CN215950113U - Hinge assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A hinge comprises a fixed seat and two supporting modules. The fixing seat is provided with an arc-shaped track. The support module comprises a pivoting guide unit and a sliding unit. The pivoting guide unit is pivoted with the fixed seat and is provided with a bearing surface and an oblique guide part. The sliding unit is provided with a sliding pivot arm linked by the pivot guiding unit and a sliding block used for connecting the shell. The sliding pivot arm is provided with an arm body, a sliding shaft and a positive guide part which are respectively connected with the two opposite ends of the arm body. The sliding shaft can slide along the arc-shaped track and pivot. The sliding block is provided with a block body, a sliding chute matched with the forward guiding part and an oblique sliding part matched with the oblique guiding part. When the supporting module is converted from the unfolding state to the folding state, the sliding block slides relative to the positive guiding part and the oblique guiding part under the action of the sliding pivot arm, and moves towards the other sliding block away from the fixed seat. Therefore, the gap of the shell connected with the sliding block can be reduced when the shell is folded, and the integral thickness of the shell is further reduced when the shell is folded.

Description

Hinge assembly

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a hinge, and more particularly, to a hinge suitable for supporting a flexible screen.

Background

In recent years, as the technology of flexible screens, i.e. flexible display screens, becomes more mature, the foldable electronic devices using the flexible screens are also developed.

Generally, a hinge is required to be installed on a housing of a foldable electronic device to enable two foldable housings to be relatively unfolded and folded, and the hinge is used to support a flexible screen. At present, the flexible screen is located inside or outside when the electronic device is folded, and the folding mode of the flexible screen is divided into an inward folding mode and an outward folding mode. The inner folding flexible screen is located between the two half shells when the electronic device is folded, and is bent in a U shape.

The flexible screen is bent in a U shape, so that a certain interval is reserved between the two half machine shells to contain the flexible screen, and the thickness of the machine shell is thicker.

Disclosure of Invention

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a hinge that can reduce the required thickness of the housing.

In some embodiments, the hinge of the present invention is adapted to connect two stackable housings, and includes a fixing base and two supporting modules. The fixing seat comprises two seat bodies which are connected side by side along a first direction. Each seat body is provided with two arc-shaped rails which are positioned at the inner side of the other seat body and are arranged along a second direction vertical to the first direction and are symmetrical with each other. The supporting modules are symmetrically connected with the fixed seat and can be relatively switched between an unfolding state and a folding state, and the supporting modules are connected to two opposite sides of the fixed seat along the second direction in the unfolding state. Each support module comprises a pivoting guide unit and a sliding unit. The pivoting guide unit is pivoted with the fixed seat and is provided with a bearing surface and an inclined guide part which obliquely extends relative to the bearing surface. The sliding unit is provided with a sliding pivot arm linked by the pivot guiding unit and a sliding block used for connecting one of the shells. The sliding pivot arm is provided with an arm body, a sliding shaft and a forward guide part, wherein the sliding shaft and the forward guide part are respectively connected to two opposite ends of the arm body, the sliding shaft is arranged between a pair of opposite arc-shaped rails of the base body and can slide along the arc-shaped rails, and the sliding pivot arm can pivot by taking the sliding shaft as a shaft. The sliding block is provided with a block body, a sliding groove which is arranged on the block body and is matched with and used for accommodating the forward guiding part and a part of the arm body, and an oblique sliding part which is arranged on the block body and is matched with the oblique guiding part in a concave-convex mode. When the support modules are switched from the unfolding state to the folding state, the sliding pivot arm of each support module slides and pivots along the arc-shaped track of the fixed seat, and the sliding block slides along the direction vertical to the bearing surface relative to the forward guide part and slides relative to the oblique guide part, so that the sliding block of the support module moves in the direction which is away from the fixed seat and is relatively close to the fixed seat.

