JP2008106852A - Hinge device and portable telephone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hinge device capable of arranging a damper at a position displaced from a mating point of a tube part of a first case and a tube part of a second case in the direction of the tube axis. <P>SOLUTION: A hinge shaft 17 is arranged to straddle the joint between the tube part 11a of the first case 11 and the tube body 12a of the second case 12. The hinge shaft 17 is fixed in the tube part 11a. The tube part 12a can slide and turn around the hinge shaft 17. The damper 9 is fixed in the tube part 12a. The damper 9 comprises a damper body fixed in the tube part 12a, a rotary part rotatable relatively to the damper body and a damping part resisting the rotation of the rotary part relative to the damper body. When the tube part 12a rotates relatively to the tube part 11a, an end 17b of the hinge shaft 17 engages with the rotary part of the damper 19 and damping force is generated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a hinge that connects the cylindrical portion of the second casing to the cylindrical portion of the first casing such that the cylindrical portion of the second casing can rotate relatively around the axis of the first and second cylindrical portions. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hinge device having a damper function.

  A cellular phone that folds the main body includes an operation-side casing on which key buttons are arranged and a display-side casing on which a display device such as a liquid crystal display device is arranged. And the cylinder part of an operation side housing | casing and the cylinder part of a display side housing | casing are connected with a hinge apparatus so that it can rotate relatively mutually.

  A hinge device with a one-touch open function that opens a folded mobile phone to a state where it can be automatically used by simply pressing a push button provided on an end surface of the hinge device has been developed and is widely available on the market. This hinge device with a one-touch open function has an advantage that it can be operated with one hand because the display-side housing is automatically opened at a stroke simply by pressing a push button. However, on the other hand, when the opening is completed, there is a risk that the display-side casing and the operation-side casing will abut against each other and the mobile phone may fall from the hand due to the impact. In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a mobile phone in which a damper is operated when the display-side housing is opened to a predetermined angle, and the impact when the display-side housing hits the operation-side housing is reduced. Is disclosed.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the damper includes a case 1 in which a flat cut portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface, and a shaft body 2 that rotates relative to the case 1. Blades 2a are radially arranged on the shaft body 2 in the case 1. A rectangular parallelepiped portion 3 protruding to the outside of the case 1 is attached to the end of the shaft body 2. After the blade 2 a is accommodated in the case 1 and the damper oil is filled around the blade 2 a, the inlet of the case 1 is closed with the cap 4.

  As shown in FIG. 18, a flat cut portion 5a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 5 of the first casing. A damper case 1 is inserted into the cylindrical portion 5 of the first casing. On the other hand, the cylindrical portion 6 of the second casing is provided with an angle adjusting hole 6a having a shape obtained by combining two quarter circles symmetrically. And the rectangular parallelepiped part 3 of the shaft body 2 of a damper is inserted in the angle adjustment hole 6a of a 2nd housing | casing.

  While the cylindrical portion 6 of the second casing rotates from the closed state (0 degree) to the angle β with respect to the cylindrical portion 5 of the first casing, the rectangular parallelepiped portion 3 of the shaft body is inside the angle adjusting hole 6a. Rotate freely. For this reason, the damper does not operate during this period. On the other hand, when the cylindrical portion 6 of the second casing rotates beyond the predetermined angle β with respect to the cylindrical portion 5 of the first casing, the rectangular parallelepiped portion 3 of the shaft body 2 becomes the surface 7− of the angle adjusting hole 6a. 1 and 7-2, and the cylinder part 6 comes to rotate with the rectangular parallelepiped part 3. FIG. In this case, the case 1 and the shaft body 2 rotate relatively. Since the damper oil resists the rotational motion of the shaft body 2, the rotational speed of the shaft body 2, that is, the rotational speed of the second casing is reduced. The reason why the damper is actuated for the first time when the second casing is opened to the predetermined angle β is that if the damper is actuated immediately after being opened, it takes time until the damper is opened, and it becomes difficult to bend.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-65320 (see FIGS. 5 and 6)

  The damper described in Patent Document 1 generates resistance when the case 1 and the shaft body 2 rotate relatively. In order to relatively rotate the case 1 and the shaft body 2, the case 1 is attached to the cylindrical portion 5 of the first housing, and the shaft body 2 is attached to the cylindrical portion 6 of the second housing. And the damper is arrange | positioned so that the joint line of the cylinder part 5 of a 1st housing | casing and the cylinder part 6 of a 2nd housing | casing may be straddled.

  By the way, the circuit board of the operation side casing (first casing) of the mobile phone and the circuit board of the display side casing (second casing) are electrically connected by a flexible wiring board. The flexible wiring board is passed through the cylindrical portion of the display-side casing and the cylindrical portion of the operating-side casing so as not to be exposed to the outside. In general, the flexible wiring board is also arranged so as to straddle the joint of the cylindrical portion of the first casing and the cylindrical portion of the second casing.

  The hinge device with a one-touch open function that automatically opens the folded mobile phone is also arranged so as to straddle the joint between the cylindrical portion of the first casing and the cylindrical portion of the second casing. It is common. This is because the hinge device with the one-touch open function rotates the cylinder part (first casing) of the operation side casing and the cylinder part of the display side casing (second casing) relative to each other. Because there is.

