JP4494095B2 - Rotation detection device for hinge mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotation detection device for a hinge mechanism, and more particularly to a rotation detection device for a hinge mechanism made of a non-magnetic material that connects one housing and the other housing in an openable and closable manner. For example, the present invention is applied to rotation detection of an electronic device having a mechanism that can be rotated using a hinge mechanism such as a mobile phone or a digital video camera.

  In recent years, mobile phones, digital video cameras, and the like that can be opened and closed, that is, those that can be folded, and those that can be rotated to change the orientation of a display surface or an attached camera lens are increasing. A hinge is used for such a folding mechanism and a rotating mechanism. This type of folding mechanism is provided with a function of turning off the display when folded for power saving. In addition, the rotation mechanism is provided with a function that cannot perform photographing unless the display or camera lens is rotated to a predetermined position, a display display upside down function, and the like.

  Further, as a means for detecting the folded state or the rotated state of the folding mechanism described above, a structure in which a magnetic sensor is disposed on one side via a hinge mechanism and a magnet is disposed on the other side is widely used. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). Further, as rotation detection, a magnet and a magnetic sensor are often arranged particularly near the hinge.

  Further, a detecting means for detecting whether the display unit is in a vertically long state or a horizontally long state is provided, and this detecting means includes a magnet disposed in the display unit and a plurality of magnetic sensors disposed in the operation unit. A foldable mobile phone is also known (for example, see Patent Document 2).

US Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0027772 JP 2003-319043 A

  However, if a magnetic sensor is disposed in the vicinity of a conventionally used hinge mechanism made of a magnetic material, the hinge mechanism is magnetized by an external magnetic field, which causes erroneous detection. Further, even when a magnetic field that is too strong is generated by the magnetic field generating means, the hinge is magnetized, which causes erroneous detection.

  For such a problem, it is necessary to take measures such as disposing the magnetic sensor as far as possible from the hinge mechanism made of a magnetic material. Even if the hinge mechanism is magnetized by this measure, the influence of the residual magnetic flux density can be reduced.

  However, since a circuit board, a switch, and the like are densely packed inside a casing of a mobile phone or the like, there is a problem that it is difficult to secure a space where the magnetic sensor and the hinge mechanism can be sufficiently separated from each other by design. Further, if the design is made such that the magnetic sensor is arranged away from the hinge mechanism, there is a problem that the size of the device becomes large. In addition, there is a problem that if the gap between the magnet and the magnetic sensor is too large, a sufficient magnetic flux density cannot be obtained in the magnetic sensor, and the magnetic sensor causes false detection.

  In Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, the hinge mechanism is magnetized by an external magnetic field to prevent erroneous detection of open / close detection and rotation detection, that is, the hinge mechanism is made of a non-magnetic material. Is not disclosed at all, and rotation detection of this hinge mechanism is not disclosed.

  In addition, the thing of patent document 2 detects the vertically long state or horizontally long state of a display part, Comprising: About rotation detection of the hinge mechanism which has a swing rotation mechanism and a folding rotation mechanism like this invention, what is? Not disclosed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and its object is caused by magnetizing a hinge mechanism when opening / closing detection and rotation detection are performed using a magnetic sensor and a magnet. An object of the present invention is to provide a rotation detection device of a hinge mechanism that can prevent erroneous detection, has a high degree of freedom in arrangement of magnetic sensors, and can contribute to miniaturization of equipment and space saving of a rotation detection mechanism in a housing. .