In some embodiments, the block has an inner abutting surface with an oblique arc surface, an outer abutting surface opposite to the inner abutting surface, a first end surface connecting the inner abutting surface and the outer abutting surface and being close to the fixing seat, a second end surface opposite to the first end surface, and two side surfaces located on two opposite sides and provided with the oblique sliding portion, wherein the thickness of the block gradually decreases from the second end surface to the first end surface to enable the inner abutting surface to be an oblique arc surface, the inner abutting surface does not protrude out of the bearing surface in the unfolding state, and the inner abutting surface protrudes out of the bearing surface and is close to the inner abutting surface of another supporting module in an opposite direction in the folding state.

In some embodiments, the forward guiding portion is connected to the end of the arm body in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the width of the forward guiding portion is greater than the width of the arm body and protrudes toward both sides of the arm body, the sliding groove has a limiting groove portion which is close to the second end face, penetrates through the inner abutting surface and the outer abutting surface along a direction perpendicular to the bearing surface, and is matched with and accommodated in the forward guiding portion, and an extending groove portion which has a width matched with the arm body and extends through the first end face, the inner abutting surface and the outer abutting surface from the limiting groove portion.

In some embodiments, the pivot guiding unit includes a first pivot element and a second pivot element respectively pivoted to the base, and the first pivot element and the second pivot element are connected to each other to pivot synchronously and together form the bearing surface, the oblique guiding portion, and an accommodating groove for accommodating the slider, so that the slider is located between the first pivot element and the second pivot element.

In some implementation aspects, the first pivot element has a first connecting portion close to the fixing seat, the second pivot element has a second connecting portion connected to the first connecting portion and commonly limiting the arm, and the arm can slide between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion along the extending direction of the arm.

In some embodiments, the oblique guiding portion is a plurality of protruding ribs symmetrically distributed on the inner sides of the first pivot member and the second pivot member, and extending obliquely relative to the bearing surface, and the oblique sliding portion is a plurality of grooves distributed on the side surface and respectively matched with the protruding ribs in a concave-convex manner.

In some embodiments, the slider further has a shell connecting portion connected to the block and located outside the accommodating groove for connecting to the shell.

In some embodiments, the shell connecting portion is connected to the second end face.

In some embodiments, the second connecting portion forms a gap for the arm to pass through and accommodate the first connecting portion, so that the arm is linearly movably located between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion.

The utility model has the following effects: when the supporting module is switched from the unfolding state to the folding state, the sliding block moves towards the direction which is away from the fixed seat and is relatively close to the fixed seat, so that the gap of the shell connected with the sliding block can be reduced when the shell is folded, and the integral thickness of the shell is further reduced when the shell is folded.

Drawings

Other features and effects of the present invention will be apparent from the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the hinge of the present invention applied to connect two housings;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 2 with the housing removed;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view corresponding to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of this embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view from another perspective of the embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view illustrating the assembled relationship of the embodiment with the housing;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating the connection of the embodiment to the housing in the expanded condition;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view illustrating the connection of the embodiment to the housing in the collapsed condition;

FIG. 11 is a left side view of the embodiment in the deployed state;

FIG. 12 is a right side view of the embodiment in the deployed state;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment in the expanded state;

FIG. 14 is a left side view of the embodiment in the collapsed state;

FIG. 15 is a right side view of the embodiment in the collapsed state;

fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment in the collapsed state.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1-4, the embodiment of the hinge 10 of the present invention is adapted to connect two stackable housings 20 to collectively carry a flexible screen (not shown). In the embodiment, each housing 20 includes an inner housing member 201 and an outer housing member 202 combined and connected, and the hinge 10 is used to connect the inner housing members 201 of the housings 20. In the present embodiment, two hinges 10 are commonly connected to the housing 20, and a synchronous torsion mechanism 30 and two carrier plates 40 are connected between the hinges 10. The synchronous torsion mechanism 30 includes a shaft seat 301 and two torsion units 302 for enabling the hinge 10 to pivot synchronously. The carrier plate 40 is used to support the flexible screen together with the inner casing member 201.

Referring to fig. 5 to 7, the hinge 10 includes a fixing base 1 and two supporting modules 2.

The fixing base 1 includes two base bodies 11 connected side by side along a first direction D1. Each seat 11 has two arc-shaped rails 111 located at the inner side of the other seat 11 and arranged along a second direction D2 perpendicular to the first direction D1, and two axle posts 112 located at the outer side of the other seat 11. The base body 11 is locked and fixed together by a screw lock 12 and forms a top surface 13 together.