  After all, in a mobile phone provided with a one-touch open function and a damper function, a hinge device with a one-touch open function, a damper, and a flexible wiring board are provided on the cylindrical portion of the first casing and the cylindrical portion of the second casing. Will be placed. When there are a total of three or more joints between the cylindrical portion of the first casing and the cylindrical portion of the second casing, the damper, the hinge device with a one-touch open function, and the flexible wiring board are arranged without any problem. be able to.

  Recently, however, mobile phones with a reduced number of seams have been developed from the viewpoint of preventing dust from entering the cylinder from the seam and improving the design. For example, a mobile phone has been developed in which a pair of cylindrical portions are provided in the operation-side casing, and a single cylindrical portion sandwiched between the pair of cylindrical portions of the operation-side casing is provided in the display-side casing. In such a mobile phone, there are only a total of two joints of the cylindrical portion. If the hinge device with a one-touch open function is arranged at one of the joints of the cylindrical portions and the flexible wiring board is arranged at the other one, there is no place for arranging the damper.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a new hinge device in which a damper can be arranged by shifting the position in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion from the joint of the cylindrical portion of the first casing and the cylindrical portion of the second casing. For the purpose.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that the cylinder portion of the second casing is an axis of the first and second cylinder portions with respect to the cylinder portion of the first casing. In the hinge device coupled so as to be relatively rotatable around, a damper fixed in the cylindrical portion of the second casing, the cylindrical portion of the first casing, and the cylinder of the second casing A hinge shaft that is disposed so as to straddle the joint of the first portion and is fixed in the cylindrical portion of the first casing, and rotatably supports the cylindrical portion of the second casing, and the damper Resists relative rotation of the damper main body fixed in the cylindrical portion of the second housing, a rotating portion rotatable relative to the damper main body, and the rotating portion relative to the damper main body. And when the cylindrical portion of the second casing rotates relative to the cylindrical portion of the first casing, End of di shaft is engaged with the rotating part of the damper, said rotational portion is characterized in that rotates relative to the damper main body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the hinge device according to the first aspect, the hinge shaft is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and the inside of the hollow hinge shaft is connected to the circuit board of the first housing. A flexible wiring board that electrically connects the circuit board of the second casing passes therethrough.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the hinge device according to the second aspect, the position where the end portion of the hinge shaft and the rotating portion of the damper are engaged is a place where the flexible wiring board is disposed. The position of the second casing is shifted in the axial direction toward the inside of the cylindrical portion of the second casing.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the hinge device according to the second or third aspect, a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axis of the end portion of the hinge shaft is formed into a shape having a predetermined center angle, The rotating part of the damper has an outer lid formed by cutting out a part of the circumference in the circumferential direction, and the central angle of the cutout of the outer cover is larger than the central angle of the end of the hinge shaft, Then, when the damper is relatively rotated within a predetermined angle with respect to the hinge shaft, the end of the hinge shaft does not engage with the outer lid, and the damper is against the hinge shaft. The end portion of the hinge shaft engages with the outer lid only when the angle is relatively rotated by a predetermined angle or more, and the rotating portion rotates relative to the damper main body. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the cylindrical portion of the second casing is disposed between a pair of spaced cylindrical portions of the first casing, and the pair of cylindrical portions of the first casing is In the hinge device, wherein the cylindrical portion of the second casing is coupled so as to be relatively rotatable about the axis of the cylindrical portion of the first and second casings, the first casing The second casing is arranged so as to straddle one of the pair of cylinders of the body and the cylinder of the second casing and unlocked. An automatic hinge that automatically rotates the cylindrical portion relative to the pair of cylindrical portions of the first casing to open the folded first and second casings. The mechanism and the two seams are arranged so as to straddle the other seam, and fixed to one of the cylindrical part of the first casing or the cylindrical part of the second casing On the other hand, a hollow cylindrical hinge shaft that rotatably supports the cylindrical portion of the first casing or the cylindrical portion of the second casing, and the cylindrical portion of the first casing or the A damper fixed to the other inside of the cylindrical portion of the second casing, and inside the hollow hinge shaft, the circuit board of the first casing and the circuit board of the second casing A flexible wiring board that electrically connects the damper, and the damper is fixed to the other of the cylindrical portion of the first casing or the cylindrical portion of the second casing, and the damper main body And a damping part that resists relative rotation of the rotating part with respect to the damper body, and the cylindrical part of the second casing is the first When rotating relative to the cylindrical portion of the housing, the end of the hinge shaft engages with the rotating portion of the damper, and the rotation Parts is characterized in that rotates relative to the damper main body.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the hinge device according to the fourth aspect, a cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axis of the end portion of the hinge shaft is formed into a shape having a predetermined central angle, and the damper The rotating part has an outer lid formed by notching a part of the circumference in the circumferential direction, and the central angle of the notch of the outer lid is larger than the central angle of the end of the hinge shaft, and If the damper is rotated within a predetermined angle relative to the hinge shaft, the end of the hinge shaft is not engaged with the outer lid, and the damper is relative to the hinge shaft. The end portion of the hinge shaft is engaged with the outer lid only when the angle is rotated by a predetermined angle or more, and the rotating portion rotates relative to the damper main body.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation side case or a display side case as the first case, and an operation side case or the display side case as the second case. A mobile phone comprising the hinge device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 incorporated in a connecting portion with the other.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the damper can be disposed by shifting the position in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion from the joint of the cylindrical portion of the first casing and the cylindrical portion of the second casing.

