JP2842827B2 - Hinge structure of foldable equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a foldable device such as a portable telephone, a word processor and a personal computer, and more particularly to a hinge structure thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, this type of foldable device is shown in FIG.
As shown in an example of the appearance, the first hinge portion 71 is integrated with the first housing 10 and the second hinge portions 81a and 81b are integrated with the second housing 20. The second hinge portions 81a and 81b are connected to each other so that the first housing and the second housing can be opened and closed.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 10, an exploded perspective view of a hinge portion of such a conventional foldable device is shown in FIG.
Guide projections 22a and 22b are formed in the hinge axis direction in the second hinge portions 81a and 81b, and a projection 31 and a screw hole 32 are formed in one surface fixed in the first hinge portion 71 and orthogonal to the hinge axis direction. Male boss 30 and second hinge portion 81
a, 81b, and guide grooves 41a, 41b engaged with the guide protrusions 22a, 22b in the axial direction of the outer peripheral surface hinge, and a concave portion 42 engaged with the convex portion 31 on a surface facing the male boss 30. And the spring receiving portion 43 and the center hole 4
Female bosses 90a, 90b provided with a spring 4, a spring 50 which is press-fitted into the spring housing 43 and constantly presses the female bosses 90a, 90b against the male boss 30 side, and a center hole 44 of the female bosses 90a, 90b.
And the screw 60 for fastening the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 to the screw hole 32 of the male boss 30.

In the conventional hinge structure having such a structure, normally, when the first and second housings 10 and 20 are closed, as shown in FIG. The recesses 42 of 90a and 90b are not engaged. Then, when one of the first housing 10 and the second housing 20, for example, the second housing 20 is opened, the facing surfaces of the female bosses 90 a and 90 b and the male boss 30 contact as shown in FIG. 13. The first housing 10 and the second housing 2 are rotated at the point where the phases of the concave portion 42 and the convex portion 31 coincide with each other.
0 is fixed in an open state of an arbitrary opening / closing angle (α °).

As another prior art, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No.
No. 47280 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-31422.

[0006]

The first problem is that, in the prior art, the housing may rattle in the direction A or the direction B (rotational direction) in FIG. Was.

[0007] The second problem is that in the conventional technique, the housing rattles in the rotating direction, and the characteristics of the portable wireless device may be deteriorated.

[0008] The reason is that in the above-mentioned hinge, usually,
To smoothly move the female bosses 90a and 90b in the hinge axis direction, as shown in FIGS.
The width of the guide grooves 41a, 41b is adjusted by the guide protrusions 22a, 22.
It is formed wider than b.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 12, when the first casing 10 and the second casing 20 are fixed in an open state at an arbitrary opening / closing angle (α °) (with the convex portion 31 of the male boss 30). Female boss 9
0a, 90b are engaged), the guide groove 4
This is because a play angle θ ° (1 / 2θ ° + ／ θ °) is generated in the gap between 1a and 41b and the guide protrusions 22a and 22b.

Accordingly, the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to prevent the backlash of the housing by a simple structure, and at the same time, to provide a hinge structure of a foldable device capable of reducing the size and weight of the device. For the purpose of providing.

[0011]

The hinge structure of the folding device according to the present invention comprises: a first hinge portion integral with the first housing for opening and closing the first housing and the second housing; In a hinge structure comprising a second hinge portion integral with the second housing, a male boss fixed in the first hinge portion and having a convex portion formed on one surface orthogonal to the hinge axis direction, and A guide protrusion formed in the hinge axis direction and a tapered support groove; and a guide groove and a protrusion-shaped guide groove slidably movable within the second hinge portion and engaged with the guide protrusion and the support groove, respectively. A female boss having a support rib and having a concave portion engaged with the convex portion, a spring for pressing the female boss against the male boss, and fastening the first housing and the second housing. Through the female boss to enter the male boss Consists of a screw, by engaging the support rib and the tapered portion of the support groove,
The female boss is engaged with the male boss while rotating.

In the hinge structure of the foldable device, the tapered support groove may be formed in the female boss, and the projecting support rib may be formed in the second hinge portion.

According to the hinge structure of the present invention having the above structure, by opening and closing the first or second housing,
When the convex part of the male boss and the concave part of the female boss are engaged, the support groove having a tapered part in the second hinge part and the projecting support rib of the female boss are engaged, and the female boss is formed in the second hinge part. By rotating while engaging with the male boss, one side surface of the guide groove and the guide protrusion come into contact, and in the other second hinge portion,
Since the first and second housings are fixed in a state where the other side surface of the guide groove is in contact with the guide protrusion, it is possible to prevent rattling of the housing due to a difference in width between the guide groove and the guide protrusion. it can.

