, and an elastic member is elastically provided between the sliding cam and the fixing member to form a single hinge body. Into the mounting cylinder positioned on the inner side than the mounting cylinder positioned on the outside, the fixed cam is engaged with one of the mounting cylinders, and the fixing member is engaged with the other. Thereby, the apparatus main body and the display body are connected relatively foldably, and a part of the hinge body is locked to the mounting cylinder body located inside so as not to come off in the axial direction. The hinge device. 3. Each of the mounting cylinders has a locking projection in the axial direction of the inner circumference, and the fixed cam and the fixing member of the hinge body extend in the axial direction on the outer circumference, respectively. The hinge device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein a locking groove to be engaged is provided. 4. A cam portion of the fixed cam includes a concave portion provided at a predetermined angle and a substantially flat shelf connecting the concave portions, and the cam portion of the sliding cam is provided with the fixed cam. The hinge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hinge device comprises a plurality of convex portions which fall into the concave portion or press against the shelf portion by a relative rotation angle of the convex portion.