JP2003184858A - Hinge device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hinge device capable of solving conventional discrepant conditions by giving conductivity to components themselves comprising the hinge device instead of installing a connecting wire in the hinge device. <P>SOLUTION: In the hinge device, either or both of a first installing portion 2 and second installing portion 4 is arranged to a shaft member 1 in a relatively rotatable state. A first conductive portion 3 is arranged on the first installing portion, and the first conductive portion 3 is formed to touch with an electrically connecting portion of a first member 6. A second conductive portion 5 is arranged on the second installing portion 4, and the second portion is formed to touch with an electrically connecting portion of a second member 7. Upon electrically connecting the second conductive portion 5 first conductive portion via the shaft member, the first member is installed on the first installing portion, and the second member is installed on the second installing portion. Then, the electrically connecting portion of the first member and the electrically connecting portion of the second member are electrically connected each other via the first conductive portion, the shaft member, and the second conductive portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention, for example, is capable of undulating and pivoting a main body portion having an operation portion and a lid portion having a display portion in a personal computer, a word processor, a mobile phone, etc. called a notebook type. The invention relates to a hinge device used to pivotally attach to.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a folding type mobile phone, a display part is provided on a first member on one side pivotally mounted via a central hinge device, and a mobile phone on the other side. The second member has a structure in which an operation unit is provided, and the operation unit and the display unit are electrically connected via a hinge device, and the operation of the operation unit is reflected and displayed on the display unit. Is configured.

Conventionally, in this type of foldable mobile phone, a connecting line for electrically connecting the display section and the operating section generally passes through the inside of the hinge device, but the mobile phone is opened and closed. This connection line bends or twists in the hinge device each time, so there is a concern that contact failure may occur or the connection line may be broken if used for a long period of time.

In the present invention, attention is paid to such a problem, and not the connection line is passed through the hinge device, but the component itself constituting the hinge device is made conductive.
It is intended to provide an epoch-making hinge device which solves the conventional problem of causing a malfunction and further facilitates the manufacture of an electronic device in which a first member and a second member are pivotally attached.

[0005]

The gist of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A hinge device for pivotally attaching a first member 6 and a second member 7 having an electrical connection structure, wherein a first mounting portion 2 is mounted on the first member 6 on one end side of a shaft member 1. And a second attachment portion 4 attached to the second member 7 on the other end side of the shaft member 1, and one or both of the first attachment portion 2 and the second attachment portion 4 are provided on the shaft member 1 And a first conductive portion 3 is attached to the first mounting portion 2, and the first conductive portion 3 is configured to be capable of contacting the electrical connection portion of the first member 6. A second conductive portion 5 is attached to the second mounting portion 4, and the second conductive portion 5 is configured to come into contact with an electrical connection portion of the second member 7. The first conductive member 3 is configured to be electrically connected to the first conductive member 3 via the shaft member 1, and the first member 6 is attached to the first mounting member 2. When the second member 7 is attached to the second mounting portion 4, the electrical connection portion of the first member 6 and the electrical connection portion of the second member 7 are connected to each other by the first conductive portion 3, the shaft member 1, and the first member 3. The present invention relates to a hinge device which is configured to be electrically connected via the two conductive parts 5.

Further, when the first conductive portion 3 is provided outside the first mounting portion 2 in an exposed state, and the first mounting portion 2 is attached to the connecting portion of the first member 6, the first conductive portion 3 is attached to the connecting portion. The first conductive portion 3 is provided on the electrical connection portion of the wired first member 6.
And the second conductive portion 5 is provided outside the second mounting portion 4 in an exposed state.
Is attached to the connecting portion of the second member 7, the second conductive portion 5 is configured to come into contact with the electrical connecting portion of the second member 7 wired to the connecting portion. 1 relates to the hinge device.

Further, the shaft member 1 is made of a conductive material, or a conductive material is attached to the shaft member 1 from one end side to the other end side, so that the first conductive portion 3 and the second conductive portion are provided. 5. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the shaft member 1 and 5 are electrically connected to each other.
The invention relates to the hinge device described in the item.