  According to invention of Claim 2, a flexible wiring board can be passed using a hinge axis | shaft.

  According to invention of Claim 3, a flexible wiring board and a damper can be arrange | positioned by shifting a position in an axial direction.

  According to invention of Claim 4, a damper can be acted only when the 2nd housing | casing rotates relatively more than a predetermined angle with respect to the 1st housing | casing.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, even if there are only two joints between the cylindrical portion of the first casing and the cylindrical portion of the second casing, the automatic hinge mechanism, the damper, and the flexible wiring board Three can be arranged.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, the damper can be acted on only when the second casing is rotated relative to the first casing at a predetermined angle or more.

  As described in claim 7, the hinge device of the present invention can be suitably used for a hinge device of a mobile phone.

  Hereinafter, a hinge device for a portable electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 and 2 show a mobile phone. The mobile phone includes an operation-side casing 11 in which key buttons are arranged as a first casing, and a display-side casing 12 in which a display device 13 such as a liquid crystal display device is arranged as a second casing. The operation side housing 11 is provided with a small microphone and various key buttons. The display-side casing 12 is provided with a small speaker and a liquid crystal display device 13. The display-side casing 12 rotates from a state in which it is folded with respect to the operation-side casing 11 (see FIG. 2) to an open state in which it can be used (see FIG. 1). In the folded state, the front surface of the display-side housing 12 hits the front surface of the operation-side housing 11. In the opened state, the display side housing 12 is rotated by a predetermined angle (for example, 160 °) from the folded state. Since the contact portions of the display-side housing 12 and the operation-side housing 11 abut each other, the display-side housing 12 is restricted from opening more than a predetermined angle.

  A pair of cylindrical portions 11 a is provided at the end of the operation-side housing 11 in the longitudinal direction (upward in FIG. 1). The pair of cylinder portions 11a are disposed so as to be separated from end portions in the width direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) of the operation-side casing 11. On the other hand, a cylindrical portion 12 a sandwiched between a pair of cylindrical portions 11 a of the operation-side housing 11 is provided at an end portion in the longitudinal direction of the display-side housing 12 (downward in FIG. 1). The axis of the cylinder part 12a of the display-side casing 12 and the axis of the cylinder part 11a of the operation-side casing 11 coincide. The axial length of the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12 is longer than the axial length of the cylindrical portion of the operation-side housing 11.

  A seam 14 is formed between both end surfaces in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 12a of the display-side casing 12 and the inner side surfaces of the pair of cylindrical portions 11a of the operation-side casing 11 facing this. In this embodiment, there are a total of two seams 14 at both ends in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12. Since the cylindrical portion 12a of the display side housing 12 rotates with respect to the cylindrical portion 11a of the operation side housing 11, strictly speaking, both end surfaces of the cylindrical portion 12a of the display side housing 12 in the axial direction, A slight gap is formed between the inner side surfaces of the pair of cylindrical portions 11a of the opposing operation side casing 11 (see FIG. 3). These gaps are called seams. If the gap is large, a spacer that fills the gap may be interposed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an automatic hinge mechanism 15 with a one-touch open function is attached between one cylindrical portion 11 a of the operation-side casing 11 and the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side casing 12. When the push button 16 is pressed, the automatic hinge mechanism 15 automatically rotates the cylindrical portion 12a of the display-side casing 12 with respect to the cylindrical portion 11a of the operation-side casing 11, and is folded. And the operation side housing | casing 11 is made into the open state. This automatic hinge mechanism is disposed so as to straddle one joint 14 (the left side in FIG. 3) of the two joints 14 at both ends of the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12. The detailed structure of the automatic hinge mechanism 15 will be described later.

  A hollow cylindrical hinge shaft 17 is attached between the remaining cylindrical portion of the operation-side casing 11 and the cylindrical portion of the display-side casing 12. A flexible wiring board that electrically connects the circuit board of the display-side casing 12 and the circuit board of the operation-side casing 11 passes through the inside of the hinge shaft 17. The hinge shaft includes a main body portion 17 a having a circular cross section and an end portion 17 b having a circular arc shape that protrudes from the main body portion 17 a toward the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12. The main body portion 17a of the hinge shaft 17 is disposed so as to straddle the other seam 14 (the right side in FIG. 3) of the two seams 14. The main body portion of the hinge shaft 17 is fixed in the cylindrical portion of the operation side housing 11. The cylindrical portion of the display-side casing 12 can rotate while sliding around the hinge shaft 17. In order to pass the flexible wiring board from the operation side housing 11 into the hinge shaft 17, a slit 18 extending in the axial direction is formed in the main body portion 17 a of the hinge shaft 17. The flexible wiring board that has entered the hinge shaft 17 from the slit 18 is rounded in the hinge shaft 17, shifted in the axial direction, and extends from the vicinity of the end 17 b of the hinge shaft 17 to the display-side housing 12. The hinge shaft 17 that only serves to pass the flexible wiring board is called a dummy hinge. The detailed structure of the hinge shaft 17 and the flexible wiring board will be described later.

