JP2011176754A - Hinge unit, display device, and imaging device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hinge mechanism suitable for a small and thin electronic device with a large display device whose direction can be changed, while allowing rotation of the display device from a viewpoint of securing a degree of freedom of a layout design. <P>SOLUTION: A hinge unit for connecting a base member and a member to be rotated includes a rotary shaft that moves in parallel according to the rotation of the member to be rotated to the base member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a hinge unit, a display device, and an imaging device.

  An imaging device or the like typified by a digital camera is required to have a large-screen display device while being a small portable electronic device. At the same time, it is also required to mount a mechanical mechanism that can change the orientation of the display device in accordance with the user's line of sight. For example, a video camera is known in which a display device opens and closes in a direction perpendicular to a device housing and is orthogonal to a user's line of sight when in use.

JP 2001-53994 A

  While electronic devices are being further reduced in size and thickness, there is a conflicting desire to mount a large display device that can change its orientation. There has been a demand for a hinge mechanism suitable for a small electronic device that satisfies such a demand and also allows a rotational operation of the display device from the viewpoint of securing a degree of freedom in layout design.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a hinge unit according to one aspect of the present invention is a hinge unit that connects a base member and a rotated member, and that rotates in parallel with the rotation of the rotated member relative to the base member. Is provided.

  It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the necessary features of the present invention. In addition, a sub-combination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

It is a rear view of a camera provided with the conventional monitor unit which is a downward opening type. It is a rear view of a camera provided with the monitor unit which concerns on this embodiment which is a downward opening type. It is a rear view of a camera provided with the conventional monitor unit which is a lateral opening type. It is a rear view of a camera provided with the monitor unit which concerns on this embodiment which is a lateral opening type. It is a bottom perspective view of a camera provided with a monitor unit according to the present embodiment that is a downward opening type. It is a side view which shows the latching state of a monitor unit. It is a side view which shows the latch release state of a monitor unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the relationship between the monitor unit of a latching state, and a camera main body. It is sectional drawing which shows the relationship between the monitor unit of a lock release state, and a camera main body. It is a side view which shows the state which opened the monitor unit 90 degree | times. It is a side view which shows the state which opened the monitor unit 90 degree | times. It is a side view which shows a mode that the display surface of a monitor unit is reversed. It is a side view which shows the state where the display surface of a monitor unit faces upwards. FIG. 14 is a side view showing a state where the monitor unit is opened 180 degrees. It is a disassembled perspective view of a hinge mechanism. It is an enlarged view of the hinge mechanism in a state before the monitor unit is rotated. It is an enlarged view of the hinge mechanism in the state which opened the monitor unit 45 degree | times. It is an enlarged view of the hinge mechanism in the state which opened the monitor unit 90 degree | times. It is sectional drawing of link cover inside vicinity among the EE sectional drawings of FIG. It is sectional drawing of hinge cover inside vicinity among the EE sectional drawings of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the hinge mechanism which concerns on a modification. It is sectional drawing of the link cover internal vicinity which concerns on a modification.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  In the following examples, the case where the hinge unit according to this embodiment is applied to a movable display device mounted on a digital camera will be described as an example. The hinge unit can be applied to portable electronic devices such as a video camera, a mobile phone, and a laptop computer, other than a digital camera.

  FIG. 1 is a rear view of a camera 800 provided with a conventional monitor unit 801 that is of a downward opening type. The monitor unit 801 includes a monitor unit that displays an image after shooting, a live view image, menu items, and the like. A liquid crystal element, an organic EL element, etc. are used for a monitor part. As shown in the figure, the monitor unit 801 can be placed on the back surface of the camera 800 so that the display surface faces the user, and can rotate around the rotation axis of the hinge unit 802 to stand still at a predetermined rotation angle. According to the camera 800 equipped with the downward-opening type monitor unit 801 that opens downward in this way, for example, the user points the monitor unit 801 that displays the live view image obliquely downward, lifts the camera 800, and subjects High-angle shooting can be performed while viewing the image.

  However, the conventional hinge unit 802 requires a B dimension in the height direction, and if the height A dimension of the camera 800 is determined, the monitor unit 801 has to be downsized. The larger the monitor unit, the better the visibility, and thus the larger the monitor unit, but the presence of the hinge unit 802 hinders the enlargement of the monitor unit.