The supporting modules 2 are symmetrically connected to the fixing base 1 and can be switched between an unfolded state (as shown in fig. 5) and a folded state (as shown in fig. 14), and in the unfolded state, the supporting modules 2 are connected to two opposite sides of the fixing base 1 along the second direction D2. Each support module 2 includes a pivoting guide unit 3 and a sliding unit 4.

In the present embodiment, the pivot guiding unit 3 includes a first pivot member 31 and a second pivot member 32 respectively pivoted to the base 11, and the first pivot member 31 and the second pivot member 32 are connected to each other to pivot synchronously and together form a bearing surface 33, an inclined guiding portion 34, and an accommodating groove 35. In this embodiment, the bearing surface 33 is coplanar with the top surface 13 of the fixing base 1 in the unfolded state. Specifically, one end of the first pivot member 31 is pivotally connected to the shaft 112 of one of the seat bodies 11, and has a first connection portion 311 close to the fixed seat 1. One end of the second pivot element 32 is pivotally connected to the shaft 112 of the other seat 11 and has a second connecting portion 321 connected to the first connecting portion 311. The inclined guiding portion 34 is a plurality of convex ribs symmetrically distributed on the inner sides of the first pivot member 31 and the second pivot member 32, and extending obliquely relative to the bearing surface 33.

The sliding unit 4 has a sliding pivot arm 41 linked by the pivot guide unit 3 and a slider 42 for connecting one of the housings 20 (see fig. 9). The sliding pivot arm 41 has an arm 411, and a sliding shaft 412 and a positive guiding portion 413 connected to opposite ends of the arm 411 respectively. The arm 411 is oblong and limited between the first connecting portion 311 and the second connecting portion 321, and can slide linearly between the first connecting portion 311 and the second connecting portion 321 along the extending direction of the arm 411. In this embodiment, the second connecting portion 321 forms a gap 322 for the arm 411 to pass through and accommodate the first connecting portion 311, so that the arm 411 can be linearly movably located between the first connecting portion 311 and the second connecting portion 321. The sliding shaft 412 is disposed between one pair of opposite arc-shaped rails 111 of the base body 11 and can slide along the arc-shaped rails 111, so that the sliding pivot arm 41 can pivot around the sliding shaft 412. The forward guiding portion 413 is connected to the end of the arm 411 in a rectangular shape, and the width of the forward guiding portion 413 is larger than the width of the arm 411 and protrudes to both sides than the arm 411.

The sliding block 42 is located in the accommodating groove 35 between the first pivoting member 31 and the second pivoting member 32, and has a block 421, a sliding groove 422 disposed in the block 421 and matching with the forward guiding portion 413 and a portion of the arm 411, an oblique sliding portion 423 disposed in the block 421 and matching with the oblique guiding portion 34 in a concave-convex manner, and a housing connecting portion 424 connected to the block 421 and located outside the accommodating groove 35 for connecting to the housing 20. The block 421 has an inner abutting surface 421a with an oblique arc surface, an outer abutting surface 421b opposite to the inner abutting surface 421a, a first end surface 421c connecting the inner abutting surface 421a and the outer abutting surface 421b and close to the fixing seat 1, a second end surface 421d opposite to the first end surface 421c, and two side surfaces 421e located at two opposite sides and provided with the oblique sliding portion 423. The thickness of the block 421 decreases from the second end 421d to the first end 421c, so that the inner abutting surface 421a is an oblique arc surface. In this embodiment, the sliding groove 422 has a limiting groove 422a near the second end surface 421d and penetrating the inner abutting surface 421a and the outer abutting surface 421b along the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 33 and matching with and accommodating the forward guiding portion 413, and an extending groove 422b having a width matching with the arm 411 and extending from the limiting groove 422a to penetrate the first end surface 421c, the inner abutting surface 421a and the outer abutting surface 421 b. The extension slot 422b is used for the arm 411 to pass through. The inclined sliding portion 423 is a plurality of grooves distributed on the side 421e and respectively engaged with the protruding ribs. The shell connecting portion 424 is mainly connected to the second end surface 421 d.