  A damper 19 is attached in the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12. The damper 19 operates when the cylindrical portion 12a of the display-side casing 12 rotates by a predetermined angle or more, and resists the rotational movement of the display-side casing 12. The damper 19 is disposed deep from the seam 14 to the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12. A key 20 is provided on the outer end surface of the damper main body. A key groove 22 that fits into the key 20 is formed in the central wall 21 in the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12. The damper 19 is pushed into the keyway 22 of the central wall 21 by the end 17 b of the hinge shaft 17. The damper 19 is fixed to the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12 by the relationship between the key 20 and the key groove 22.

  4 and 5 are detailed views of the damper 19. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the damper 19, and FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the damper 19. The damper 19 includes a damper main body 23 and a shaft portion 24 that is rotatably accommodated in the damper main body 23. On the outer surface of the bottomed cylindrical damper main body 23, a key 20 for fixing to the display side housing 12 is integrally formed. The key 20 extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the damper main body 23 is divided into a sectional fan-shaped portion 23 a filled with the viscous fluid 37 in the axial direction and a sectional circular portion 23 b into which the cylindrical portion 24 b of the shaft portion 24 is inserted. A protrusion 42 that rotatably supports one end of the shaft portion 24 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the damper main body 23.

  A shaft portion 24 is rotatably accommodated in the damper main body 23. The shaft portion 24 is divided in the axial direction into a fan-shaped portion 24 a accommodated in the cross-sectional fan-shaped portion 23 a of the damper main body 23 and a multistage cylindrical column portion 24 b inserted into the circular cross-sectional portion 23 b of the damper main body 23. The fan opening angle β of the sectional fan-shaped portion 23 a of the damper main body 23 is larger than the fan opening angle α of the fan-shaped portion 24 a of the shaft portion 24. A pair of fan-shaped spaces 26 and 27 are opened between them. The spaces 26 and 27 are filled with the viscous fluid 37. The pair of fan-shaped spaces 26 and 27 are connected by a fluid passage 28 having a slight gap. When the shaft portion 24 rotates relative to the damper main body 23, the viscous fluid 37 filled in one space 26 moves to the remaining space 27 via the narrow fluid passage 28. When the viscous fluid 37 passes through the fluid passage 28, viscous friction proportional to the velocity of the viscous fluid 37 acts, so that a force that resists the rotational motion of the shaft portion 24, that is, a damping force is generated.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an O-ring 25 is attached to the cylindrical portion 24 b of the shaft portion 24. The inner periphery of the O-ring 25 is in close contact with the shaft portion 24, and the outer periphery of the O-ring 25 is in close contact with the inner periphery of the damper main body 23. The O-ring 25 prevents the viscous fluid 37 from leaking to the outside through a gap generated around the cylindrical portion 24 b of the shaft portion 24 while allowing the rotational movement of the shaft portion 24 relative to the damper main body 23.

  The opening end of the damper main body 23 is closed with a disk-shaped inner lid 26. After the damper main body 23 is filled with the viscous fluid 37, the shaft portion 24 is accommodated, and the O-ring is mounted, the inner lid 26 is attached to the damper main body 23. A through hole 33 through which the pair of pins 35 penetrates is formed in the damper main body 23, and a through hole 28 through which the pair of pins 35 penetrate is also formed in the inner lid 26. After the inner lid 26 is fitted to the open end of the damper main body 23, the damper main body 23 and the inner lid 26 are pierced by a pair of pins 35. The damper main body 23 and the inner lid 26 are skewed with pins 35 so that they are fixed to each other. A through hole 29 through which the shaft portion 24 passes is formed in the central portion of the inner lid 26. One end of the shaft portion 24 is rotatably supported by the through hole 29 of the inner lid 26.

  The end of the shaft portion 24 is cut into a square cross section. A substantially disk-shaped outer lid 30 that rotates together with the shaft portion 24 is attached to the end of the shaft portion 24 having a square cross section. A hole 31 having a square cross section is formed in the outer lid 30 in accordance with the cross sectional shape of the shaft section 24 having a square cross section. A part of the periphery of the outer lid 30 is cut away in the circumferential direction. The central angle of the arc-shaped cutout 32 is set to 180 degrees or more, for example. The end 17b of the hinge shaft 17 is engaged with the outer lid.

  The shaft portion 24 and the outer lid 30 described above are incorporated in the damper main body 23 so as to be rotatable relative to the damper main body 23. The shaft portion 24 and the outer lid 30 are referred to as a rotating portion. The viscous fluid 37 resists the relative rotation of the shaft portion 24 with respect to the damper main body 23 and generates a damping force. This viscous fluid 37 is referred to as a damping portion. As long as the viscous fluid 37 generates a damping force, it may be not only a liquid but also a gas such as air. In addition to generating the damping force using the viscous friction of the viscous fluid 37, the damping force may be generated using Coulomb friction acting between the solid dry surfaces.

  6 and 7 are perspective views of the hinge shaft 17. As described above, the hinge shaft 17 has a hollow cylindrical shape, a main body portion 17a having a circular cross section, and an end portion 17b having a circular arc shape that protrudes from the main body portion 17a into the cylindrical portion 12a of the display-side housing 12. Have The end of the main body portion 17a is closed with a lid 17c. The lid 17c is formed in a shape in which a part in the circumferential direction protrudes. An engaging protrusion 34 is formed on the protruding portion of the lid 17c. When the hinge shaft 17 is inserted into the cylinder portion 11 a of the operation side housing 11, the engagement protrusion 34 of the lid 17 c is hooked on the cylinder portion 11 a of the operation side housing 11, and the hinge shaft 17 is fixed integrally to the operation side housing 11. Is done.

