JP2008157295A - Torsion coil spring - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a torsion coil spring reduced in height and outer diameter of a coil part to save a space so as to be arranged in a thin space. <P>SOLUTION: The torsion coil spring 20 having stretching force in a torsional direction is provided with a first and a second coil parts 21 and 22 and a first to a third straight line parts 23, 24 and 25. One end of the first coil part 21 is continued to the first straight line part 23, and the other end thereof is continued to the second straight line part 24. The other end of the second straight line part 24 is continued to the second coil part 22, and the other end of the second coil part 22 is continued to the third straight line part 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a torsion coil spring used for, for example, a mobile phone or a mobile communication device in which one housing and a second housing are slidably connected.

  Conventionally, a torsion coil spring having a stretching force in the torsion direction has been used.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a torsion coil spring is used in an electronic device having a battery pack or a dry battery storage part. In this electronic device, the storage portion has a lid that opens and closes the opening, and the lid is slidably attached to a plate-like member, and the plate-like member is a device main body. Hinged to the body side member fixed to the body, and is always urged in the direction of opening the opening by an elastic member, and the lid is slid from the position where the opening is closed. The lid can be rotated and rotated by about 90 degrees by the elastic member to be in an open state. When the lid is in an open state, the lid is brought into contact with the device body so that the lid is It is configured to hold in an upright state.

In the urging structure using the torsion coil spring of Patent Document 2, a cylindrical hole portion that houses the coil portion of the torsion coil spring in an attachment body to which the torsion coil spring and a biased member that is urged by the torsion coil spring are attached. The coil portion is supported from the outside by the inner wall surface of the cylindrical hole portion, and a hook portion for hanging one end of the torsion coil spring is provided on the attachment body, and the other end of the torsion coil spring is attached to the cover. It is hung on the force member.
JP 2005-174919 A JP 2006-206230 A

  However, the torsion coil springs as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a large number of turns and cannot be provided in a thin space due to the height of the coil portion.

  On the other hand, when a torsion coil spring is to be provided in a thin space, it is conceivable that the coil portion is wound in a Katori line incense shape so as to gradually reduce the diameter in the same plane. In this case, in order to obtain a required urging force, the outer diameter of the coil portion is increased, and a large installation space is required. Therefore, it is difficult to provide the urging structure for a compact portable device such as a mobile phone. There was a problem that there was.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and the object of the present invention is that the torsion coil spring can be arranged in a thin space and does not take up space, and the coil portion has a small height and outer diameter. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the torsion coil spring is provided with two coil portions.

Specifically, in the first invention, on the premise of a torsion coil spring having a stretching force in the torsion direction, the torsion coil spring has first and second coil portions, and first to third linear portions,
One end of the first coil portion is continuous with the first straight portion, and the other end is continuous with the second straight portion,
The other end of the second linear portion is continuous with the second coil portion,
The other end of the second coil part is configured to be continuous with the third linear part.

  According to the above configuration, the first and second coil portions are connected by the second linear portion, and when a force is applied to the first and third linear portions, the twist angle changes, and the first and second coil portions change the twist direction. Stretching force is generated. By providing two coil portions, the torsion angle of each coil portion can be halved compared to the case having only one coil portion. For this reason, in order to generate an equivalent torsion angle, the size of the coil portion becomes smaller than in the case of using one coil portion.

In the second invention, in the first invention,
Each of the first and second coil portions is wound in the opposite direction so that the radius gradually decreases from the end of the second linear portion.

  According to the above configuration, the height of the coil portion is reduced by winding the coil portion in a Katori-line incense shape, and the two coil portions are sandwiched between the first and third linear portions by winding in the opposite directions. Since it is disposed in the region, the overall size of the torsion coil spring is reduced.

In the third invention, in the second invention,
The minimum diameter portion and the maximum diameter portion of the first and second coil portions are disposed in the same plane as the second linear portion, and the first coil portion extends from the minimum diameter portion to the first linear portion. From the smallest diameter part of 2 coil parts, it protrudes and continues in the same direction which leaves | separates from the said same plane from the said 3rd linear part, respectively.