The present invention has been made to achieve such an object, and the invention according to claim 1 is directed to an electronic apparatus in which one housing and the other housing are connected to each other by a hinge mechanism so as to be opened and closed. In the rotation detection device of the hinge mechanism, the hinge mechanism includes a hinge part on the one casing side and a hinge part on the other casing side made of Inconel as a nonmagnetic material , and the hinge part on the one casing side includes Proximity magnetic field generation means is provided, magnetic detection means is provided within 0 to 2 mm from the surface of the hinge portion on the other casing side, and rotation of the hinge mechanism is detected from an output signal of the magnetic detection means It is characterized by doing so.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the one casing is provided with a display unit, and the other casing is provided with an operation unit. And

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hinge mechanism has a swing rotation mechanism.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the third aspect, the magnetic detection means swings in order to detect a position when the hinge portion on the one casing side is swung. A plurality of magnetic field generating means are arranged at positions corresponding to the magnetic field generating means when rotated.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hinge mechanism has a folding rotation mechanism.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fifth aspect, the magnetic field generating means and the magnetic detection means correspond to detect that the hinge portion on the one casing side is folded. It is arrange | positioned in the position which carries out.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the hinge mechanism is rotatable in a biaxial direction having the swing rotation mechanism and the folding rotation mechanism. It is characterized by that.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus comprising the hinge mechanism rotation detection device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects.

  With this configuration, the present invention provides a magnet and a magnetic sensor in the vicinity of the hinge mechanism, and uses a non-magnetic material for the hinge mechanism when performing rotation detection or opening / closing detection. Even in the vicinity, for example, a state where the hinge mechanism is mounted within 0 to 2 mm from the surface of the hinge mechanism, erroneous detection due to the residual magnetic flux of the hinge mechanism can be prevented.

  Further, the hinge mechanism made of a nonmagnetic material assumed in the present invention uses copper, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, Inconel, engineering plastic, or the like as a nonmagnetic material for a part or all of the constituent material. Among them, inconel is preferable because of its high rigidity. By combining this hinge with a magnetic sensor and a magnet, there is no need to carry out the conventional method of preventing erroneous detection, that is, the method of disposing the magnetic sensor away from the hinge mechanism. It is possible to correctly detect rotation even in a state of touching.

  As a result, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the magnetic sensor is increased, space saving and device size reduction can be achieved, and the possibility of erroneous detection can be significantly reduced.

  The magnetic detection element is preferably a Hall IC, MRIC, or the like that outputs a digital signal high or low binary value. Even when a Hall element that outputs an analog signal proportional to the magnetic flux density is used, the output signal can be binarized by a comparator or the like.

According to the present invention, the hinge mechanism includes a hinge portion on one housing side and a hinge portion on the other housing side, which is made of Inconel as a nonmagnetic material , and is close to the hinge portion on the one housing side, and generates a magnetic field. The magnetic detection means is provided in the vicinity of 0 to 2 mm from the surface of the hinge portion on the other housing side, and the rotation of the hinge mechanism is detected from the output signal of the magnetic detection means. When performing open / close detection and rotation detection using a magnet, it becomes possible to prevent false detection caused by the magnetizing of the hinge mechanism, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the magnetic sensor is improved. Space-saving of the rotation detection mechanism in the housing can be achieved.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining a first embodiment of a rotation detecting device for a hinge mechanism in an electronic apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display in which the hinge mechanism is rotated in the electronic apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure for showing the state where the surface rotated 180 degrees. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a first housing having a display unit such as a display surface, 2 denotes a hinge mechanism made of a nonmagnetic material, 2a denotes a hinge portion on the first housing side, and 2b denotes a hinge on the second housing side. , 3 is a first magnetic sensor (Hall IC), 4 is a second magnetic sensor (Hall IC), 5 is a magnet, 6 is a second housing having an operation unit, and 7 is a first housing. , 8 indicates the back surface of the display surface of the first housing.

  The electronic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 uses a hinge mechanism 2 made of a nonmagnetic material having a swing rotation mechanism, and includes a first housing 1 having a display function such as a display surface, and various operations. The first casing 1 and the second casing 6 are made of a nonmagnetic material, and the hinge section 2a on the first casing side is composed of a second casing 6 having an operation unit having a function. And a hinge mechanism 2 composed of a hinge portion 2b on the second housing side, and a swing mechanism, that is, 180 ° rotatable.