  A slit 18 extending in the axial direction for allowing the flexible wiring board 36 to pass therethrough is formed in the main body portion 17a of the hinge shaft 17. A flexible wiring board 36 is passed from the slit 18 into the hinge shaft 17.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view of the flexible wiring board 36. The flexible wiring board 36 is bent in a crank shape, and has an arc portion 36a having a substantially arc-shaped cross section extending in the axial direction of the hinge shaft 17 at the center thereof. The arc portion 36 a is disposed across the cylinder portion 11 a of the operation side casing 11 and the cylinder portion 12 a of the display side casing 12. The flexible wiring board 36b from the operation side casing 11 extends toward the arc portion 36a. The flexible wiring board 36c extending from the display-side housing 12 toward the arc portion 36a is parallel to the flexible wiring board 36b and is displaced in the axial direction of the hinge shaft 17 from the flexible wiring board 36b. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a slit 18 extending in the axial direction is formed in the main body portion 17 a of the hinge shaft 17. The flexible wiring board 36 b enters the hinge shaft 17 from the operation side housing 11. The arc portion 36 a is rounded in an arc shape within the hinge shaft 17. The flexible wiring board 36a passes through the notched portion of the end portion 17b of the hinge shaft 17 and reaches the display-side casing 12 from the end portion 17b side.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the hinge shaft 17 is fixed to the cylinder portion 11 a of the operation side housing 11. Therefore, the position of the slit 18 of the hinge shaft 17 does not change with respect to the cylindrical portion 11a of the operation side casing 11, and the position of the flexible wiring board 36b toward the operation side casing does not change. On the other hand, the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12 is fitted into the hinge shaft 17 and rotates around the hinge shaft 17. The flexible wiring board 36c toward the display-side casing 12 rotates around the arc portion 36a toward the flexible wiring board 36b every time the mobile phone is used. That is, the flexible wiring board 36 is bent around the arc portion 36a.

  FIG. 10 shows an internal perspective view of the mobile phone near the hinge shaft 17. When the cellular phone in the open state is to be folded, the flexible wiring board 36c extending toward the display side housing 12 is bent toward the front side in the figure. As shown in FIG. 9, since the end 17b of the hinge shaft 17 is not provided on the front side of the flexible wiring board 36c, the bending of the flexible wiring board 36c to the front side is not disturbed.

  11 to 13 show the damper 19 and the hinge shaft 17 engaged with the damper 19. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the display-side housing 12 is folded (an opening angle with respect to the operation-side housing 11 is 0 degrees), and FIG. 12 shows a state in which the display-side housing 12 is opened at 105 degrees with respect to the operation-side housing 11. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the display-side housing 12 is fully opened with respect to the operation-side housing 11 (an opening angle with respect to the operation-side housing 11 is 160 degrees).

  As shown in FIG. 11C, the cross-sectional shape of the end 17b of the hinge shaft 17 is formed in an arc shape. The central angle γ of the arc-shaped end portion 17 b of the hinge shaft 17 is smaller than the central angle δ of the arc-shaped notch 32 of the outer lid 30. For example, the center angle γ is set to, for example, less than 90 degrees, and the center angle δ is set to 180 degrees or more. In the folded state, the end surface 38 in the circumferential direction of the end portion 17 b of the hinge shaft 17 contacts the end surface 39 in the circumferential direction of the notch 32 of the outer lid 30. When the push button 16 of the automatic hinge mechanism 15 is pressed in the folded state, the cylindrical portion 12a of the display-side casing 12 rotates relative to the cylindrical portion 11a of the operating-side casing 11. Since the damper 19 is fixed to the cylinder portion 12a of the display-side casing 12, and the hinge shaft 17 is fixed to the cylinder portion 11a of the operation-side casing 11, the damper 19 is eventually shown in FIG. Rotates counterclockwise (1). There is a margin angle of, for example, 105 degrees between the other end surface 40 in the circumferential direction of the end portion 17 b of the hinge shaft 17 and the other end surface 41 in the circumferential direction of the notch 32 of the outer lid 30. Therefore, while the damper 19 and the outer lid 30 rotate by 105 degrees, the end portion 17b of the hinge shaft 17 and the outer lid 30 do not engage with each other, and the damper 19 rotates freely with respect to the hinge shaft 17. .

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the damper main body 23 rotates 105 degrees, the end 17b of the hinge shaft 17 and the outer lid 30 are engaged, that is, the other end surface 40 in the circumferential direction of the end 17b of the hinge shaft 17 is engaged. The other end face 41 in the circumferential direction of the notch 32 of the outer lid 30 abuts. Then, the rotation of the outer lid 30 stops. Since the automatic hinge mechanism tries to further rotate the damper 19, the damper main body 23 rotates relative to the outer lid 30. As shown in FIG. 13, the relative rotation of the damper main body 23 with respect to the outer lid 30 continues until the display-side casing 12 is opened, that is, until the display-side casing 12 rotates 160 degrees. Since the shaft portion 24 is fixed to the outer lid 30, the shaft portion 24 rotates relative to the damper main body 23 by the relative rotation of the outer lid 30 and the damper main body 23, and a damping force is generated. To do.