Referring to fig. 8 to 10, the shell connecting portion 424 is used to connect the inner shell 201, so that the inner shell 201 is linked with the slider 42. The outer shell 202 and the inner shell 201 are fixed in combination and are linked together with the inner shell 201, so that the outer shell 202 and the inner shell 201 move together with the slider 42, and the outer abutting surface 421b of the block 421 abuts against the inner surface of the outer shell 202.

Referring to fig. 11 to 13, when the support module 2 is in the unfolded state, the inner abutting surface 421a of the sliding block 42 does not protrude from the bearing surface 33, the sliding shafts 412 of the sliding pivot arms 41 are respectively located at the ends of the arc-shaped tracks 111 close to each other, the forward guiding portion 413 is located at one end of the limiting groove portion 422a close to the corresponding inner abutting surface 421a, and the oblique guiding portion 34 is located at one end of the oblique sliding portion 423 close to the corresponding inner abutting surface 421 a.

Referring to fig. 14 to 16, when the support modules 2 are switched from the unfolded state to the folded state, the sliding pivot arm 41 of each support module 2 slides and pivots along the arc-shaped track 111 of the fixing base 1, and the sliding block 42 slides along the direction perpendicular to the bearing surface 33 relative to the forward guiding portion 413 and slides relative to the inclined guiding portion 34, so that the sliding block 42 of the support module 2 moves in a direction away from and relatively close to the fixing base 1. Specifically, in the retracted state, the sliding shafts 412 of the sliding pivot arms 41 respectively slide to the ends of the arc-shaped rails 111 away from each other and pivot 90 degrees, the forward guiding portions 413 are located at the ends of the limiting groove portions 422a close to the corresponding outer abutting surfaces 421b, the inclined guiding portions 34 are located at the ends of the inclined sliding portions 423 close to the corresponding outer abutting surfaces 421b, and the inner abutting surface 421a of each support module 2 protrudes out of the bearing surface 33 and is close to the inner abutting surface 421a of another support module 2. The sliding pivot arm 41 pivots synchronously with the first pivot member 31 and the second pivot member 32 during the sliding and pivoting processes, and moves linearly between the corresponding first pivot member 31 and second pivot member 32, thereby pushing the slider 42 to move. The sliding block 42 is pushed by the corresponding sliding pivot arm 41 to slide in a direction away from the fixed seat 1, and during the sliding process, the sliding block 42 can be matched with the limiting groove portion 422a to interact with the forward guiding portion 413 when sliding in a direction away from the fixed seat 1 through the interaction between the oblique sliding portion 423 and the oblique guiding portion 34, so that the inner abutting surface 421a of the sliding block 42 moves in a direction relatively close to the fixed seat. Referring to fig. 9 and 10, the sliding block 42 moves together with the housing 20 when moving, so that the housing 20 can approach each other when in the folded state, thereby saving the gap between the housings 20 and further reducing the overall thickness. The inner abutting surface 421a of the sliding block 42 is an oblique arc surface, so that when the foldable screen is in the folded state, the distance between the sliding blocks 42 is wider at the position close to the fixed seat 1 and narrower at the position far away from the fixed seat 1, and a space for accommodating the bent part (in a drop shape) of the flexible screen can be formed.

In summary, when the supporting module 2 is switched from the unfolded state to the folded state, the sliding block 42 moves in a direction away from and relatively close to the fixing base 1, so that the gap between the housing 20 connected to the sliding block 42 can be reduced when the housing is folded, and the overall thickness of the housing can be reduced when the housing is folded.

The above description is only an example of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention should not be limited thereby, and the utility model is still within the scope of the present invention by simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims and the contents of the specification.