  According to said structure, since the part which continues from a 1st and 2nd coil part to a 1st or 3rd linear part protrudes in the same direction from a 1st and 2nd coil part, the whole height is suppressed. It can be placed even in a narrow space.

In a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions,
A first annular portion is formed at the tip of the first straight portion, and a second annular portion is formed at the tip of the third straight portion.

  According to said structure, by inserting the front-end | tip of a 1st and 3rd linear part in a pin, a torsion coil spring rotates centering around a 1st and 2nd annular part, and assists the sliding movement of two members. be able to.

In the fifth invention, in the fourth invention,
The third straight portion is curved in the same plane side as viewed from the side, the second annular portion is disposed in the plane, and the first annular portion and the second annular portion are offset in the side view. ing.

  According to said structure, when arrange | positioning a torsion coil spring in the clearance gap between two objects slidably moved, a 1st annular part is easily attached to one side, and a 2nd annular part is each attached to the other.

In a sixth invention, in any one of the first to fifth inventions,
The torsion coil spring is assumed to be composed of a stainless steel wire for springs.

  According to said structure, durability improves by using the torsion coil spring excellent in corrosion resistance.

  As described above, according to the present invention, two coil portions are provided in the torsion coil spring, and the size of the coil portion is made smaller than in the case of one coil portion in order to generate an equivalent torsion angle. For this reason, the torsion coil spring can be arranged in a narrow space.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the two coil portions are arranged in a region sandwiched between the first and third straight portions, thereby reducing the overall size of the torsion coil spring. For this reason, it becomes easier to arrange the torsion coil spring in a narrow space.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, the entire height of the first and second coil portions extending from the first and second coil portions to the first or third linear portion is protruded in the same direction, thereby suppressing the overall height. For this reason, the torsion coil spring can be arranged in a thin space.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the torsion coil spring is appropriately rotated by forming the annular portion at the tips of the first and third straight portions and inserting the tips of the first and third straight portions into the pins. . For this reason, when the two objects are slid, the torsion coil spring rotates around the annular portion, so that the sliding operation can be performed smoothly.

  According to the fifth aspect, the first annular portion and the second annular portion are offset in a side view, and the first annular portion can be easily attached to one object and the second annular portion can be easily attached to the other object. I am doing so. For this reason, the layout of the torsion coil spring is easy.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the torsion coil spring is made of a spring stainless steel wire to improve the corrosion resistance. For this reason, a highly durable torsion coil spring is obtained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  11 to 13 show a torsion coil spring 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the torsion coil spring 20 is composed of a stainless steel wire for spring (for example, SUS304WPA or SUS304WPB). For this reason, it is excellent in corrosion resistance and has improved durability. The torsion coil spring 20 includes first and second coil portions 21 and 22 and first to third straight portions 23, 24, and 25. One end of the first coil portion 21 is continuous with the first straight portion 23, and the other end is continuous with the second straight portion 24. The other end of the second linear portion 24 is continuous with the second coil portion 22, and the other end of the second coil portion 22 is continuous with the third linear portion 25. In the present embodiment, the first straight line portion 23 is longer than the third straight line portion 25, but may have the same length.

  The first and second coil portions 21 and 22 have the maximum diameter portions 21a and 22a and the second straight portion 24 arranged in the same plane. The minimum diameter portions 21 b and 22 b and the maximum diameter portions 21 a and 22 a of the first and second coil portions 21 and 22 are disposed in the same plane as the second linear portion 24 and are the outermost portions of the first coil portion 21. From the small diameter portion 21b to the first straight portion 23, and from the smallest diameter portion 22b of the second coil portion 22 to the third straight portion 25, the projections are continuous in the same direction (surface side) away from the same plane. Thus, since the part which continues from the 1st and 2nd coil parts 21 and 22 to the 1st or 3rd linear part 23 and 25 protrudes in the same direction, the whole height is restrained and it is thin space. Placement is possible.

  The first and second coil portions 21 and 22 are wound in opposite directions so that the radius gradually decreases from the end of the second linear portion 24. Thus, since the two coil portions 21 and 22 are disposed in the region sandwiched between the first and third straight portions 23 and 25, the overall size of the torsion coil spring 20 is reduced.