  FIG. 2 is a rear view of the camera 100 including the monitor unit 101 according to the present embodiment which is a downward opening type. The monitor unit 101 in the present embodiment is also configured to include a monitor unit that displays a captured image, a live view image, menu items, and the like. A liquid crystal element, an organic EL element, etc. are used for a monitor part. As shown in the figure, the monitor unit 101 is housed in the back of the camera 100 and can take a posture that rotates around the rotation axis of the hinge unit 102 and stops at a predetermined rotation angle, from a posture in which the display surface faces the user. It has the same function as the bottom-opening monitor unit.

  Although the specific configuration of the hinge unit 102 will be described later, the hinge unit 102 has a structure that pivotally supports the monitor unit 101 on two opposing surfaces sandwiching the monitor surface. By having such a structure, the monitor unit can be configured to be relatively large with respect to the determined height A dimension of the camera 100. As a result, the degree of freedom in designing the camera 100 can be increased.

  FIG. 3 is a rear view of a camera 900 including a conventional monitor unit 901 that is of a lateral opening type. The monitor unit 901 includes a monitor unit that displays an image after shooting, a live view image, menu items, and the like. A liquid crystal element, an organic EL element, etc. are used for a monitor part. As shown in the figure, the monitor unit 901 can be placed in the back of the camera 900 and oriented around the rotation axis of the hinge unit 902 to stand still at a predetermined rotation angle, from the posture where the display surface faces the user. In this way, according to the camera 900 equipped with the laterally opening type monitor unit 901 that opens in the horizontal direction, for example, the user can perform high-angle shooting with a vertical angle of view while viewing the subject. However, the conventional hinge unit 902 requires a D dimension in the width direction, and if the width C dimension of the camera 900 is determined, the monitor unit 901 has to be downsized.

  FIG. 4 is a rear view of the camera 200 including the monitor unit 201 according to the present embodiment that is of a lateral opening type. The monitor unit 201 in the present embodiment is also configured to include a monitor unit that displays a captured image, a live view image, menu items, and the like. A liquid crystal element, an organic EL element, etc. are used for a monitor part. As shown in the figure, the monitor unit 201 is housed in the back of the camera 200 and can take a posture that rotates around the rotation axis of the hinge unit 202 and stops at a predetermined rotation angle from a posture in which the display surface faces the user. It has the same function as the side-opening monitor unit.

  The specific configuration of the hinge unit 202 is the same as that of the hinge unit 102. By having such a hinge structure, the monitor unit can be configured to be relatively large with respect to the determined width C dimension of the camera 200. As a result, the degree of freedom in designing the camera 200 can be increased.

  FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the camera 100 including the monitor unit 101 according to the present embodiment that is a downward opening type. The monitor unit 101 is pivotally supported by two hinge units 102 from both sides sandwiching the monitor surface. The two hinge units 102 are accommodated in a link cover 104 that extends from both sides of the monitor unit 101 and is connected on the back side. The link cover 104 is pivotally supported by a hinge unit 105 connected to the camera body 103. The hinge unit 105 is accommodated in the hinge cover 106.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the monitor unit 101 includes a pair of hinge units 102 and a hinge unit 105 between the camera body 103. The pair of hinge units 102 realize a downward opening with respect to the monitor unit 101 within a predetermined angle range. The hinge unit 105 continues the rotation angle allowed by the hinge unit 102 with respect to the monitor unit 101 and further realizes a downward opening in a range of a predetermined angle, and around the rotation axis orthogonal to the rotation axis of the hinge unit 102. Realize rotation. A specific mechanism will be described later.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the monitor unit 101 is locked. The locked state is a state in which the monitor unit 101 is stored in the camera body 103, and the peripheral edge of the monitor unit 101 is locked by the monitor locking claw 107. The locking location where the monitor locking claw 107 is locked may be on the upper surface of the monitor unit 101 as shown, or may be provided on the side surface, the back surface, or the like.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the unlocking state of the monitor unit 101. When the monitor locking claw 107 is released, the monitor unit 101 is pushed out from the camera body 103 in parallel by the action of the slide mechanism 108 provided in the hinge unit 105. At this time, the link cover 104 is also pushed in parallel with the monitor unit 101 and is separated from the back surface of the camera body 103.

  FIG. 8 is a side view showing the relationship between the monitor unit 101 and the camera body 103 in the locked state. This state is the same as the storage state of FIG. 6, and the monitor unit 101 is locked to the monitor locking claw 107 and is in close contact with the back surface of the camera body 103. At this time, the display surface 109 of the monitor unit 101 is directed to the side opposite to the camera body 103.

