JP5622080B2 - Torque hinge device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a torque hinge device having an angle holding function for connecting a first member and a second member and holding the first member and the second member at an arbitrary angular position.

  For example, a liquid crystal display in a personal computer or a normal television employs a torque hinge device that can be adjusted to an angle at which the screen can be easily viewed and has an angle holding function that can hold the adjusted angle. Yes.

Conventionally, as an example of a torque hinge device provided with such an angle holding mechanism, there is a configuration shown in FIG. 10 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
This torque hinge device is provided so that the first member 10 can rotate with respect to the second member 20 and can be held at a set angle.
The first member 10 has a shaft portion 12 attached to the second member 20. The shaft portion 12 has a shape in which a flat plane portion 11 is formed by cutting out a part of a circular cross section, and the plane portion 11 is linear with respect to the diameter of the circle so as to face each other across the center of the circle. It is formed at a symmetrical position.
The tip portion 13 of the first member 10 is structured to be attached to another member such as a display.

  The second member 20 is a member that can rotate with respect to the shaft portion 12 of the first member 10, and has a plate-like attachment portion 21 that can be attached to other members, and a surface perpendicular to the surface of the attachment portion 21. And a shaft mounting portion 22 that is erected. The shaft attachment portion 22 is formed with an insertion hole 24 through which the shaft portion 12 of the first member 10 can be inserted.

The first member 10 and the second member 20 are attached via two friction washers 26, a spring washer 27, and a stopper 28.
First, the friction washer 26 is inserted through the shaft portion 12 of the first member 10. The center hole of the friction washer 26 is formed in the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the shaft portion 12, and the friction washer 26 is fixed to the shaft portion 12 without rotating.
Then, the shaft portion 12 is inserted into the insertion hole 24 of the second member 20, and the friction washer 26 having the same shape as the friction washer 26, the spring washer 27, and the stopper 28 are sequentially inserted into the shaft portion 12 inserted through the insertion hole 24. Insert.

In a state where the friction washer 26, the shaft mounting portion 22, the friction washer 26, and the spring washer 27 are in pressure contact, the stopper 28 is caulked and fixed to the shaft portion 12.
According to such a configuration, since the friction washer 26 is in contact with both surfaces of the shaft mounting portion 22 of the second member 20 with a predetermined frictional force, the second member 20 is in contact with the shaft portion 12 of the first member 10. If a rotation is attempted, a predetermined rotation torque is required, and the first member 10 and the second member can be held at a position rotated at an arbitrary angle.

JP 2001-12451 A

The conventional torque hinge device has a problem that a plurality of washers are required and the number of components is large. And since there are many processing steps for assembling such a large number of parts, there has been a demand to reduce the processing steps.
Furthermore, since the conventional torque hinge device is assembled with a plurality of washers to the shaft portion, it becomes a thick structure along the axial direction of the shaft portion, which can meet the demand for thinning and downsizing. There was also a problem that could not be done.

  Accordingly, the present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a torque hinge device capable of reducing the number of parts, reducing the number of processing steps, and reducing the thickness.

According to the torque hinge device according to the present invention, in the torque hinge device in which the first member and the second member are relatively rotatably mounted and the angle can be maintained at an arbitrary rotation angle. The first member is provided with a columnar or cylindrical shaft portion formed so as to be a rotation center, is mounted so as not to rotate with respect to the shaft portion, and exerts a biasing force toward the outer diameter direction. An outer diameter biasing washer having a biasing portion is provided, and the second member has a storage hole for storing the outer diameter biasing washer, and the outer diameter biasing washer attaches the inner wall surface of the storage hole. A stopper is provided that can be rotated in the storage hole while being pressed by the biasing portion, and is fixed to the shaft portion so that the second member and the outer diameter biasing washer do not fall out of the shaft portion. is, the outer径付biasing the washer and the second member is the It has a thickness of, upon receiving the external径付biased washer receiving hole of the second member, the surface of the second member and the surface of the outer径付biasing the washer is flush It is characterized by.
By adopting this configuration, the outer-diameter biasing washer that cannot rotate with respect to the shaft portion rotates while pressing the inner wall surface of the storage hole of the second member. For this reason, the necessary torque is generated between the urging portion of the outer diameter urging washer and the inner wall surface of the storage hole of the second member. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts without using a plurality of friction washers or the like to generate torque. Since a plurality of friction washers and the like are not stacked in the axial direction, the thickness can be reduced. Further, since the surface of the second member and the surface of the outer diameter biasing washer are flush with each other, the thickness can be further reduced.