  The tip of the first straight portion 23 is bent to form a first annular portion 26, and the tip of the third straight portion 25 is also bent to form a second annular portion 27.

  Further, the third linear portion 25 is curved in the same plane side as viewed from the side, the second annular portion 27 is disposed in the plane, and the first annular portion 26 and the second annular portion 27 are viewed from the side. It is offset by. Therefore, the first annular portion 26 can be easily attached to the first casing 2 and the second annular portion 27 can be easily attached to the second casing 3.

  The torsion coil spring 20 changes its torsion angle when a force is applied to the first and third linear portions 25, and the first and second coil portions 21 and 22 generate a stretching force in the torsion direction. By providing the two coil parts 21 and 22, the torsion angle of each coil part can be halved as compared with the one having only one coil part. For this reason, in order to generate an equivalent torsion angle, the sizes of the coil portions 21 and 22 are smaller than in the case of one coil portion.

-Usage example-
Next, a usage example of the torsion coil spring according to the present embodiment will be specifically described.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a first housing of a slide type mobile phone provided with a torsion coil spring according to an embodiment of the present invention is slid to the upper end. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 in which the torsion coil spring can be seen. 5 to 10 are views corresponding to FIG. 4 or FIG. 2 when the first housing is slid. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sliding mobile phone 1 includes a first casing 2 and a second casing 3 that are long in the vertical direction. As indicated by the white arrows, the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are connected to each other by a slide mechanism 4 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction.

  The first casing 2 has a vertically long display unit 5 on the surface thereof that is long in the vertical direction, and a receiver unit 6 is provided on the upper side of the display unit 5. The display unit 5 may be a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

  The second housing 3 has an operation unit 7 in the lower part from the center of the surface thereof. For example, a function button 8 and a number button 9 are provided in the operation unit 7. A receiver 10 is provided below the operation unit 7.

  As shown in a cross section in FIG. 2, the first housing 2 and the second housing 3 are electrically connected by a flexible substrate 11 (shown by a two-dot chain line) described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of rail portions 12 are provided on the left and right ends of the surface of the second casing 3 so as to extend in the vertical direction. The pair of rail portions 12 are formed in a groove shape provided so as to be recessed outward from the left and right center of the second housing 3. On the other hand, the back cabinet 2a on the back side of the first housing 2 is formed with a locking portion 13 that is inserted into the pair of rail portions 12 and that is long in the vertical direction and protrudes in the left-right direction. By inserting the locking portion 13 into the rail portion 12, the first housing 2 is slidably moved on the second housing 3. In FIG. 3, only the back cabinet 2 a is shown as the first housing 2, and in FIG. 4 and the like, the first housing 2 is drawn with a two-dot chain line for easy viewing, and the surface of the second housing 3 is shown. The operation unit 7 is omitted.

A torsion coil spring 20 is provided between the pair of rail portions 12. The torsion coil spring 20 assists the first casing 2 to slide to the upper end side of the second casing 3 and assists sliding to the original position (downward) after sliding. Yes. The slide mechanism 4 includes the pair of rail portions 12 and the torsion coil spring 20.
A first spring fixing pin 29 is provided in the vicinity of the side surface of the first housing 2 as viewed from the front surface, that is, on the left side in the vertical central portion on the back surface side of the back cabinet 2a so as to protrude toward the second housing 3 side. It has been. Similarly, the second spring fixing pin 30 protrudes toward the first housing 2 in the vicinity of the opposite side surface of the second housing 3 when viewed from the surface, that is, on the upper side and the right side of the top surface in the vertical direction. It is provided to do. The first annular portion 26 is rotatably positioned on the first spring fixing pin 29. Similarly, the second annular portion 27 is rotatably positioned on the second spring fixing pin 30.