[0014]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an open state of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a hinge portion of this embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a front view and a side view of a female boss of FIG. 4 is a side view and a sectional view of the second hinge portion of FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the positional relationship between the second hinge portion and the female boss of FIG. 2, and FIG. 6 is an opening and closing operation of the hinge of FIG. 7 and 8 are a sectional view and a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the second hinge portion and the female boss when the hinge of FIG. 2 is opened at an arbitrary opening / closing angle.

In the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
1, a second hinge portion 21a integral with the second housing 20,
21b, the first hinge portion 11 and the second hinge portion 21
a and 21b are connected to each other to form the first housing 10 and the second housing 20.
Are openably connected. Hereinafter, the details of the configuration of the hinge portion will be described, and the same components as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 9 to 14 will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

As shown in an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2, the hinge portion has guide projections 22a and 22b formed in the hinge axis direction in the second hinge portions 21a and 21b. And a male boss 30 having a convex portion 31 and a screw hole 32 formed on one surface orthogonal to the hinge axis direction, and guide projection portions 22a, 22b located in the second hinge portions 21a, 21b in the outer peripheral surface hinge axis direction. Guide groove 41 engaged with
a, 41b, female bosses 40a, 40b each having a concave portion 42 on the surface facing the male boss 30 and engaging with the convex portion 31 and having a spring storage portion 43 and a center hole 44; A spring 50 that is press-fitted into the female boss 40 and constantly presses the female bosses 40a and 40b against the male boss 30;
b, the first housing 10 and the screw 60 for fastening the second housing 20 to the screw hole 32 of the male boss 30 through the center hole 44. When the bosses 10 and 20 are closed, the convex portion 31 of the male boss 30 and the female boss 40 are closed.
a, the recesses 42 of 40b are not engaged,
When either the first housing 10 or the second housing 20 is opened, the female bosses 40a, 40b and the male boss 30 rotate while contacting the opposing surfaces.

In the hinge portion of this embodiment, the female boss 4 located in the second hinge portions 21a and 21b is further provided.
3, support ribs 45a and 45b in the form of protrusions are formed in the positions 0a and 40b at positions symmetrical with respect to the hinge center axis.

On the other hand, the support ribs 45 of the female bosses 40a and 40b are provided on the inner circumference of the second hinge portions 21a and 21b.
Support grooves 23a and 23b having tapered portions 24a and 24b as shown in FIG. 4 are formed at positions symmetrical with respect to the hinge center axis so as to engage with the a and 45b. The shape of the support grooves 23a and 23b is
5b, the groove width e is set so that the female bosses 40a, 40b can each be rotated by 1 / 2θ ° in the second hinge portions 21a, 21b (FIG. 5). 40
a, the tapered portion 24 corresponding to the depth h of the concave portion 42 of 40b.
The dimensions f of a and 24b are set (FIG. 4).

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b) and 6 (c).

When the first casing 10 and the second casing 20 are smaller than the arbitrary opening / closing angle (α °) (including the state where the first casing 10 and the second casing 20 are closed), the male boss is provided. 30 convex parts 3
1 and the recesses 42 of the female bosses 40a and 40b are not engaged,
It is in the state of FIG. At this time, the female bosses 40a, 40
The support ribs 45a and 45b of FIG.
By setting the positions of the support grooves 23a, 23b in the a, 21b, the support grooves 23a, 23b are in a state of lightly contacting the tapered portions 24a, 24b.

When the first housing 10 and the second housing 20 are opened close to an arbitrary opening / closing angle (α °), that is, when the projections 31 and the recesses 42 start to be engaged, as shown in FIG. As described above, the support ribs 45a and 45b are tapered by the elastic force of the spring 50.
The female bosses 40a and 40b are shown in FIGS.
While rotating in the direction of the arrow, it starts to move in the hinge axis direction.

When the first casing 10 and the second casing 20 are opened at an arbitrary opening / closing angle (α °), that is, when the projection 31 and the recess 42 are completely engaged, FIGS. As shown in (2), inside the second hinge portion 21a, one side surface of the guide groove 41a contacts the guide protrusion 22a, while inside the second hinge portion 21b, the other side surface of the guide groove 41b contacts the guide protrusion 22b.