According to the torque hinge device according to the present invention, in the torque hinge device in which the first member and the second member are relatively rotatably mounted and the angle can be maintained at an arbitrary rotation angle. The first member is provided with a columnar or cylindrical shaft portion formed so as to be a rotation center, is mounted so as not to rotate with respect to the shaft portion, and exerts a biasing force toward the outer diameter direction. An outer diameter biasing washer having a biasing portion is provided, and the second member has a storage hole for storing the outer diameter biasing washer, and the outer diameter biasing washer attaches the inner wall surface of the storage hole. A stopper is provided that can be rotated in the storage hole while being pressed by the biasing portion, and is fixed to the shaft portion so that the second member and the outer diameter biasing washer do not fall out of the shaft portion. It is, in the biasing unit is a convex projecting in the outer radial portion Is formed, the the inner wall of the receiving hole is characterized in that is formed capable of accommodating recesses the projections of the urging portion.
By adopting this configuration, the outer-diameter biasing washer that cannot rotate with respect to the shaft portion rotates while pressing the inner wall surface of the storage hole of the second member. For this reason, the necessary torque is generated between the urging portion of the outer diameter urging washer and the inner wall surface of the storage hole of the second member. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts without using a plurality of friction washers or the like to generate torque. Since a plurality of friction washers and the like are not stacked in the axial direction, the thickness can be reduced. Further, by adopting this configuration, a click feeling can be generated at a position where the convex portion is housed in the concave portion when the first member and the second member are relatively rotated.

Further, the outer diameter biasing washer is formed by cutting out the outer edge of the outer diameter biasing washer having a substantially circular diameter in a plan view while cutting away the inner side of the outer edge in the circumferential direction. One or a plurality of outer edge portions may be provided as a biasing portion having a spring property in the outer diameter direction of the circle.
According to this configuration, a single disk-shaped member is formed by leaving a part of the outer edge as the urging portion and cutting out the inner portion, so that the urging portion is attached in the outer diameter direction of the circle. An outer diameter biasing washer can be provided with a force.

The outer diameter biasing washer is formed with one or a plurality of arc-shaped punching holes along the circumferential direction, leaving the outer edge of the outer diameter biasing washer substantially circular in plan view. The urging portion may be characterized in that an outer edge portion of the punching hole is provided as a urging portion having a spring property in the outer diameter direction of the circle.
According to this configuration, a punching hole is formed in one disk-shaped member, and an outer edge portion located outside the punching hole is provided as a biasing portion having a biasing force in the outer diameter direction of the circle. An outer diameter biasing washer can be used.

  According to the torque hinge device of the present invention, the number of parts can be reduced to reduce the machining process, and the thickness can be reduced.

It is a top view which shows the external appearance structure of a torque hinge apparatus. It is the exploded view which looked at the torque hinge apparatus from the side. It is the exploded view which looked at the torque hinge apparatus from the side which shows other composition of a shaft part. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 2. It is a top view of an outer diameter energizing washer. It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between an outer diameter biasing washer and the accommodation hole of a 2nd member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other form of an outer diameter biasing washer. It is an exploded view which shows the structure which increased the recessed part of the accommodation hole of the 2nd member, and also increased the number of the western part of the outer diameter biasing washer. It is an exploded view which shows the structure which increased the recessed part of the storage hole of a 2nd member. It is an assembly exploded view of the conventional torque hinge apparatus.

An embodiment of a torque hinge device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration after the torque hinge device is assembled, FIG. 2 is an exploded view from the side of the torque hinge device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a case where the shaft portion is a separate member from the first member. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the torque hinge device shown in FIG. 2 (a part of the second member is omitted). FIG. 5 is a plan view of the outer diameter biasing washer, and FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the outer diameter biasing washer and the storage hole of the second member.