Claims (9)

1. A hinge suitable for connecting two housings that can be stacked, characterized in that: the hinge comprises:

the fixing seat comprises two seat bodies which are connected side by side along a first direction, and each seat body is provided with two arc-shaped rails which are positioned at the inner side of the other seat body and are arranged along a second direction vertical to the first direction and are symmetrical to each other; and

two supporting modules which are symmetrically connected with the fixed seat and can be relatively switched between an unfolding state and a folding state, wherein the supporting modules are connected with two opposite sides of the fixed seat along the second direction in the unfolding state, and each supporting module comprises

A pivoting guide unit pivoted with the fixed seat and having a bearing surface and an oblique guide part extending obliquely relative to the bearing surface, an

The sliding unit is provided with a sliding pivoting arm linked by the pivoting guide unit and a sliding block used for connecting one of the shells, the sliding pivoting arm is provided with an arm body, a sliding shaft and a forward guide part which are respectively connected with two opposite ends of the arm body, the sliding shaft is arranged between one pair of opposite arc-shaped rails of the base body and can slide along the arc-shaped rails, and the sliding pivoting arm can pivot by taking the sliding shaft as a shaft, the sliding block is provided with a block body, a sliding chute which is arranged on the block body and is matched with and used for accommodating the forward guide part and one part of the arm body, and an oblique sliding part which is arranged on the block body and is matched with the oblique guide part in a concave-convex manner;

when the support modules are switched from the unfolding state to the folding state, the sliding pivot arm of each support module slides and pivots along the arc-shaped track of the fixed seat, and the sliding block slides along the direction vertical to the bearing surface relative to the forward guide part and slides relative to the oblique guide part, so that the sliding block of the support module moves in the direction which is away from the fixed seat and is relatively close to the fixed seat.

2. The hinge according to claim 1, wherein: the block body is provided with an inner abutting surface which is an oblique arc surface, an outer abutting surface which is opposite to the inner abutting surface, a first end surface which is connected with the inner abutting surface and the outer abutting surface and is close to the fixing seat, a second end surface which is opposite to the first end surface, and two side surfaces which are located on two opposite sides and are provided with the oblique sliding parts, the thickness of the block body is gradually reduced from the second end surface to the first end surface, so that the inner abutting surface is abutted to form an oblique arc surface, when the block body is in an unfolding state, the inner abutting surface does not protrude out of the bearing surface, and when the block body is in a folding state, the inner abutting surface protrudes out of the bearing surface and is close to the inner abutting surface of another supporting module in opposite directions.

3. The hinge of claim 2, wherein: the forward guide part is connected to the tail end of the arm body in a cuboid mode, the width of the forward guide part is larger than that of the arm body, the forward guide part protrudes towards two sides compared with the arm body, the sliding groove is provided with a limiting groove part which is close to the second end face, penetrates through the inner abutting face and the outer abutting face along the direction perpendicular to the bearing face and is matched with the forward guide part, and an extending groove part is matched with the arm body in width and extends through the first end face, the inner abutting face and the outer abutting face from the limiting groove part.

4. The hinge of claim 2, wherein: the pivoting guide unit comprises a first pivoting piece and a second pivoting piece which are respectively pivoted on the base body, the first pivoting piece and the second pivoting piece are connected with each other to pivot synchronously, and the first pivoting piece and the second pivoting piece together form the bearing surface, the oblique guide part and a containing groove for containing the sliding block, so that the sliding block is positioned between the first pivoting piece and the second pivoting piece.

5. The hinge of claim 4, wherein: the first pivoting part is provided with a first connecting part close to the fixed seat, the second pivoting part is provided with a second connecting part which is connected with the first connecting part and limits the arm body together, and the arm body can slide between the first connecting part and the second connecting part along the extending direction of the arm body.

6. The hinge of claim 5, wherein: the oblique guiding part is a plurality of convex ribs which are symmetrically distributed on the relative inner sides of the first pivoting part and the second pivoting part and extend obliquely relative to the bearing surface, and the oblique sliding part is a plurality of grooves which are distributed on the side surface and are matched with the convex ribs in a concave-convex mode respectively.

7. The hinge of claim 6, wherein: the sliding block is also provided with a shell connecting part which is connected with the block body and is positioned outside the containing groove and used for connecting the shell.

8. The hinge of claim 7, wherein: the shell connecting part is mainly connected to the second end face.

9. The hinge of claim 5, wherein: the second connecting part forms a gap for the arm body to pass through and accommodate the first connecting part, so that the arm body can be linearly movably positioned between the first connecting part and the second connecting part.

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