  In summary, the automatic hinge mechanism 15 rotates the display-side casing 12 from the folded state to the opened state at a stretch. The damper 19 does not operate until the display-side housing 12 opens 105 degrees, and the display-side housing 12 rotates quickly. When the display-side casing 12 is opened by 105 degrees or more, the damper 19 is activated, and the opening speed of the display-side casing 12 is reduced. The damper 19 continues to operate until the display-side casing 12 is fully opened.

  One of the features of this embodiment is that the outer lid of the damper 19 is engaged with the end 17b of the hinge shaft 17. Thereby, it is not necessary to arrange | position the damper 19 ranging over the joint line 14 of cylinder part 11a, 12a, and the damper 19 can be arrange | positioned inside the cylinder part 12a of the display side housing | casing 12. FIG. Even if there are only two seams 14 between the cylindrical portion 12a of the display-side casing 12 and the cylindrical portion of the operating-side casing 11, three of the automatic hinge mechanism 15, the damper 19, and the flexible wiring board 36 are used. One can be arranged in the cylinder parts 11a, 12a.

  Further, the position where the end 17b of the hinge shaft 17 and the outer lid 30 of the damper 19 are engaged is an axis line from the place where the flexible wiring board 36 is disposed toward the inside of the cylindrical portion 12a of the display-side housing 12. The position is shifted in the direction. Thereby, the flexible wiring board 36 and the damper 19 can be arranged with their positions shifted in the axial direction.

  The angle at which the damper 19 operates can be adjusted by changing the central angle γ of the end 17b of the hinge shaft 17. If the hinge shaft 17 is replaced, the operating angle of the damper 19 can be adjusted without making any changes to the cylinder portions 11a and 12a of the operation side case 11 and the display side case 12. On the other hand, in the damper device described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the rectangular parallelepiped portion 3 of the shaft body of the damper is inserted into one cylindrical portion 6, and the other cylindrical portion is inserted. A damper case 1 is inserted into 5 and the damper also functions as a hinge. For this reason, when it is going to change the operating angle of a damper, it is necessary to change the shape of the cylinder part 6, and it will be necessary to replace the whole housing | casing.

  Below, an example of the structure of the automatic hinge mechanism 15 with a one-touch open function is demonstrated. Various types of structures of the automatic hinge mechanism 15 have been developed. In the present embodiment, the automatic hinge mechanism 15 is provided with a compression coil spring and a cam, and an automatic hinge mechanism having a structure in which the display-side casing 12 is automatically opened by pressing a push button 16 provided at an end of the automatic hinge mechanism 15. 15 will be described.

  An outline of the movement of the automatic hinge mechanism 15 will be described. If the push button 16 at the end of the automatic hinge mechanism 15 is pressed while the display-side casing 12 is folded, the display-side casing 12 automatically rotates from the folded state to the opened state. When the opened display-side casing 12 is returned to the original folded state, the display-side casing 12 is manually rotated in the opposite direction. The display-side casing 12 can also be manually rotated from the folded state to the opened state.

  FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the automatic hinge mechanism 15. A fixed cam 51 is inserted into and fixed to the cylindrical portion 11 a of the operation-side casing 11. On the other hand, a cylindrical case 52 is inserted into and fixed to the cylindrical portion 12 a of the display-side housing 12. The fixed cam 51 and the case 52 are disposed on the same central axis L.

  The fixed cam 51 is formed with an automatic rotation cam portion 51 a for automatically rotating the display-side housing 12. A movable cam 53 is fitted on the fixed cam 51. The movable cam 53 is formed with a manual rotation cam portion 53 a for manually rotating the display-side housing 12. The automatic rotation cam portion 51a of the fixed cam 51 and the manual rotation cam portion 53a of the movable cam 53 are overlapped on a concentric circle. A stopper 54 is disposed between the fixed cam 51 and the movable cam 53. The stopper 54 is supported by the movable cam 53 so as to be slidable in the central axis direction. The stopper 54 is urged against the fixed cam 51 by a return spring 55. When the stopper 54 meshes with the fixed cam 51, the movable cam 53 cannot rotate with respect to the fixed cam 51. On the other hand, when the push button 16 is pressed, the claw 16 a of the push button 16 slides the stopper 54 toward the movable cam 53, so that the meshing between the fixed cam 51 and the stopper 54 is disengaged, and the movable cam 53 moves relative to the fixed cam 51. You can rotate freely.

  The catch 57 is disposed to face the fixed cam 51 and the movable cam 53. The catch 57 is accommodated in a cylindrical case 52 having the same cross section. The catch 57 can move in the central axis direction with respect to the case 52, but cannot rotate relative to the case 52. The compression springs 58 a and 58 b for rotation accommodated in the case 52 urge the contact portion 57 a at the tip of the catch 57 toward the fixed cam 51 and the movable cam 53. The rotation compression springs 58a and 58b are composed of a power spring 58b and an assist spring 58a. The fixed shaft 59 brings these components together. These components are sandwiched between a flange portion 59 a formed at one end of the fixed shaft 59 and a washer 60 attached to the other end of the fixed shaft 59. The sleeve 61 and the ring 62 are made of synthetic resin and are provided to avoid contact between the metal and the metal.