The torque hinge device 30 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the first member 32 and the second member 34 are relatively rotatable, and when rotated, the torque hinge device 30 can rotate at an arbitrary rotation angle. It is provided so that the rotation angle can be maintained.
The 1st member 32 in this embodiment is a metal plate formed in plate shape, Comprising: The axial part 35 used as the rotation center is provided in arbitrary places.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the shaft portion 35 is formed so as to extend from the surface of the plate-like first member 32 in a direction perpendicular to the surface, and is formed integrally with the first member 32 by burring or the like. It has a cylindrical configuration. As the configuration of the shaft portion 35, the first member 32 is formed integrally with the first member 32, so that the first member 32 cannot be rotated and the number of parts can be reduced. It is preferable to form.

Note that, as in the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the shaft portion 35 is formed as a member different from the first member 32 and is formed in a cylindrical shape or a column shape so as to protrude in the vertical direction from the surface of the plate-shaped member. It is good also as a member. The shaft portion 35 is configured to enter the shaft portion through hole 38 formed in the plate-like first member 32 from the back surface and protrude from the surface.
The flat surface side of the shaft portion 35 is provided with a flange portion 33 that protrudes outward from the shaft portion 35, and the flange portion 33 comes into contact with the back surface of the first member 32 to prevent the shaft portion 35 from coming off. In this case, the shaft portion 35 accommodated in the shaft portion through hole 38 is fixed to the first member 32 by caulking or the like.

The shaft portion 35 is provided so that an outer diameter biasing washer 40 described later is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 35 so as not to be rotatable.
As a means for fixing the outer-diameter biasing washer 40 to the outer peripheral surface thereof, an example in which the shaft portion 35 is not completely circular in sectional view and a flat surface 35a is formed on a part of the outer peripheral surface can be given. The flat surface 35a is formed by cutting or grinding a part of the cylindrical thickness portion that forms the shaft portion 35.
In the present embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the shaft portion 35 is a dodecagon so that a plurality of flat surfaces 35a are formed, but the number of the flat surfaces 35a may be any number.

The second member 34 in the present embodiment is mounted on the surface in the direction in which the shaft portion 35 of the first member 32 protrudes. The second member 34 is in contact with the surface of the first member 32 and is slidable with respect to the surface of the first member 32, and has a predetermined angle with respect to the rotation portion 36. And a connection portion 37 that can be connected to another member.
The rotating portion 36 is formed with a storage hole 42 for storing an outer diameter biasing washer 40 described later.

In the present embodiment, as an example of the second member 34, a plate-like rotating portion 36 and a plate-like connecting portion 37 (not shown in FIG. 4) bend one metal plate at a right angle. Although the configuration is formed, the second member 34 is not limited to such a configuration. The rotation part 36 and the connection part 37 may be comprised by another member.
Further, for example, the rotating portion 36 is disposed via the outer diameter biasing washer 40 at a position where it does not contact the surface of the first member 32 (a position where a gap is formed from the surface of the first member 32). May be.
Further, the shape of the connecting portion 37 may not be a plate shape.

The outer diameter biasing washer 40 is formed with a housing hole 44 for housing the shaft portion 35 of the first member 32 therein. The shape of the storage hole 44 is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the shaft portion 35. When the storage hole 44 of the outer diameter biasing washer 40 is stored in the shaft portion 35, the outer diameter biasing washer 40 is So that it cannot rotate.
As described above, since the flat surface 35a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 35, the flat surface that makes one-to-one contact with the flat surface 35a is formed on the inner wall surface of the storage hole 44 of the outer diameter biasing washer 40. It suffices if a surface is formed.
In this embodiment, since the cross-sectional shape of the shaft portion 35 is a polygon (specifically, a dodecagon), the shape of the storage hole 44 is also a polygon (decagon).

The outer diameter biasing washer 40 is formed with a biasing portion 46 that biases in the outer diameter direction.
The configuration of the biasing portion 46 of this embodiment is formed in an arm shape in which one end (base portion) is connected to the outer diameter biasing washer main body and the other end (tip portion) is separated from the outer diameter biasing washer main body. It has been done. The arm-shaped urging portion 46 is formed leaving the outer edge of the substantially circular outer diameter urging washer 40 as it is, and a notch portion 48 is formed on the inside thereof in a circumferential direction.
The arm-shaped urging portion 46 has a spring property that goes outward from the base of the arm to the tip of the arm. Therefore, at the distal end portion of the arm of the urging portion 46, a force directed in the outer diameter direction is applied and slightly protrudes in the outer diameter direction from portions other than the arm-shaped portion.