  FIG. 9 is a side view showing the relationship between the monitor unit 101 and the camera body 103 in the unlocked state. This state is the same as the retracted state of FIG. 7, and the monitor unit 101 is separated from the back surface of the camera body 103 by the action of the slide mechanism 108. From this state, the monitor unit 101 can rotate downward by the action of the hinge unit 102 housed in the link cover 104. The rotation shaft 110 is the rotation center of the hinge unit 102 that supports the hinge unit 102.

  FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which the monitor unit 101 is opened 45 degrees. As illustrated, when the monitor unit 101 is rotated downward, the user can observe the display surface 109 at a predetermined angle. Although the detailed structure of the hinge unit 102 will be described later, the rotating shaft 110 moves in parallel upward in accordance with the rotation of the monitor unit 101. To move in parallel means that the rotation axis 110 before and after the movement is parallel. In other words, even if the rotation shaft 110 moves upward, the direction of rotation of the monitor unit 101 that is a member to be rotated does not change. In particular, as described above, the monitor unit 101 is pivotally supported by the two hinge units 102 from both sides, but it can be said that the straight line connecting the rotation shafts 110 of the two hinge units 102 moves in parallel. With this configuration, the bottom surface of the camera body 103 and the bottom surface of the monitor unit 101 can be aligned with each other in the locked state. In addition, it is possible to prevent a part of the monitor unit 101 from interfering with a beam portion located between the monitor unit 101 and the camera body 103 in the link cover 104 with the rotation.

  FIG. 11 is a side view showing a state in which the monitor unit 101 is opened 90 degrees. In this state, the display surface 109 faces directly below. As described above, the monitor unit 101 can be rotated in the downward opening direction by the action of the hinge unit 102, but further, the direction orthogonal to the rotation shaft 110 by the action of the hinge unit 105 accommodated in the hinge cover 106. The monitor unit 101 can be rotated.

  FIG. 12 is a side view showing a state in which the display surface of the monitor unit 101 is reversed. As shown in the figure, the monitor unit 101 can be rotated together with the link cover 104 around the first rotation axis 111 of the hinge unit 105. The user can visually recognize the display surface 109 from the side of the camera body 103 if the user stops at an angle halfway until the camera is reversed.

  FIG. 13 is a side view showing a state in which the monitor unit 101 is inverted and the display surface 109 faces upward. In this state, the user can perform low-angle shooting with the camera 100 looking down.

  The hinge unit 102 can rotate the monitor unit 101 downward by 90 degrees. However, if the monitor unit 101 is further rotated downward, the hinge unit 105 acts to allow the rotation. Although the specific structure of the hinge unit 105 will be described later, the hinge unit 105 can rotate the monitor unit 101 to a state where it is opened 180 degrees.

  FIG. 14 is a side view showing a state in which the monitor unit 101 is opened 180 degrees. The monitor unit 101 rotates together with the hinge cover 106 around the second rotation shaft 112 of the hinge unit 105. That is, the hinge unit 105 has two rotation shafts, a first rotation shaft 111 and a second rotation shaft 112 that are orthogonal to each other.

  Next, a specific example of the hinge unit 102 will be described. FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge unit 102 constituting the hinge mechanism. As shown in the drawing, the shaft 301, the link plate 302, the spring holder 303, the click cam 304, the first washer 305, the spring washer 306, the second washer 307, the poly slider 308, the monitor frame 309, and the opening / closing in this order along the rotation axis 110. The cam 310 and the nut 311 are arranged, and the shaft 301 penetrates the whole, and the screw part 322 provided at the tip of the shaft 301 and the nut 311 mesh with each other so as to sandwich each element.

  The shaft 301 is provided with a key groove 321, and a parallel key 323 is provided in the through hole of the opening / closing cam 310. As the keyway 321 and the parallel key 323 are engaged with each other, the shaft 301 and the opening / closing cam 310 can rotate integrally. The link plate 302 is fixed to the link cover 104 and has a guide portion 324 that guides the shaft 301. The guide 324 is a long hole that translates the shaft 301 in the vertical direction as shown in the figure. The monitor frame 309 is a frame fixed to the monitor unit 101 and rotates integrally with the opening / closing cam 310. That is, when the monitor unit 101 is rotated by receiving an external force, the opening / closing cam 310 also rotates integrally.

  The shaft 301 passes through the spring holder 303, and the spring holder 303 is biased by a spring 312 fixed to the monitor frame 309. Therefore, the shaft 301 is always urged downward.

  FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the hinge mechanism in a state before the monitor unit 101 is rotated. At this time, the shaft 301 is biased downward by the spring 312 and is positioned at the lower end of the guide portion 324. Therefore, the opening / closing cam 310 inserted through the shaft 301 is also positioned below, and the monitor unit 101 configured integrally with the opening / closing cam 310 is also biased downward. By such an operation, the monitor unit 101 can take a state of being accommodated in the camera body 103 without rattling.

  FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the hinge mechanism in a state where the monitor unit 101 is opened 45 degrees. When the monitor unit 101 is rotated by the user, the opening / closing cam 310 also rotates in the direction of the arrow, and the cam surface of the opening / closing cam 310 slides in contact with the bottom surface of the link plate 302, whereby the shaft 301 moves along the guide portion 324. Lift up. The rotation axis 110 that is the central axis of the shaft 301 also follows the movement of the shaft 301.

  FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of the hinge mechanism in a state where the monitor unit 101 is opened 90 degrees. Due to the cam action of the opening / closing cam 310, the shaft 301 is lifted up to the upper end of the guide portion 324 against the biasing force of the spring 312. At this time, the amount of movement of the rotating shaft 110 is the amount of movement of the shaft 301, and therefore the dimension F shown in the figure. That is, the rotation center of the monitor unit 101 is moved by the dimension F when the monitor unit 101 is rotated 90 degrees.

  FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the inside of the link cover in the EE cross-sectional view of FIG. As shown in the figure, the hinge unit 102 is disposed so as to be interposed between the link cover 104 and the link frame 113 side and the monitor cover 325 and the monitor frame 309 side constituting the monitor unit 101. The link plate 302 is connected and fixed to the link frame 113 on the bottom surface. The dotted line represents the bottom surface of the link plate 302. The bottom surface of the link plate 302 is located on the front side with respect to the shaft 301 in the drawing. The opening / closing cam 310 slides in contact with the bottom surface of the link plate 302. The spring 312 is located on the back side with respect to the shaft 301.

  20 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the hinge cover 106 in the EE cross-sectional view of FIG. Specifically, the configuration of the hinge unit 105 is shown. As described above, the hinge unit 105 has two rotation shafts, the first rotation shaft 111 and the second rotation shaft 112 that are orthogonal to each other. The first rotating shaft 111 is a rotating shaft that rotates the monitor unit 101 in a direction orthogonal to the rotating shaft of the hinge unit 102, and the second rotating shaft 112 is a rotating shaft that rotates the monitor unit 101 by 90 degrees or more. It is.

  The first shaft 333 inserted from the first fixed plate 331 installed integrally with the camera main body 103 and the second shaft inserted from the second fixed plate 332 installed similarly integrally with the camera main body 103. The shaft 334 is disposed so that the rotation axes thereof coincide with each other. A hinge cover 106 is fixed to a chassis 336 that is rotatably supported by the first shaft 333 and the second shaft 334, and a case 337 that covers the third shaft 335 in the circumferential direction is attached. The first shaft 333 is provided with an opening / closing spring 338 in a direction along the second rotating shaft 112, and the backlash in this direction is removed. The click cam 339 is a cam that gives a click feeling according to the rotation angle of the monitor unit 101.

  The third shaft 335 supports the entire monitor unit 101 around the first rotation shaft 111 by supporting the link frame 113. The third shaft 335 is provided with a slide spring 340 in a direction along the first rotation axis 111. As described above, the monitor unit 101 is pushed out of the camera body 103 in parallel when the lock by the monitor lock pawl 107 is released. This operation causes the slide spring 340 to urge the link frame 113 in the push-out direction. Is realized. That is, the slide spring 340 and the link frame 113 constitute the slide mechanism 108. By this mechanism, the monitor unit 101 is pushed out by the dimension G.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the rotation shaft 110 of the monitor unit 101 is lifted in parallel with the rotation of the monitor unit 101. At this time, the shaft 301 itself for realizing the rotation of the monitor unit 101 around the rotation shaft 110 was lifted along the guide portion 324 of the link plate 302. That is, since the opening / closing cam 310 is fixed to the monitor unit 101 and the shaft 301 is inserted through the opening / closing cam 310, the shaft 301 itself is lifted. However, by fixing the shaft 301 to the link cover 104 side and providing the guide portion 324 on the monitor frame 309 side, the rotating shaft 110 is moved relative to the monitor unit 101 without moving the shaft 301 itself. be able to. This modification will be described below.

  FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge mechanism of the hinge unit 152 according to the modification. The same elements as those of the hinge unit 102 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown, the shaft 301, the link plate 351, the click cam 304, the first washer 305, the spring washer 306, the second washer 307, the polyslider 308, the monitor frame 352, the spring holder 303, and the opening / closing are sequentially arranged along the central axis 350. The cam 310 and the nut 311 are arranged, and the shaft 301 penetrates the whole, and the screw part 322 provided at the tip of the shaft 301 and the nut 311 mesh with each other so as to sandwich each element.