  The first casing side hinge portion 2a is provided with a magnet 5, and the second casing side hinge portion 2b has a magnet when the first casing side hinge portion 2a rotates 180 °. The first magnetic sensor 3 and the second magnetic sensor 4 are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to 5. The magnet 5 and the magnetic sensors 3 and 4 are close to the hinge portions 2a and 2b. Specifically, even when the magnets 5 and the magnetic sensors 3 and 4 are mounted within 0 to 2 mm from the surface of the hinge portions 2a and 2b. False detection due to residual magnetic flux can be prevented.

  As described above, the first magnetic sensor 3, the second magnetic sensor 4, and the magnet 5 are fixed to the hinge mechanism 2 made of a nonmagnetic material, and the hinge mechanism 2 is moved in the movable direction 7 of the housing 1. Therefore, it is configured to be rotatable.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second magnetic sensor 4 is arranged so as to obtain a desired output in a state of facing the magnet 5, and the first magnetic sensor 3 is arranged as shown in FIG. 2. In the state facing the magnet 5, they are arranged so as to obtain a desired output. By confirming which of the two magnetic sensors 3 and 4 has a desired output signal, the display surface of the first housing 1 is in the same direction as the operation unit surface of the second housing 6. It is possible to detect whether it is facing, that is, whether it is facing front or back. That is, it is possible to detect whether the hinge mechanism 2 is rotated.

  When this type of rotation detection means is used in a hinge mechanism made of a magnetic material, which is conventionally used, the first magnetic sensor 3 or the second magnetic sensor 4 is mounted by an unintended magnetic force of the magnet 5 or the outside. If the hinge mechanism is magnetized, the magnetic sensor may malfunction, and the rotation of the hinge mechanism may be erroneously detected. As a countermeasure against such a problem, the first magnetic sensor 3 or the second magnetic sensor 4 needs to be separated from the hinge mechanism 2 by several mm or more.

  By using the hinge mechanism 2 made of a non-magnetic material as in the present invention, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection that occurs when the hinge mechanism 2 is magnetized, and between the hinge mechanism 2 and the magnetic sensors 3 and 4. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the device, save space, and improve the degree of freedom of sensor placement.

In addition, as the magnetic detection element, a Hall IC, MRIC, or the like that outputs a high or low binary value of a digital signal is preferable for handling the signal. However, even if a Hall element that outputs an analog signal proportional to the magnetic flux density of the magnet is used, the output signal can be binarized by a comparator or the like.
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram for explaining a second embodiment of the rotation detection device of the hinge mechanism in the electronic apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is FIG. It is a figure which shows the state by which the electronic device of this was fully folded. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component which has the same function as FIG.

  The electronic apparatus shown in FIG. 3 uses a hinge mechanism 2 made of a non-magnetic material having a folding rotation mechanism, and the first casing side hinge portion 2a has a magnet parallel to the display surface. 5 is provided, and the first magnetic sensor 3 is placed on the hinge 2b on the second housing side so that the first magnetic sensor 3 is aligned with the magnet 5 when the hinge 2a on the first housing is folded. Has been placed. Therefore, the second magnetic sensor 4 is not necessary because it is not a hinge mechanism having a swing rotation mechanism as shown in FIG.

  In the first embodiment described above, the rotation is performed in accordance with the movable direction 7 of the first housing 1 in FIG. 1 while preventing erroneous detection caused by the magnetization of the hinge mechanism due to an unintended magnetic force. In this case, the rotation detection device that detects whether the display surface of the first housing 1 faces the same direction as the operation unit surface of the second housing 6 is shown.

  In the second embodiment, the case where the rotation detection means of the present invention is used for folding rotation (opening / closing) in which the movable direction of the first casing 1 is different from that of the first embodiment described above is shown.

  Thus, the magnetic sensor 3 and the magnet 5 are fixed to the hinge mechanism 2 made of a nonmagnetic material, and the hinge mechanism 2 can be folded and rotated in accordance with the movable direction 7 of the first housing 1. It is configured.