Further, a cam portion 11 or a cam engaging portion 12 is provided on the first mounting portion 2, and the cam engaging portion 12 or the cam portion 11 engaging with the cam portion 11 or the cam engaging portion 12 is provided in the first attaching portion 2. The second mounting portion 4 is provided with at least one of the cam portion 11 and the cam engaging portion 12 slidably movable in the engagement and disengagement direction, and at least one of the cam portion 11 and the cam engaging portion 12 is disengaged. At this time, an engagement urging mechanism 13 that urges in the engagement direction when moving in the separating direction is provided, and the engagement between the cam portion 11 and the cam engagement portion 12 is disengaged by the engagement urging mechanism 13. Without this, the cam portion 1
One of the cam engaging portion 12 and the cam engaging portion 12 is provided with the engaging biasing mechanism 13
The cam portion 11 is engaged with and disengaged from the cam engaging portion 12 by rotating the second member 7 relative to the first member 6 by rotating the second member 7 relative to the first member 6 by rotating the second member 7 relative to the first member 6. The hinge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hinge device is configured as described above.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A preferred embodiment of the present invention (how to carry out the invention) will be briefly described with reference to the drawings and showing its function and effect.

When the first attachment portion 2 is attached to the first member 6, the first conductive portion 3 comes into contact with the electrical connection portion of the first member 6, and when the second attachment portion 4 is attached to the second member 7, the second attachment portion 4 is attached to the second member 7. The conductive portion 5 contacts the electrical connection portion of the second member 7. Then, since the second conductive portion 5 and the first conductive portion 3 are electrically connected via the shaft member 1, the electrical connection portion of the first member 6 and the electrical connection of the second member 7 are electrically connected. The parts are electrically connected via the first conductive part 3, the shaft member 1, and the second conductive part 5.

Therefore, according to the present invention, unlike the conventional product in which the connecting wire is passed through the hinge device, the hinge device itself is electrically conductive. Therefore, there is no concern that the connecting wire will be broken, and it is extremely durable. Since the excellent electrical connection is maintained and a good electrical connection state is maintained, the work of passing the connection line through the hinge device is not required, and the first attachment part 2 is simply attached to the first member 6, The electrical connection part of the first member 6 and the electrical connection part of the second member 7 are connected to each other in an electrically conductive state only by performing the same hinge mounting work as that for mounting the second mounting part 4 to the second member 7. Therefore, the electronic device such as a mobile phone, which is formed by pivotally connecting the first member 6 and the second member 7 provided with the electrical connection structure by the hinge device, can be easily manufactured. It will be an excellent and innovative hinge device

Further, for example, when the first conductive portion 3 is provided outside the first mounting portion 2 in an exposed state and the first mounting portion 2 is mounted on the coupling portion of the first member 6, this coupling is performed. The first conductive portion 3 is configured to come into contact with the electrical connection portion of the first member 6 wired in the portion, and the second conductive portion 5 is provided outside the second mounting portion 4 in an exposed state. , When the second attachment portion 4 is attached to the connecting portion of the second member 7,
If the second conductive portion 5 is configured to come into contact with the electrical connection portion of the second member 7 wired to the connecting portion, the configuration of the hinge device that reliably exhibits the above-described operational effect can be easily designed and realized. And becomes even more practical.

Further, for example, the shaft member 1 is made of a conductive material, or a conductive material is attached to the shaft member 1 from one end side to the other end side, and the first conductive portion 3 and the second conductive portion 3 If the conductive portion 5 is configured to be electrically connected via the shaft member 1, the conductive shaft member 1 can be designed and realized extremely easily.

Further, for example, a cam portion is provided on the first mounting portion 2.
11 or a cam engaging portion 12 is provided, and the cam engaging portion 12 or the cam portion 11 engaging with the cam portion 11 or the cam engaging portion 12 is provided.
Is provided on the second mounting portion 4, and the cam portion 11 and the cam engaging portion are
At least one of the cams 12 is slidably movable in the engagement / disengagement direction, and an engagement that urges in the engagement direction when at least one of the cam portion 11 and the cam engagement portion 12 moves in the disengagement direction A biasing mechanism 13 is provided so that the engagement biasing mechanism 13 does not disengage the engagement between the cam portion 11 and the cam engaging portion 12 and holds the rotation lock state. The cam portion 11 is disengaged from the cam engaging portion 12 by rotating either one of the portion 11 and the cam engaging portion 12 against the engaging biasing mechanism 13 while moving in the separating direction. If the second member 7 is rotated relative to the first member 6, the rotation lock state is held by the engagement of the cam portion 11 and the cam engagement portion 12, For example, it can be configured as a hinge device that can turn the overlapping closed state of the first member 6 and the second member 7 into a rotation locked state. , It is the most suitable configuration for electronic devices such as foldable mobile phones and laptop computers.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this embodiment is applied to a folding type mobile phone, in which the opening / closing lid portion having the display portion 8 is the first member 6 and the operating portion 9 is provided. The main body provided with is the second member 7, and the first member 6
The hinge device of the present invention is applied to the pivot structure that can bring the first member 6 into the opened state (use position) by a predetermined angle from the closed state in which the second member 7 and the second member 7 are superposed.