According to the hinge structure of this embodiment having the above-described structure, the female bosses 40a and 40b engage with the male boss 30 while rotating by 1 / 2θ ° in the forward and reverse directions. Parts 22a, 22b and guide grooves 41a,
The play angle θ ° resulting from the difference in the width of 41b can be eliminated. Thus, the rattling in the direction A in FIG. 1 is caused by the second hinge portion 21a, and the rattling in the direction B is caused by the second hinge portion 21a.
b can prevent each.

In the present invention, other embodiments as described below can be configured.

That is, in the above embodiment, the female boss 4
When engaging 0a, 40b with the male boss 30, the configuration is such that the relationship between the support ribs 45a, 45b and the support grooves 23a, 23b causes them to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by 1 / 2θ °, but this is not particularly limited. Not the female boss 40a,
The rotation angle of 40b can be freely changed within the range of θ ° by adjusting the positional relationship between the support ribs 45a, 45b and the support grooves 23a, 23b. Also, female bosses 40a, 40b
Either of them may be rotated by θ °.

Further, in the above embodiment, the projecting support ribs 45a, 45b are provided on the female bosses 40a, 40b.
The support grooves 23a and 23b having a tapered portion are formed in the second hinge portions 21a and 21b. However, the support grooves 23a and 23b having a tapered portion are formed in the female bosses 40a and 40b. , The second hinge portion 21a,
Support ribs 45a, 45b in the form of protrusions may be formed in 21b.

[0028]

The first effect is that the commercial value of the device can be improved. Thereby, the user does not feel uncomfortable. The reason is that the tapered portion of the support groove and the support rib act so as not to generate a play angle when the second hinge portion and the female boss are engaged with each other, so that there is no play of the hinge portion.

The second effect is to improve the function of the wireless device. The reason for this is that it is possible to prevent a decrease in communication characteristics due to rattling of the hinge portion.

The third effect is that the size and weight of the device can be reduced. The reason is that, with a simple configuration, rattling of each housing can be prevented, and in order to prevent such rattling, no increase in the number of components is required.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an open state of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a hinge unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a front view of a female boss of a hinge part in FIG. 2;
(B) is a side view.

4A is a side view of the second hinge portion in FIG. 2, and FIG.
Is a sectional view.

5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing a positional relationship between a second hinge portion and a female boss in FIG.

6 (a), 6 (b), and 4 (c) show opening and closing operations of a hinge portion in FIG.
It is a perspective view including the partial cross section shown in order of (c).

FIG. 7 shows the positional relationship between the second hinge portion and the female boss when the hinge portion of FIG.
It is sectional drawing represented by (b).

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a positional relationship between a second hinge portion and a female boss when the hinge portion of FIG. 2 is opened at an arbitrary opening / closing angle.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing an open state of a conventional foldable device.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a hinge portion according to a conventional example.

11 (a), right and left sides of the hinge portion of FIG. 10;
It is sectional drawing shown by (b).

12 is a perspective view illustrating a positional relationship between a second hinge portion and a female boss when the hinge portion of FIG. 10 is opened at an arbitrary opening / closing angle.

13 is a cross-sectional view of the hinge portion of FIG. 10 when the first housing and the second housing are opened at an arbitrary opening / closing angle.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where the male boss and the female boss in FIG. 10 are not engaged.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 1st housing | casing 11,71 1st hinge part 20 2nd housing | casing 21a, 21b, 81a, 81b 2nd hinge part 22a, 22b Guide protrusion 23a, 23b Support groove 24a, 24b Taper part 30 Male boss 31 Convex part 32 Screw hole 40a, 40b, 90a, 90b Female boss 41a, 41b Guide groove 42 Depression 43 Spring storage part 44 Center hole 45a, 45b Support rib 50 Spring 60 Screw

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H04M 1/02 F16C 11/10 H04Q 7/32 H05K 5/03

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first hinge integrated with the first housing for opening and closing the first housing and the second housing, and a second hinge integrated with the second housing. In the hinge structure, a male boss fixed in the first hinge portion and having a convex portion formed on one surface orthogonal to the hinge axis direction, a guide projection formed in the second hinge portion in the hinge axis direction, and a tapered support A concave portion comprising a groove, a guide groove and a projecting support rib slidably movable within the second hinge portion and respectively engaging with the guide projection and the support groove, and engaging with the projection. And a spring for pressing the female boss against the male boss, and penetrating the female boss to enter the male boss to fasten the first housing and the second housing. And a tapered portion of the support groove and the support By engaging the tributyl, the female boss hinge structure of folding devices and characterized in that to engage while rotating the male boss. 2. The hinge structure according to claim 1, wherein the tapered support groove is formed in the female boss, and the projecting support rib is formed in the second hinge portion. .