JP2005315345A - Hinge structure of folding portable device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hinge structure of a folding portable device, reducing rubbing noise in turning and improving mobility. <P>SOLUTION: In this hinge structure of the folding portable device, a pair of hinge arms 4 provided at a predetermined space at one end part of a first case and a hinge cylinder 5 provided at one end part of a second case to be assembled between the paired hinge arms 4 are rotatably connected to each other by a hinge shaft 6, and the first case and the second case are foldable. A projecting part 5c having a diameter smaller than the outside diameter of the hinge cylinder 5 is provided on the end face of the hinge cylinder 5 side of opposite surfaces of the hinge arm 4 and the hinge cylinder 5, a recessed part 4c opposite to the projecting part 5c is provided on the end face of the hinge arm 4 side, and when a gap between the hinge cylinder end face 5b and the hinge arm end face 4b is A, and a gap between the tip face of the projecting part 5c and the base of the recessed part 4c is B, A>B is satisfied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a hinge structure of a foldable portable device such as a cellular phone.

  As a hinge structure of a conventional foldable portable device, for example, a first case (KEY side case) and a second case (LCD side case) can be freely rotated via hinge portions that are hinged to each other. A washer-like hinge spacer attached to the hinge portion of the KEY side case is interposed in the gap between the hinge portions of both cases (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-227511 (second page, FIGS. 1 and 2)

  Since the hinge structure of the conventional foldable portable device is configured as described above, since the washer is interposed in the gap between the hinge portions of both cases, that is, the portion that becomes the rubbing surface of the hinges, While minimizing the gap, it is possible to prevent rattling during opening and closing operations and to improve the appearance. However, for this purpose, a washer has to be inserted, which raises the material cost and increases the number of assembly steps for installing the washer. Therefore, if the washer is omitted from the above configuration, the contact surface changes due to manufacturing variations, etc. instead of using a washer, and the friction on the rotationally facing surface increases and rubs. There is a problem that abnormal noise is generated, variability is generated, or minute peeling occurs on the design surface (painted surface) near the rubbing surface.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and by defining the clearance of the hinge, the rubbing sound during rotation is reduced, the mobility is improved, and the design near the rubbing surface An object of the present invention is to obtain a hinge structure for a foldable portable device that prevents the surface from being peeled off.

  The hinge structure of the folding portable device according to the present invention includes a pair of hinge arms provided at one end of the first case at a predetermined interval and a pair of hinge arms provided at one end of the second case. The first case and the second case are rotatably connected by being inserted into a hinge cylinder combined between the hinge arms, a shaft insertion part formed in the hinge arm, and a shaft insertion part formed in the hinge cylinder. In a hinge structure of a foldable portable device having a hinge pin to be mounted, a convex portion having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the hinge cylinder is provided on the end face of the hinge cylinder side of the opposing surface of the hinge arm and the hinge cylinder, and the hinge arm side of the opposing surface When a concave portion facing the convex portion is provided on the end surface of the head, A is the clearance between the end surface on the hinge cylinder side and the end surface on the hinge arm side, and B is the clearance between the tip surface of the convex portion and the bottom surface of the concave portion. It is comprised so that it may become.

  Further, a convex portion having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the hinge cylinder is provided on the end surface of the hinge arm and the hinge cylinder on the hinge cylinder side, and a concave portion is provided on the end surface on the hinge arm side of the opposing face. Apply low-friction paint to the end face on the cylinder side and the end face on the hinge arm side, and the gap between the end face on the hinge cylinder side and the end face on the hinge arm side is A, and the gap between the tip end face of the projection and the bottom face of the recess is B In this case, A <B.

  According to the hinge structure of the foldable portable device of the present invention, the opposing surface of the rotating part of the hinge is the gap A between the hinge tube end surface and the hinge arm end surface, and the tip of the convex portion provided on the end surface on the hinge tube side. The surface of the groove and the bottom surface of the recess provided on the hinge arm side end face each other in a two-step gap B, and the relationship between the gaps is such that A> B. Since the surface is stabilized and the area of the rubbing surface is reduced, the generation of abnormal noise from the rubbing surface can be reduced.