  The torsion coil spring 20 is disposed so that the torsion angle of the torsion coil spring 20 is minimized at an intermediate position (shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) of the entire sliding position of the first housing 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the flexible substrate 11 is disposed below the torsion coil spring 20 at a predetermined distance from the torsion coil spring 20. In FIG. 4, the portion of the flexible substrate 11 sandwiched between the torsion coil springs 20 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. Specifically, a display unit side substrate 18 is provided on the back side of the display unit 5 inside the first casing 2, and an operation unit side substrate 19 is provided inside the second casing 3. It has been. The flexible substrate 11 has a vertically long rectangular shape, and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is directed in the vertical direction. One end 11 a is connected to the display unit side substrate 18, and the other end 11 b is connected to the operation unit side substrate 19. . The flexible substrate 11 has moderate flexibility, and when bent, the bent portion 11c is bent and has a U-shape in a side view. Thus, the flexible substrate 11 is coupled from the first housing 2 to the second housing 3 so that the bent portion 11c forms a U-shape when viewed from the side.

-Action-
Next, the sliding operation of the sliding mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  First, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in the standby state, the first housing 2 is superposed with the second housing 3. The shape of the torsion coil spring 20 is such that the two coil portions 21 and 22 are arranged at substantially the same height on the left and right in a plan view. The flexible substrate 11 is disposed below the second coil portion 22 while maintaining a distance from the torsion coil spring 20. The bent portion 11c of the flexible substrate 11 maintains a U shape when viewed from the side.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first housing 2 is slightly slid upward. At this time, the first housing 2 moves upward along the rail portion 12 provided in the second housing 3. The second annular portion 27 is in a fixed position, and rotates around the second spring fixing pin 30, and the first annular portion 26 moves upward while rotating around the first spring fixing pin 29. The shape of the torsion coil spring 20 is such that the first coil portion 21 is positioned above the second coil portion 22 and has a mountain shape as a whole. The flexible substrate 11 also slides at a distance below the torsion coil spring 20 while maintaining the U-shaped bent portion 11c. Since the torsion angle of the torsion coil spring 20 is smaller than that of the free shape, the first casing 2 is slid against the biasing force.

  Next, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the first casing 2 is further moved upward, the operation unit 7 gradually appears and reaches the intermediate position of the sliding movement of the first casing 2. The shape of the torsion coil spring 20 is such that the first coil portion 21 moves further upward and to the right. The flexible substrate 11 also slides at a distance from the inside of the torsion coil spring 20 with the bent portion 11c maintaining the U shape. At this time, the torsion angle of the torsion coil spring 20 becomes the smallest, and the elastic energy is stored most. As a result, when the first casing 2 shifts the intermediate position in either the upper or lower direction, the torsion coil spring 20 that has been compressed tries to return to the original position. Slide movement is assisted.

  Next, when the first casing 2 is further moved upward, the sliding movement of the first casing 2 is assisted in order to return the torsion coil spring 20 from the compressed state to the free shape. Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the first housing 2 moves to the upper end side of the second housing 3, the operation unit 7 appears completely, and the operation unit 7 can be operated. In addition, a call can be made. The shape of the torsion coil spring 20 is such that the first coil portion 21 moves to the upper side of the second coil portion 22 and the first and second coil portions 21 and 22 are positioned at the right end. The flexible substrate 11 is also held at a distance from the inside of the torsion coil spring 20 while the bent portion 11c is kept U-shaped.

  Conversely, when the first casing 2 is overlapped with the second casing 3, the operation is the reverse of the above.

  As described above, when the first housing 2 is slightly slid by hand and released by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 20, it tries to return to the state before the slide, but it slides a lot by hand and passes the intermediate position. When the is released, the first housing 2 slides. That is, since the torsion coil spring 20 assists the sliding movement of the first housing 2 in any direction, the sliding operation is smoothly performed with one touch.

  Since the flexible substrate 11 is disposed at a predetermined distance from the torsion coil spring 20 and the sizes of the first and second coil portions 21 and 22 are reduced, the first housing 2 is slid. Sometimes, the flexible substrate 11 does not contact the torsion coil spring 20.

  By inserting the tips of the first and third linear portions 25 into the first or second fixing pins 29 and 30, the torsion coil spring 20 rotates while avoiding the flexible substrate 11, and thus the first casing 2 is slid. The flexible substrate 11 does not come into contact with the torsion coil spring 20 even when it is set.

-Effect of the embodiment-
Therefore, the two coil portions 21 and 22 are provided in the torsion coil spring 20 according to the present embodiment, and the sizes of the coil portions 21 and 22 are made smaller than in the case of one coil portion in order to generate an equivalent torsion angle. Yes. For this reason, the torsion coil spring 20 can be arranged in a narrow space.