In this embodiment, a first mounting portion 2 which rotates together with the shaft member 1 is disposed and fixed to one end of the shaft member 1, and a first conductive portion 3 is attached to the first mounting portion 2. At the other end of the shaft member 1, a second mounting portion 4 pivotally supported so as to be rotatable relative to the shaft member 1 is provided, and a second conductive portion 5 is attached to the second mounting portion 4. .

Specifically, the shaft member 1 is made of an electrically conductive metal (for example, copper) and has a flange portion at one end.

The first mounting portion 2 is composed of a member having a shape in which a plurality of mounting pieces for mounting to the first member are provided on the peripheral portion of the ring portion so that the shaft member 1 can be inserted through the central hole. Is configured.

The first mounting portion 2 is made of a conductive metal (for example, copper) and has an electrical connection portion (not shown) of the first member 6 which will be described later on the peripheral portion of the ring portion. The first conductive portion 3 having a shape in which a plurality of contact pieces that come into contact with each other is projected from the left side in FIG.
The contact piece is fitted and locked so that the contact piece is exposed to the outside.

Further, in this embodiment, when the shaft member 1 is inserted into the center hole of the first mounting portion 2, the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 1 and the edge portion of the center hole of the first conductive portion 3 come into contact with each other. The diameter of the shaft member 1 and the diameter of the central hole of the first conductive portion 3 are set so that the shaft member 1 and the first conductive portion 3 can communicate with each other.

The second mounting portion 4 is composed of a bottomed cylindrical member that can be mounted on the first member, and a bearing for inserting the shaft member 1 into the bottom portion (the surface on the right side in FIG. 3) of this cylindrical body. A portion (hole) 10 is formed and configured.

The second mounting portion 4 is made of a conductive metal and is in contact with a later-described electrical connection portion (not shown) of the second member 7 at a position facing the peripheral portion of the ring portion. The second conductive portion 5 having the protruding contact arm portion is locked from the bottom side (the right side in FIG. 3) of the second mounting portion 4 and the contact arm portion is exposed to the outside of the second mounting portion 4. It is configured to be fitted and locked so as to be in the state.

Further, in this embodiment, when the shaft member 1 is inserted into the bearing portion 10 from the bottom side of the second mounting portion 4 through the center hole portion of the second conductive portion 5, the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member 1 becomes The diameter of the shaft member 1 and the center hole of the second conductive portion 5 are adjusted so that the shaft member 1 and the second conductive portion 5 are in a state in which the central hole edge of the second conductive portion 5 is in contact with each other. The hole diameter is set and configured.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the first mounting portion 2 having the first conductive portion 3 is inserted and fixed at one end of the shaft member 1, and the second conductive portion 5 is provided at the other end of the shaft member 1. When the second mounting portion 4 is rotatably inserted and disposed, the conductive shaft member 1 comes into contact with the conductive first conductive portion 3 and the second conductive portion 5, and the second conductive portion 5 and the first conductive portion 3 are shaft members 1
It is configured to be electrically connected via.

Further, in this embodiment, the hinge connection portion of the first member 6 is provided with an electrical connection portion such as the display portion 8 and (in the type in which the antenna is provided on the first member 6) the antenna 16. Wiring is performed, and an electrical connection portion such as the operation portion 10 is wired in the hinge connection portion of the second member 7.

When the first attachment portion 2 of the hinge device of this embodiment is attached to the hinge connection portion of the first member 6, the electrical connection portion of the first member 6 and the first conductive portion 3 come into contact with each other. When the second attachment portion 4 is attached to the hinge connection portion of the second member 7, the electrical connection portion of the second member 7 and the second conductive portion 4 are configured to come into contact with each other. When the first member 6 and the second member 7 are pivotally attached by the device, the electrical connection portion of the first member 6 and the electrical connection portion of the second member 7 are connected to each other by the first conductive portion 3, the shaft member 1, and the second member. It is configured to be electrically connected via the conductive portion 5.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first mounting portion 2 is provided with the cam engaging portion 12 which rotates together with the shaft member 1, and the first member 6 and the second member 7 are placed in the overlapped closed state. At this time, a cam portion 11 which engages with the cam engaging portion 12 and rotates together with the bearing portion 10 is provided on the second mounting portion 4.