  In the same manner as described above, the low friction paint is applied to the end surface on the hinge cylinder side and the end surface on the hinge arm side of the opposing surfaces, and the relationship between the gap A and the gap B is A <B. Since the gap A side where the low friction paint is applied becomes a rubbing surface, the generation of noise from the rubbing surface can be reduced, and the design surface near the gap is scratched or painted. It can be prevented from peeling off.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
Hereinafter, a hinge structure of a folding portable device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, a mobile phone will be described as an example of the folding portable device. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a mobile phone using the hinge structure according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, (a) shows a closed state, and (b) shows an open state. As shown in the figure, when the hinge portion is roughly divided, the key side case 1 in which the operation keys as the first case are arranged and the LCD side case 2 in which the liquid crystal display screen as the second case is provided, The two parts are assembled by a hinge part 3 so as to be freely rotatable, and can be folded. The hinge portion 3 is provided at one end portion of the key side case 1 with a predetermined interval, and is provided at one end portion of the LCD side case 2 and is hinged between the pair of hinge arms 4. A hinge cylinder 5 combined with the arm 4 and the shaft center and a hinge pin 6 which is not shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge portion 3 as viewed from the direction of arrow II-II in FIG. In the hinge arm 4, a shaft insertion portion 4 a is formed on an axis that is a rotation axis of the hinge, and a shaft insertion portion 5 a is also formed on the axis of the hinge cylinder 5. A hinge pin 6 is inserted into both the shaft insertion portions 4a and 5a, and the key side case 1 and the LCD side case 2 are rotatably connected. Furthermore, the actual hinge part 3 incorporates wiring and a mechanism for electrically connecting both cases, and a mechanism for fixing at an arbitrary angle when opening and closing, but is omitted because it is not directly related to the present invention. Yes.
Since the outer shell portion constituting the hinge arm 4 is usually formed integrally with the key side case 1, the range of the hinge arm 4 in the present embodiment is provided protruding from the key side case 1. Thus, a part that functions mainly as a part of the hinge will be called. Similarly, the hinge cylinder 5 is also provided so as to protrude from the LCD-side case 2 and mainly refers to a part that functions as a part of the hinge.

When the key-side case 1 and the LCD-side case 2 are opened and closed, it is necessary to provide a minimum operation clearance necessary for the rotation operation at the portion that is the opposed surface of the hinge portion 3. In the present embodiment, this operation gap is configured as follows.
As shown in FIG. 2, a convex portion having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the hinge cylinder 5 is provided on an end face (hereinafter, abbreviated as a hinge cylinder end face) 5 b on the hinge cylinder 5 side of the facing surface of the hinge arm 4 and the hinge cylinder 5. 5c is provided, and an end face (hereinafter abbreviated as a hinge arm end face) 4b on the hinge arm 4 side of the opposing face is provided with a concave part 4c that faces the convex part 5c. With such a configuration, a minute gap is formed between the hinge cylinder end surface 5b and the hinge arm end surface 4b and between the tip end surface of the convex portion 5c and the bottom surface of the concave portion 4c, and this is used as an operation gap. Here, when the clearance between the hinge cylinder end surface 5b and the hinge arm end surface 4b is A and the clearance between the tip surface of the convex portion 5c and the bottom surface of the concave portion 4c is B, the relationship between the two clearances is expressed as A> B. It is comprised so that it may become.

  Next, the operation will be described. Noise at the hinge part is generated by friction from the sliding part when the operating gap is too narrow and the friction is large, or when the rubbing surface is not constant due to rubbing at unspecified locations, or when the rubbing surface is slippery. The case where it is not is considered. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the gap B between the front end surface of the convex portion 5c that is an internal gap and the bottom surface of the concave portion 4c is used as the gap A between the hinge cylinder end surface 5b and the hinge arm end surface 4b that is an external gap. When the LCD side case 2 (that is, the hinge cylinder 5) moves to the left or right in FIG. 2 due to variations during assembly, the gap A portion even if the gap B on the moved side becomes zero. Will not touch. In this way, since the gap B side is always a rubbed surface, the rubbed surface is stable, and since the rubbed surface is a concave portion and a convex portion on the axial center side, the area of the rubbed surface is small, so that abnormal noise is generated. Can be suppressed.