  Further, the two coil portions 21 and 22 are arranged in a region sandwiched between the first and third linear portions 25 to reduce the overall size of the torsion coil spring 20. For this reason, it becomes easier to arrange the torsion coil spring 20 in a narrow space.

  In addition, the entire height of the first and second coil portions 21 and 22 extending from the first or third linear portions 23 and 25 to the same direction is suppressed. For this reason, the torsion coil spring 20 can be disposed in a thin space.

  Further, if the first or second annular portions 26, 27 are formed at the tips of the first and third straight portions 23, 25, and the tips of the first and third straight portions 23, 25 are inserted into the pins, the torsion coil spring 20 is provided. Was rotated moderately. For this reason, since the torsion coil spring 20 rotates around the first and second annular portions 26 and 27 when the two objects are slid, the sliding operation can be performed smoothly.

  Further, the first annular portion 26 and the second annular portion 27 are offset in a side view so that the first annular portion 26 can be easily attached to one object and the second annular portion 27 can be easily attached to the other object. Yes. For this reason, the layout of the torsion coil spring 20 is easy.

  Further, the torsion coil spring 20 is made of a stainless steel wire for a spring to improve the corrosion resistance. For this reason, the torsion coil spring 20 with high durability is obtained.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention may be configured as follows with respect to the above embodiment.

  That is, in the above embodiment, the torsion coil spring 20 is provided in the slide cellular phone 1, but it may be provided in a PHS, PDA, PC, mobile tool, electronic dictionary, calculator, copying machine, etc., and its application is not limited.

  In addition, the above embodiment is an essentially preferable illustration, Comprising: It does not intend restrict | limiting the range of this invention, its application thing, or a use.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a torsion coil spring used in a mobile phone, a mobile communication device, or the like in which a first housing and a second housing are slidably connected.

It is a front view which shows a mode that the 1st housing | casing of the slide-type mobile phone using the torsion coil spring concerning embodiment of this invention was slid to the upper end. It is the II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 in which a torsion coil spring can be seen. FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 illustrating a state in which the first housing is in the middle of the slide intermediate position. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 and showing a state where the first housing is in the middle of the slide intermediate position. FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 illustrating a state in which the first casing is being slid. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 illustrating a state in which the first casing is being slid. FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 illustrating a state in which the first housing and the second housing are superposed. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a state in which the first housing and the second housing are superposed. It is a perspective view of a torsion coil spring. It is a top view of a torsion coil spring. It is a side view of a torsion coil spring.

Explanation of symbols

20 torsion coil spring 21 first coil portion 21a, 22a maximum diameter portion 21b, 22b minimum diameter portion 22 second coil portion 23 first straight portion 24 second straight portion 25 third straight portion 26 first annular portion 27 second annular portion

Claims (6)

In a torsion coil spring having a stretching force in the torsion direction,
First and second coil portions;
First to third straight portions,
One end of the first coil portion is continuous with the first straight portion, and the other end is continuous with the second straight portion,
The other end of the second linear portion is continuous with the second coil portion,
The torsion coil spring, wherein the other end of the second coil portion is continuous with the third straight portion. The torsion coil spring according to claim 1,
The torsion coil spring, wherein the first and second coil portions are wound in opposite directions so that the radius gradually decreases from the end of the second linear portion. The torsion coil spring according to claim 2,
The minimum diameter portion and the maximum diameter portion of the first and second coil portions are disposed in the same plane as the second linear portion, and the first coil portion extends from the minimum diameter portion to the first linear portion. A torsion coil spring characterized in that it projects continuously from the smallest diameter part of the two coil parts to the third linear part in the same direction away from the same plane. The torsion coil spring according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A torsion coil spring characterized in that a first annular portion is formed at the tip of the first straight portion, and a second annular portion is formed at the tip of the third straight portion. The torsion coil spring according to claim 4,
The third straight portion is curved in the same plane side as viewed from the side, the second annular portion is disposed in the plane, and the first annular portion and the second annular portion are offset in the side view. A torsion coil spring. The torsion coil spring according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A torsion coil spring comprising a stainless steel wire for a spring.

Images