Specifically, the second mounting portion 4 of the first mounting portion 2
A cam engaging portion 12 formed by forming a recess at an appropriate position on the right side of the ring in the drawing is provided on the side facing the surface (the right side in FIG. 3) facing the first mounting portion 2 in a non-rotating state. The surface of the second mounting portion 4 facing the first mounting portion 2 (left side in FIG. 3)
In addition, a cam portion 11 formed by forming a convex portion on the left side surface of the ring body in the drawing is attached to the second mounting portion 4 in a non-rotating state, and the convex portion of the cam portion 11 corresponds to the cam engaging portion 12. The state in which the first member 6 and the second member 7 are engaged with each other in the concave portion is configured to be in a rotation lock state.

Further, in this embodiment, the cam portion 11 is provided so as to be slidable in the engagement / disengagement direction with respect to the cam engagement portion 12, and the cam portion 11 is disengaged from the cam engagement portion 12 in the disengagement direction. An engagement urging mechanism 13 is provided that urges in the engagement direction when moved to.

Specifically, a concave portion 4A having a length along the cylinder length direction of the second mounting portion 4 is formed on the opposing peripheral surface portion of the second mounting portion 4 while fitting into the concave portion 4A. By fitting a fitting convex portion 11A to be fitted on the opposite peripheral edge portion of the cam portion 11 and fitting the fitting convex portion 11A of the cam portion 11 to the concave portion 4A of the second mounting portion 4, the second mounting portion The cam portion 11 is in a rotation stop state with respect to the portion 4, and the fitting convex portion 11A slides along the concave portion 4A, so that the cam portion 11 slides in the engagement / separation direction with respect to the cam engaging portion 12. It is configured to do.

In the second mounting portion 4 (inside the cylinder),
An elastic body 14 (coil spring) having anti-shrinkage elasticity is arranged in a fitted state with respect to the shaft member 1, and by this elastic body 14, the cam portion 11 is always attached to the cam engaging portion 12 in the engaging direction. An engaging biasing mechanism 13 for biasing is configured.

Accordingly, the engagement biasing mechanism 13 does not disengage the engagement between the cam portion 11 and the cam engagement portion 12, and the rotation locked state is maintained so that the first member 6 and the second member 6 are retained. 7 is configured to be maintained in the overlapped closed state, and the cam portion 11 is rotated against the engagement biasing mechanism 13 while being moved in the separating direction with respect to the cam engagement portion 12. The cam portion 11 is engaged and disengaged, and the second member 7 can be rotated relative to the first member 6.

Further, in this embodiment, the opposite top surface other than the concave portion provided in the cam engaging portion 12 is slid in a state in which the convex portion of the cam portion 11 is in pressure contact with the engaging urging mechanism 13 when rotating. In the rotation area other than the rotation lock state in which the convex portion of the cam portion 11 engages with the concave portion of the cam engaging portion 12, the convex portion of the cam portion 11 is the engaging biasing mechanism 13 By this sliding surface 15
Rotational resistance is provided by being pressed against.

That is, the convex portion of the cam portion 11 is the engagement biasing mechanism.
In the rotation region other than the rotation locked state (the overlapping state of the first member 6 and the second member 7), the second member 7 is moved to the first side by the rotation resistance that is pressed against the sliding surface 15 by 13. The member 6 is configured as a free stop that can be stopped at any angle. In the present embodiment, the engagement biasing mechanism 13 is provided so as to generate a rotation resistance sufficient to realize this free stop. The biasing force of the (elastic body 14) is set and configured.

The assembly structure of the hinge device according to this embodiment will be described. The shaft member 1 is a bearing from the bottom surface (right side surface in FIG. 3) of the second mounting portion 4 having the second conductive portion 5. The bottom surface of the second mounting portion 4 is brought into contact with the flange portion of the shaft member 1 through the portion 10 so as not to come off, and the elastic body 14 is attached to the shaft member 1 from the left side in FIG. 3 in the second mounting portion 4. After the fitting, the cam portion 11 is disposed by fitting the fitting convex portion 11A into the concave portion 4A, and the cam portion 11 is provided with the first conductive portion 3 and the cam engaging portion 12 from the left side thereof. After the first mounting portion 2 is inserted through the shaft member 1 and the distal end portion of the shaft member 1 is caulked, the hinge device of this embodiment as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is completed. ing.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, since it is constructed as described above, the shaft member 1 is simply made of a conductive metal, and the first mounting portion 2 has a predetermined shape with respect to the existing hinge device. Since one conductive part 3 is additionally fitted and the second conductive part 4 having a predetermined shape is additionally fitted to the second mounting part 4, the productivity is not lowered and the cost is not so high. It becomes an extremely excellent structure.