In an actual product, a tolerance in the manufacturing process is provided for each molded part in consideration of variation in molding. Therefore, the relationship between the above A and B includes the tolerances.
FIG. 3 shows, as an example, the dimensional tolerance of parts related to the operation gap of the hinge portion in the same sectional view as FIG. As shown in the figure, when each tolerance is set to 0.05 mm in an easy-to-understand manner, it is necessary to establish the relationship between A and B so that A−0.05> B + 0.05 in consideration of variation in molding. There is. If it does so, as above-mentioned, the clearance gap B side will necessarily become a rubbing surface. Such a tolerance is included in the relational expression A> B.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the hinge cylinder end surface of the facing surface of the hinge arm and the hinge tube is provided with a convex portion having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the hinge tube, and the hinge arm end surface of the facing surface is provided. Is provided with a concave portion facing the convex portion, and is configured such that A> B, where A is the gap between the hinge cylinder end surface and the hinge arm end surface, and B is the gap between the front end surface of the convex portion and the bottom surface of the concave portion. Therefore, the tip surface of the convex portion and the bottom surface of the concave portion become a rubbing surface, the rubbing surface is stable, and the area of the rubbing surface is reduced, so that the generation of noise from the rubbing surface can be suppressed.
In addition, since the outer surface of the case is a design surface including the hinge part, the entire surface is painted, and this paint is usually painted just before the operating gap on the outside of the hinge, so this painted end part is When rubbing due to the pivoting motion of the hinge part, scratches may occur at the ends and the scratches may develop into paint peeling on the paint end surface, but the gap A side does not become a rubbing surface, so the operation gap The paint on the nearby design surface is not rubbed, and the design surface can be prevented from being scratched.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge portion of the folding portable device according to the second embodiment. Since the foldable device body is the same as the cellular phone of FIG. 1 described in the first embodiment, the overall view is omitted. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, similarly to FIG. Therefore, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

  As the operation gap of the hinge portion, similarly to the first embodiment, a convex portion 5c having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the hinge tube 5 is provided on the hinge tube end surface 5b of the facing surface of the hinge arm 4 and the hinge tube 5, The hinge arm end face 4b on the hinge arm 4 side is provided with a concave portion 4c that faces the convex portion 5c. The difference from the first embodiment is that the lubricating sheet 7 is attached to the bottom surface of the concave portion 4c facing the convex portion 5c. As the lubricating sheet 7, for example, a sheet using ultra high molecular weight polyethylene as a tape base material is commercially available. When the clearance between the hinge cylinder end surface 5b and the hinge arm end surface 4b is A and the clearance between the tip surface of the convex portion 5c and the bottom surface of the concave portion 4c is B, the relationship between the two clearances is the same as in the first embodiment. A> B is configured.

  Since the gap B is originally determined from the minimum gap necessary for the rotational operation and assembly, the gap B is set in consideration of the thickness of the lubricating sheet 7 so that the gap A becomes larger than that. Set. That is, B may be increased by the thickness of the lubricating sheet 7 as compared to the gap B in the case where the lubricating sheet 7 is not present as in the first embodiment. With such a configuration, the gap B side becomes a rubbed surface, and rubs through the lubricating sheet 7.

  As described above, according to the invention of the present embodiment, since the lubrication sheet is attached to the bottom surface of the concave portion on the hinge arm side that becomes the rubbing surface, the friction on the rubbing surface can be reduced. Therefore, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the rubbing sound when moving is further reduced, and the mobility can be improved.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge portion of the folding portable device according to the third embodiment. The overall configuration of the portable device is the same as that of FIG. 1 described in the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along line II-II in FIG. Therefore, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description of the reference numerals is omitted.

  In the hinge structure of the present embodiment, a low friction paint is applied to the hinge cylinder end face 5b and the hinge arm end face 4b, the gap between the hinge cylinder end face 5b and the hinge arm end face 4b is A, and the protrusion provided on the hinge cylinder end face 5b. When the gap between the tip surface of the portion 5c and the bottom surface of the recess 4c provided on the hinge arm end surface 4b is B, A <B. With such a configuration, the gap A side becomes a rubbing surface when the hinge is opened and closed. The gap A is defined as a gap from the painted surface to the painted surface of both molded members that form the opposing surfaces, and is determined from the minimum gap necessary for the rotating operation and assembly.

  Since the coating is applied to the entire design surface (the part visible from the outside), the coating material is actually made of a low friction paint, and the design is continuously applied to the hinge cylinder end surface 5b and the hinge arm end surface 4b simultaneously with the design surface. Realistic. As the low-friction paint, for example, there is a silicon-containing paint as an antifriction material coating, and such a paint may be used.

  Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a VI portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. (A) is the case of this Embodiment, (b) is a figure for comparative description. In the present embodiment, the gap A side becomes a rubbing surface, but since the low friction paint 8 is applied to the surface member of this portion, the rubbing noise is reduced and the mobility is improved. If the painted surface is a design surface that can be seen from the outside, as is generally done, and the hinge cylinder end surface 5b and the hinge arm end surface 4b are not actively coated, the so-called painted neutral surface In addition to the poor mobility, as shown in FIG. 4B, if the hinge cylinder end surface 5b and the hinge arm end surface 4b rub against each other in the gap A due to the rotation of the hinge, the terminal portion that has been positively painted Since the coating thickness suddenly decreases from the vicinity of 4d and 5d, the coating near 4d and 5d may be damaged, and this may develop and the coating near gap A may be peeled off. As in the present embodiment, if the surface facing the gap A serving as the rubbing surface is continuously coated from the design surface, it is possible to prevent the paint from peeling off.

  As described above, according to the invention of the present embodiment, a convex portion having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the hinge cylinder is provided on the end face of the hinge cylinder facing the hinge arm and the hinge cylinder, and the end face on the hinge arm side is provided. A concave portion facing the convex portion is provided, and the outer gap A and the inner gap B are opposed to each other in two steps. A low friction paint is applied to the opposite surface of the gap A, and the relationship between the gap A and the gap B is expressed as A < Since it is configured to be B, the application surface of the low friction paint becomes a friction surface, the generation of abnormal noise from the friction surface can be reduced, the mobility can be improved, and the design surface in the vicinity of the gap This can prevent the paint from being scratched or peeled off. Furthermore, since the gap on the side facing the outside is narrowed, it is effective for preventing foreign matter from entering the inside.

  The present invention can be applied to hinge structures of all foldable portable devices such as cellular phones, PHS, portable terminals, electronic notebooks, and notebook personal computers.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the mobile telephone using the hinge structure of the foldable portable apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the hinge part seen from II-II of FIG. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, it is a cross-sectional view in which a dimensional tolerance is given to a part related to the gap of the hinge portion. It is sectional drawing of the hinge part in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the hinge part in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the dashed-dotted line VI part of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Key side case (first case) 2 LCD side case (second case)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Hinge part 4 Hinge arm 4a, 5a Shaft insertion part 4b Hinge arm end surface 4c Recessed part 5 Hinge cylinder 5b Hinge cylinder end surface 5c Convex part 6 Hinge pin 7 Lubrication sheet 8 Low friction paint.

Claims (3)

  A pair of hinge arms provided at one end portion of the first case with a predetermined interval; a hinge cylinder provided at one end portion of the second case and assembled between the pair of hinge arms; and the hinge arm Folding type mobile phone having a shaft insertion portion formed on the hinge tube and a shaft insertion portion formed on the hinge cylinder and a hinge pin rotatably connecting the first case and the second case. In the hinge structure of the device, a convex portion having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the hinge cylinder is provided on the end face of the hinge cylinder and the hinge cylinder facing the hinge cylinder, and the hinge arm side end face of the facing surface is provided. When a recess is provided to face the projection, the clearance between the end surface on the hinge cylinder side and the end surface on the hinge arm side is A, and the clearance between the tip of the projection and the bottom surface of the recess is B. It was configured to be B Hinge structure of a folding type mobile terminal according to claim.   2. The hinge structure for a foldable portable device according to claim 1, wherein a lubricating sheet is attached to a bottom surface of the concave portion facing the convex portion.   A pair of hinge arms provided at one end of the first case with a predetermined interval; a hinge cylinder provided at one end of the second case and assembled between the pair of hinge arms; and the hinge arm Folding-type mobile phone having a shaft insertion portion formed on the hinge tube and a shaft insertion portion formed on the hinge cylinder and a hinge pin that rotatably connects the first case and the second case. In the hinge structure of the device, a convex portion having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the hinge cylinder is provided on the end face of the hinge cylinder and the hinge cylinder facing the hinge cylinder, and the hinge arm side end face of the facing surface is provided. A concave portion facing the convex portion is provided, and a low friction paint is applied to the end surface on the hinge tube side and the end surface on the hinge arm side, and a gap between the end surface on the hinge tube side and the end surface on the hinge arm side is defined as A The tip of the convex part When the B the clearance between the bottom surface of the recess, A <hinge structure of a folding type mobile terminal, characterized by being configured such that the B.

Images