  The shaft 301 is provided with a key groove 321, and a parallel key 323 is provided in the through hole of the opening / closing cam 310. As the keyway 321 and the parallel key 323 are engaged with each other, the shaft 301 and the opening / closing cam 310 can rotate integrally. The link plate 351 is fixed to the link cover 104. The monitor frame 352 is a frame that is fixed to the monitor unit 101 and has a guide portion 353 that guides the shaft 301. The guide portion 353 is a long hole that translates the shaft 301 in the vertical direction as shown in the figure.

  Here, since the monitor frame 352 is fixed to the monitor unit 101, the monitor frame 352 follows when the monitor unit 101 is rotated by the user. Then, the direction of the guide portion 353 also changes according to the rotation, but the monitor unit 101 itself moves along the guide portion 353 by the action of the opening / closing cam 310 that slides in contact with the bottom surface of the monitor frame 352. That is, although the shaft 301 does not move with respect to the link plate 351 that is the base member, the position where the monitor unit 101 is pivotally moved relatively moves, so that the rotation shaft 110 that is the rotation center of the monitor unit 101 is guided. It moves along the part 353.

  FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a link cover according to a modification. As shown in the drawing, the hinge unit 152 is disposed so as to be interposed between the link cover 104 and the link plate 351 side and the monitor covers 325 and 354 constituting the monitor unit 101. The bottom surface of the monitor frame 352 is located on the back side with respect to the shaft 301 in the drawing. The opening / closing cam 310 slides in contact with the bottom surface of the monitor frame 352. The spring 312 is positioned on the near side with respect to the shaft 301. According to the hinge unit 152 configured as described above, the monitor unit 101 is unfolded so as to move away from the camera body 103 as it is rotated and approaches 90 degrees. Therefore, even when the slide amount by the slide mechanism 108 is small, the monitor unit 101 can be opened and closed without interfering with the camera body 103.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

100 Camera, 101 Monitor unit, 102 Hinge unit, 103 Camera body, 104 Link cover, 105 Hinge unit, 106 Hinge cover, 107 Monitor locking claw, 108 Slide mechanism, 109 Display surface, 110 Rotating shaft, 111 First rotation Axis, 112 Second rotation axis, 113 Link frame, 152 Hinge unit, 200 Camera, 201 Monitor unit, 202 Hinge unit, 301 Shaft, 302 Link plate, 303 Spring holder, 304 Click cam, 305 First washer, 306 Spring Washer, 307 Second washer, 308 Polyslider, 309 Monitor frame, 310 Opening / closing cam, 311 Nut, 312 Spring, 322 Screw part, 321 Keyway, 323 Parallel key, 324 , 325 Monitor cover, 331 1st fixed plate, 332 2nd fixed plate, 333 1st shaft, 334 2nd shaft, 335 3rd shaft, 336 chassis, 337 case, 338 open / close spring, 339 click cam, 340 slide spring , 350 Central axis, 351 Link plate, 352 Monitor frame, 353 Guide section, 354 Monitor cover, 800 camera, 801 monitor unit, 802 hinge unit, 900 camera, 901 monitor unit, 902 hinge unit

Claims (8)

A hinge unit for connecting a base member and a rotated member,
A hinge unit comprising a rotation shaft that translates in response to rotation of the rotated member relative to the base member. A cam connected to the rotating shaft and rotating together with the rotated member;
A guide unit for guiding the rotating shaft that moves in parallel with the rotation of the cam;
The hinge unit according to claim 1, further comprising an urging portion that urges the rotation shaft in a guide direction guided by the guide portion.   The hinge unit according to claim 2, wherein the guide portion is configured by an elongated hole provided in a frame fixed relatively to the base member. The rotated member is a display unit;
The display device including the hinge unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display unit is pivotally supported on two opposing surfaces sandwiching a display surface of the display unit. When the display unit is in a retracted state with respect to the base member,
The display device according to claim 4, wherein one surface of the display unit and one surface of the base member exist on a common surface.   The display device according to claim 4, further comprising a slide mechanism that pulls the display unit from the base member in parallel.   7. The display unit according to claim 4, wherein the display unit is rotated by the hinge unit from a stored state with respect to the base member to a predetermined angle, and is rotated by an action of another hinge unit beyond the predetermined angle. Display device.   An imaging device comprising the display device according to claim 4.

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