In the present embodiment, the arm-like urging portions 46 are provided at two positions that are point-symmetric with respect to the center of the circle when the outer diameter urging washer 40 is viewed in plan.
By changing the number of places where the urging portion 46 is provided, the magnitude of torque with respect to the second member 34 can be adjusted.

The outer diameter biasing washer 40 is accommodated in the accommodation hole 42 of the second member 34. At this time, the urging portion 46 of the outer-diameter biasing washer 40 presses the inner wall surface of the storage hole 42, so that the outer-diameter biasing washer 40 and the second member 34 are the second member from the inner side. Torque is generated by pressing 34.
As described above, since the torque is generated only at the inner wall surface of the storage hole and the portion in contact with the inner wall surface, the number of parts can be reduced and the thickness can be reduced.

In addition, a convex portion 50 that protrudes outward is formed in the vicinity of the distal end portion of the arm-shaped biasing portion 46, and a concave portion 52 having a size that can accommodate the convex portion 50 is formed on the second member 34. It is formed on the inner wall surface of the storage hole 42.
In the present embodiment, since the urging portions 46 are formed at two locations with the center being point-symmetric, the convex portions 50 are also formed at two locations with respect to one outer diameter urging washer 40.
By adopting such a configuration, when the second member 34 is rotated with respect to the outer-diameter biasing washer 40, a large torque is generated at a portion where the convex portion 50 does not enter the concave portion 52, and the convex portion When 50 enters the recess 52, it temporarily stops at that position. When starting the rotation again, a large torque is required. Since the operator can recognize the touch at the position where the convex portion 50 enters the concave portion 52 as a click feeling, the operator can easily recognize a predetermined rotation angle.

Further, the number of the recesses 52 may be the same as or more than the number of the protrusions 50 of the outer diameter biasing washer 40. Further, when any one of the plurality of convex portions 50 fits into the concave portion 52, the other convex portion 50 may be formed to fit into the other concave portion 52.
For example, in the case where the convex portion 50 is formed in the outer diameter biasing washer 40 at two locations facing each other across the center, the concave portion 52 on the inner wall surface of the storage hole 44 is sandwiched between the centers. It is good to provide in four places each having an angle of 90 degrees.
In this configuration, when the second member 34 and the first member 32 are rotated, a click occurs every time the second member 34 and the first member 32 are rotated 90 degrees.

  The outer diameter biasing washer 40 may be formed to have the same thickness as the second member 34. According to this, when the outer diameter biasing washer 40 is stored in the storage hole 44 of the second member 34, each member becomes the same plane. Can be suppressed.

After the second member 34 and the outer diameter biasing washer 40 are mounted on the shaft portion 35, a stopper 55 that is in close contact with the surface of the second member 34 and the outer diameter biasing washer 40 is provided on the tip portion side of the shaft portion 35. Provide.
The stopper 55 is formed with a storage hole 59 having the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the shaft portion 35. The shaft portion 35 is inserted into the storage hole 59 and fixed to the shaft portion 35 by caulking. The stopper 55 is configured to prevent the second member 34 and the outer diameter biasing washer 40 from coming off from the shaft portion 35.

Next, another embodiment of the outer diameter biasing washer will be described with reference to FIG.
In the outer diameter biasing washer 60 of the present embodiment, the biasing portion 62 is not an arm shape, but is the shape of the outer edge portion of the outer diameter biasing washer 60 as it is. That is, the urging portion 62 is completely connected to the outer diameter urging washer main body and both ends. On the inside of the urging portion 62, a cutout portion 64 is formed that is cut out in a circular arc shape or a shape close to a circular arc. Even when such a notch 64 is formed on a single plate-like member, the outer edge of the notch 64 has a biasing force protruding in the outer diameter direction.
The convex portion 50 may be formed also in the urging portion 62 in the present embodiment.