  When the push button 16 is pushed against the urging force of the return spring 55, the lock of the fixed cam 51 and the movable cam 53 is released, and the movable cam 53 can freely rotate. When the movable cam 53 can be freely rotated, the catch 57 is urged to the fixed cam 51 by the rotation compression springs 38a and 38b, and rotates along the inclined surface of the automatic rotation cam portion 51a of the fixed cam 51. As the catch 57 rotates, the case 52 rotates. Since the display-side casing 12 is connected to the case 52, the display-side casing 12 also rotates as the case 52 rotates. When the catch 57 rotates more than a predetermined angle, the contact portions of the display-side casing 12 and the operation-side casing 11 come into contact with each other, and the display-side casing 12 is opened. At this time, the stopper 54 slides again toward the fixed cam 51 by the urging force of the return spring 55 and engages with the fixed cam 51. Therefore, the movable cam 53 is locked again.

  When returning the display-side casing 12 to the folded state, the display-side casing 12 is manually rotated. At this time, the contact portion 57 a of the catch 57 rotates along the manual rotation cam portion 53 a of the movable cam 53. Since the manual rotation cam portion 53a of the movable cam 53 is formed with a flat surface in addition to the inclined surface, the display-side housing 12 can be stopped in an opened state of 90 °, for example.

  15 and 16 show a state in which the automatic hinge mechanism 15 is assembled. FIG. 15 shows the automatic hinge mechanism 15 in a state in which the mobile phone is folded, and FIG. 16 shows the automatic hinge mechanism 15 in a state in which the mobile phone is opened. The power spring 58 b is interposed between the ring 62 and the catch 57, and the assist spring 58 a is interposed between the ring 62 and the flange of the sleeve 61. The power spring 58 b and the assist spring 58 a urge the catch 57 toward the fixed cam 51 and the movable cam 53. By this urging force, the fixed cam 51 is urged by the flange portion 59a of the fixed shaft 59, and its position is not changed. A return spring 55 interposed between the stopper 54 and the movable cam 53 biases the stopper 54 toward the fixed cam 51.

  In the state in which the cellular phone shown in FIG. 15 is folded, the catch 57 has moved to the position slid rightward in the drawing with respect to the fixed cam 51 and the movable cam 53. At this time, the power spring 58b and the assist spring 58a are in the most contracted state. On the other hand, when the cellular phone shown in FIG. 16 is open, the contact portion 57a of the catch 57 slides down along the inclined surfaces of the end cams of the fixed cam 51 and the movable cam 53, so that the catch 57 is leftmost. Move to the slide position. At this time, the power spring 58b and the assist spring 58a are in the most extended state.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to the said embodiment, In the range which does not change the summary of this invention, it can change variously. In the above embodiment, the hinge device has been described in which the cylindrical portion 12a of the display-side casing 12 is sandwiched between the pair of cylindrical portions 11a of the operating-side casing 11, but the damper 19 can be disposed away from the joint. If so, the number of the cylindrical portions 11a, 12a is not limited to this.

  Further, the automatic hinge mechanism 15 of the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, an automatic hinge mechanism of a type that opens the display-side casing 12 by using the torque of a torsion coil spring may be used. Further, the mechanism for releasing the lock may not be the push button 16 provided at the end of the automatic hinge mechanism 15 but may be provided directly on the operation side casing 11 or the display side casing 12. For example, a hook may be provided on one of the operation side casing 11 and the display side casing 12 and a hook engaging portion may be provided on the other, and the hooks may be disengaged by a push button. , 12 may be provided, and the magnet may be moved to release the lock.

  The hinge device of the present invention can be applied not only to a cellular phone but also to a portable computer that can be carried and used, such as a laptop, a handheld, a PDA, a PocketPC, a Palm, and a portable game machine.

The figure which shows the open state of the mobile telephone with which the hinge apparatus of this invention is integrated ((A) shows a side view, (B) shows a front view) The figure which shows the folded state of the said mobile telephone ((A) shows a side view in the figure, (B) shows a front view) Cross-sectional view of hinge device (cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1) Exploded perspective view of damper Detail view of damper stopper ((A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of (D), (B) is a back view, (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of (D), and (D) Side view, (E) is a front view) Perspective view of hinge shaft Perspective view of hinge shaft Plan view of flexible wiring board A perspective view of the hinge shaft attached to the operation side housing Internal perspective view of mobile phone near hinge axis The figure which shows the hinge axis | shaft engaged with a damper and a damper ((A) is a front view by the side of a damper in the figure, (B) is a side view, (C) is the sectional view on the AA line of (B), (D). Is a front view of the hinge shaft side, (E) is a perspective view) The figure which shows the hinge axis | shaft engaged with a damper and a damper ((A) is a front view by the side of a damper, (B) is a side view, (C) is a BB sectional drawing of (B), (D). Is a front view of the hinge shaft side, (E) is a perspective view) The figure which shows the hinge axis | shaft engaged with a damper and a damper ((A) is a front view by the side of a damper, (B) is a side view, (C) is CC sectional view taken on the line of (B), (D). Is a front view of the hinge shaft side, (E) is a perspective view) Exploded perspective view of automatic hinge mechanism The figure which shows the state which assembled the hinge apparatus ((A) in the figure shows a side view, (B) shows the state which removed the case, (C) shows the CC sectional view taken on the line of (B)). The figure which shows the state which assembled the hinge apparatus ((A) in the figure shows a side view, (B) shows the state which removed the case, (C) shows the CC sectional view taken on the line of (B)). The figure which shows the conventional damper ((A) in the figure is an exploded perspective view, (B) is a sectional view) The figure which shows the cylinder part for the conventional damper apparatus ((A) is a perspective view in the figure, (B) is sectional drawing)