The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the specific constitution of each constituent element can be designed as appropriate.

[0040]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, unlike the conventional product in which the connecting wire is passed through the hinge device, the hinge device itself is electrically conductive, so that the connecting wire may be disconnected. There is no concern at all, it will be extremely durable and a good electrical connection state will be maintained. Moreover, there is no need to pass a connecting wire through the hinge device, and the first mounting portion will be the first. Attaching to the member and attaching the second attaching portion to the second member Only by performing the same hinge attaching work as in the conventional art, the electric connecting portion of the first member and the electric connecting portion of the second member are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. Therefore, it is possible to easily manufacture an electronic device such as a mobile phone in which the first member and the second member having the electrical connection structure are pivotally attached by a hinge device, which is extremely practical. Become an excellent and innovative hinge device

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the hinge device can be designed and realized in a simple manner so that the hinge device that reliably exhibits the above-described effects can be realized.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the hinge device is more practical because the shaft member having conductivity can be designed and realized very easily.

Further, in the invention of claim 4, since the rotation lock state is held by the engagement of the cam portion and the cam engaging portion, for example, the overlapping closed state of the first member and the second member The hinge device can be configured to be in a rotation lock state, and the hinge device is more practical and has an optimal structure for electronic devices such as folding type mobile phones and notebook personal computers.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a usage state of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view of the main part of FIG. 1 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 shaft member 2 First mounting part 3 First conductive part 4 Second mounting part 5 Second conductive part 6 First member 7 Second member 11 Cam part 12 Cam engagement part 13 Energizing mechanism

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A hinge device for pivotally connecting a first member and a second member having an electrical connection structure, wherein a first attachment portion attached to the first member is provided on one end side of a shaft member, A second attachment portion attached to the second member is provided on the other end side of the shaft member, and one or both of the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion are provided so as to be rotatable relative to the shaft member, A first conductive portion is attached to the first mounting portion, and the first conductive portion is configured to come into contact with the electrical connection portion of the first member, and the second conductive portion is attached to the second mounting portion. Along with this, the second conductive portion is configured to be able to contact the electrical connection portion of the second member, and the second conductive portion and the first conductive portion are configured to be electrically connected via the shaft member. And attach the first member to the first attachment portion and the second member to the second attachment portion. And the electrical connection portion of the first member and the electrical connection portion of the second member are electrically connected via the first conductive portion, the shaft member, and the second conductive portion. Hinge device. 2. The first conductive portion is provided outside the first mounting portion in an exposed state, and when the first mounting portion is mounted on the coupling portion of the first member, the first conductive portion is wired to the coupling portion. The first conductive portion is configured to come into contact with the electrical connection portion of one member, the second conductive portion is provided in an exposed state outside the second mounting portion, and the second mounting portion is the second mounting portion. The hinge device according to claim 1, wherein, when attached to the connecting portion of the member, the second conductive portion is configured to come into contact with the electrical connecting portion of the second member wired to the connecting portion. 3. The shaft member is made of a conductive material, or a conductive material is attached to the shaft member from one end side to the other end side so that the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion are The hinge device according to claim 1, wherein the hinge device is configured to be electrically connected via a shaft member. 4. A cam portion or a cam engaging portion is provided on the first attaching portion, and a cam engaging portion or a cam portion engaging with the cam portion or the cam engaging portion is provided on the second attaching portion. At least one of the cam portion and the cam engaging portion is provided so as to be slidable in the engaging / disengaging direction, and at least one of the cam portion and the cam engaging portion is attached in the engaging direction when the engaging / disengaging direction moves in the detaching direction. Providing an engagement biasing mechanism that biases
The engagement urging mechanism is configured so that the engagement between the cam portion and the cam engagement portion is not engaged or disengaged, and the rotation lock state is maintained. Either one of the cam portion and the cam engagement portion is retained. The cam portion is engaged and disengaged with respect to the cam engaging portion by moving and rotating in a separating direction against the engagement biasing mechanism, and the second member is relatively rotated with respect to the first member. The hinge device according to claim 1, wherein the hinge device is configured to move.