Next, FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which a large number of recesses 52 are formed on the inner wall surface of the storage hole 42 of the second member 34 and the urging portions 46 of the outer diameter urging washers 40 are provided at four locations.
First, the recesses 52 of the present embodiment are formed at 12 locations on the inner wall surface of the storage hole 42. As described above, by increasing the number of the recesses 52, when the second member 34 is rotated with respect to the first member 32, the rotation is performed while feeling a click feeling even if the second member 34 is not rotated at a large angle. Can be moved.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which a large number of recesses 52 are formed on the inner wall surface of the storage hole 42 of the second member 34 and the urging portions 46 of the outer diameter urging washers 40 are provided at two locations.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the recesses 52 are formed at 12 locations on the inner wall surface of the storage hole 42. This is the same as the configuration of FIG. 8, and when the second member 34 is rotated with respect to the first member 32 by increasing the number of the recesses 52, the rotation is not a large angle. However, it can be rotated while feeling a click feeling.

The difference between FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 is the difference in the number of biasing portions 46 of the outer diameter biasing washer 40. The torque can be easily changed by changing the number of the urging portions 46. In FIG. 8, since the urging portions 46 are provided at four locations, the urging force to the inner wall surface of the storage hole 42 is more greatly applied than in the embodiment of FIG. 9 where the urging portions 46 are provided at two locations. The torque can be increased as compared with the configuration of FIG.
Conversely, when it is desired to reduce the torque during rotation, the number of urging portions 46 may be reduced.

  In the present invention, the shape of the urging portion of the outer diameter urging washer described above is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be any shape as long as it has a urging force in the outer diameter direction. It is.

  Further, the torque hinge device of the present invention is not limited to use in a liquid crystal display in a personal computer or a video device such as a television, and can be used in various devices.

30 Torque hinge device 32 First member 33 Flange portion 34 Second member 35 Shaft portion 35a Flat surface 36 Rotating portion 37 Connection portion 38 Shaft portion through holes 40, 60 Outer diameter biasing washers 42, 44, 59 Housing hole 44 Flat Surfaces 46, 62 Energizing portions 48, 64 Notch portion 50 Convex portion 52 Concave portion 55 Stopper

Claims (4)

In the torque hinge device capable of relatively rotatingly mounting the first member and the second member and maintaining the angle at an arbitrary rotation angle,
The first member is provided with a columnar or cylindrical shaft portion formed to be a rotation center,
An outer diameter biasing washer is provided which is mounted so as not to rotate with respect to the shaft portion and has a biasing portion having a biasing force toward the outer diameter direction.
The second member is formed with a storage hole for storing the outer diameter biasing washer so that the outer diameter biasing washer can rotate within the storage hole while pressing the inner wall surface of the storage hole by the biasing portion. Provided,
A stopper fixed to the shaft portion is provided to prevent the second member and the outer diameter biasing washer from falling off the shaft portion ,
The second member and the outer-diameter biasing washer have the same thickness, and when the outer-diameter biasing washer is accommodated in the accommodating hole of the second member, the surface of the second member and the outer A torque hinge device, wherein the surface of the diameter biasing washer is flush with the surface . In the torque hinge device capable of relatively rotatingly mounting the first member and the second member and maintaining the angle at an arbitrary rotation angle,
The first member is provided with a columnar or cylindrical shaft portion formed to be a rotation center,
An outer diameter biasing washer is provided which is mounted so as not to rotate with respect to the shaft portion and has a biasing portion having a biasing force toward the outer diameter direction.
The second member is formed with a storage hole for storing the outer diameter biasing washer so that the outer diameter biasing washer can rotate within the storage hole while pressing the inner wall surface of the storage hole by the biasing portion. Provided,
A stopper fixed to the shaft portion is provided to prevent the second member and the outer diameter biasing washer from falling off the shaft portion ,
The urging portion is formed with a convex portion protruding in the outer diameter direction,
The torque hinge device according to claim 1, wherein a concave portion capable of accommodating the convex portion of the urging portion is formed in the inner wall portion of the accommodating hole . The outer diameter biasing washer is
A part of the outer edge of the outer diameter biasing washer having a substantially circular diameter in plan view is formed by cutting out the inner side of the outer edge in the circumferential direction, and one or a plurality of the remaining outer edge portions of the circle are formed. 3. The torque hinge device according to claim 1 , wherein the torque hinge device is provided as an urging portion having a spring property in an outer diameter direction. The outer diameter biasing washer is
One or more arcuate punching holes are formed along the circumferential direction, leaving the outer edge of the outer diameter biasing washer having a substantially circular shape in plan view.
3. The torque hinge device according to claim 1 , wherein the urging portion is provided as a urging portion in which an outer edge portion of the punching hole has a spring property in an outer diameter direction of the circle.

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