Explanation of symbols

11 ... Operating side housing (first housing)
11a ... cylinder part 12 ... display side housing | casing (2nd housing | casing)
12a ... cylindrical part 14 ... joint 15 ... automatic hinge mechanism 16 ... push button 17 ... hinge shaft 17a ... hinge shaft main body 17b ... hinge shaft end 18 ... slit 19 ... damper 23 ... damper main body 24 ... shaft ( Rotating part)
30 ... outer lid (rotating part)
36 ... flexible wiring board 37 ... viscous fluid (attenuator)
γ ... Center angle of arc-shaped end of hinge shaft δ ... Center angle of arc-shaped notch of outer lid

Claims (7)

In the hinge device connected so that the cylindrical portion of the second casing can rotate relatively around the axis of the first and second cylindrical portions with respect to the cylindrical portion of the first casing,
A damper fixed in the cylindrical portion of the second housing;
The second casing is arranged so as to straddle the joint of the cylindrical section of the first casing and the cylindrical section of the second casing, and is fixed in the cylindrical section of the first casing. A hinge shaft that rotatably supports the cylindrical portion of
The damper includes a damper main body fixed in the cylindrical portion of the second casing, a rotating portion rotatable relative to the damper main body, and relative rotation of the rotating portion with respect to the damper main body. A damping portion that resists,
When the cylindrical portion of the second casing rotates relative to the cylindrical portion of the first casing, the end of the hinge shaft engages with the rotating portion of the damper, and the rotating portion The hinge device rotates relative to the damper main body. The hinge shaft is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape,
The flexible wiring board that electrically connects the circuit board of the first casing and the circuit board of the second casing passes through the hollow hinge shaft. Hinge device.   The position where the end portion of the hinge shaft and the rotating portion of the damper are engaged is an axial direction from the place where the flexible wiring board is disposed toward the inside of the cylindrical portion of the second casing. The hinge device according to claim 2, wherein the position of the hinge device is shifted. The cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axis of the end of the hinge shaft is formed into a shape having a predetermined center angle,
The rotating part of the damper has an outer lid formed by cutting out a part of the circumference in the circumferential direction,
The central angle of the cutout of the outer lid is larger than the central angle of the end of the hinge shaft,
And only by rotating the damper within a predetermined angle relative to the hinge shaft, the end of the hinge shaft does not engage the outer lid,
Only when the damper rotates a predetermined angle or more relative to the hinge shaft, the end of the hinge shaft engages with the outer lid, and the rotating portion is relative to the damper body. The hinge device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the hinge device rotates in a moving manner. A cylindrical portion of a second casing is disposed between a pair of spaced apart cylindrical portions of the first casing, and the second casing has the second casing with respect to the pair of cylindrical portions of the first casing. In the hinge device connected so that the cylindrical portion can relatively rotate around the axis of the cylindrical portion of the first and second casings,
Among the two joints of the pair of tube portions of the first housing and the tube portion of the second housing, and arranged so as to straddle one joint, when the lock is released, The folded first and second casings were opened by automatically rotating the cylindrical section of the second casing relative to the pair of cylindrical sections of the first casing. An automatic hinge mechanism to put in a state,
Among the two seams, the second seam is arranged so as to straddle the other seam, and is fixed inside one of the cylindrical part of the first casing or the cylindrical part of the second casing, A hollow cylindrical hinge shaft that rotatably supports the cylindrical portion of one casing or the cylindrical portion of the second casing;
A damper fixed inside the cylindrical portion of the first casing or the cylindrical portion of the second casing, and
A flexible wiring board that electrically connects the circuit board of the first casing and the circuit board of the second casing through the hollow hinge shaft,
The damper includes a damper main body fixed to the other of the cylindrical portion of the first casing or the cylindrical portion of the second casing, and a rotating portion rotatable relative to the damper main body. A damping portion that resists relative rotation of the rotating portion with respect to the damper body,
When the cylindrical portion of the second casing rotates relative to the cylindrical portion of the first casing, the end of the hinge shaft engages with the rotating portion of the damper, and the rotating portion The hinge device rotates relative to the damper main body. The cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the axis of the end of the hinge shaft is formed into a shape having a predetermined center angle,
The rotating part of the damper has an outer lid formed by cutting out a part of the circumference in the circumferential direction,
The central angle of the cutout of the outer lid is larger than the central angle of the end of the hinge shaft,
And only by rotating the damper within a predetermined angle relative to the hinge shaft, the end of the hinge shaft does not engage the outer lid,
Only when the damper rotates a predetermined angle or more relative to the hinge shaft, the end of the hinge shaft engages with the outer lid, and the rotating portion is relative to the damper body. The hinge device according to claim 5, wherein the hinge device rotates in a moving manner.   A connection portion between one of the operation side case or the display side case as the first case and the other of the operation side case or the display side case as the second case. A cellular phone comprising the hinge device according to any one of 1 to 6 incorporated therein.

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