  The magnetic sensor 3 is in a state of facing the magnet 5 when the electronic device in the state shown in FIG. 4 is folded and rotated according to the movable direction 7 of the first housing 1 and is fully folded, that is, as shown in FIG. In such a state, it is arranged so that a desired output can be obtained.

  Whether or not the electronic device is folded can be detected by checking whether or not a desired output signal is output to the magnetic sensor 3 by using the folding rotation detecting unit having such a configuration. That is, it is possible to detect whether the electronic device is closed or open.

  When this rotation detection means is used in a hinge mechanism made of a magnetic material that has been used in the past, the hinge mechanism on which the magnetic sensor 3 is mounted is magnetized by an unintended magnetic force of the magnet 5 or the magnetic sensor malfunctions. May cause erroneous detection of rotation of the hinge mechanism (that is, opening / closing detection here). As a countermeasure against such a problem, it is necessary to move the magnetic sensor 3 away from the hinge mechanism by several mm or more.

  By using the hinge mechanism 2 made of a non-magnetic material as in the present invention, it becomes possible to prevent false detection caused by the hinge mechanism being magnetized, and without separating the distance between the hinge mechanism and the magnetic sensor. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the device, save space, and improve the degree of freedom of sensor placement.

  In addition, as the magnetic detection element, a Hall IC, MRIC, or the like that outputs a high or low binary value of a digital signal is preferable for handling the signal. However, even if a Hall element that outputs an analog signal proportional to the magnetic flux density of the magnet is used, the output signal can be binarized by a comparator or the like.

As described above, the swing rotation mechanism has been described in the first embodiment, and the folding rotation mechanism has been described in the second embodiment. However, it is also possible to use a hinge mechanism that can rotate in two axes including these. It is.
Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications.

  The present invention is very effective in detecting rotation of an electronic device having a mechanism that can be rotated using a hinge mechanism such as a mobile phone or a digital video camera.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating Example 1 of the rotation detection apparatus of the hinge mechanism in the electronic device which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a hinge mechanism is rotated in the electronic device illustrated in FIG. 1 and a display surface is rotated by 180 °. It is a block diagram for demonstrating Example 2 of the rotation detection apparatus of the hinge mechanism in the electronic device which concerns on this invention. FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the electronic device of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 is completely folded.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st housing | casing 2 Hinge mechanism which consists of nonmagnetic materials 3 1st magnetic sensor (Hall IC)
4 Second magnetic sensor (Hall IC)
5 Magnet 6 Second housing 7 Movable direction of first housing 8 Back surface of display surface of first housing

Claims (8)

In the rotation detection device of the hinge mechanism in the electronic device in which one housing and the other housing are coupled to be freely opened and closed by a hinge mechanism,
The hinge mechanism is made of Inconel as a nonmagnetic material , and includes a hinge portion on the one housing side and a hinge portion on the other housing side,
Magnetic field generating means is provided in the vicinity of the hinge part on the one casing side, magnetic detection means is provided in the vicinity of 0 to 2 mm from the surface of the hinge part on the other casing side, and an output signal of the magnetic detection means A rotation detection device for a hinge mechanism, wherein the rotation of the hinge mechanism is detected.   The rotation detection apparatus for a hinge mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a display unit is provided in the one casing, and an operation unit is provided in the other casing.   The rotation detection apparatus for a hinge mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hinge mechanism includes a swing rotation mechanism.   In order to detect the position when the hinge part of the one casing side swings and rotates, a plurality of the magnetic detection means are arranged at positions corresponding to the magnetic field generating means when the head rotates. The rotation detection device of the hinge mechanism according to claim 3.   The rotation detection device for a hinge mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the hinge mechanism has a folding rotation mechanism.   6. The hinge mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic field generating means and the magnetic detection means are arranged at corresponding positions in order to detect that the hinge portion on the one casing side is folded. Rotation detection device.   The rotation detection device for a hinge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the hinge mechanism is rotatable in two axial directions including the swing rotation mechanism and the folding rotation mechanism. An electronic apparatus comprising the rotation detection device for a hinge mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7 .

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