JP4629128B2 - Hinge mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  An object of the present invention is to connect a main body of a liquid crystal television, a notebook personal computer, a mobile phone or the like to a display unit, or to connect the lid to the main body so that the lid can be securely held at an arbitrary opening angle position in other OA devices. The present invention relates to a hinge mechanism that can be suitably used.

  In liquid crystal televisions and notebook computers, the main body and the display are often connected in a undulating manner by a hinge, and the display is kept 90 degrees or more open relative to the main body. Is normal. In this case, it is required that the display portion is securely held at a desired standing position, and that the raising / lowering operation is performed lightly and smoothly. In order to meet this requirement, conventionally, a click device has been incorporated into the hinge mechanism, and measures such as increasing the rotational torque of the movable part of the hinge have been taken. However, these contrivances led to an increase in the cost of the product, resulting in a problem against the demand for cost reduction, which was problematic.

In order to solve this problem, the applicant of the present application has, as shown in FIG. 6, a hollow support shaft 1 having a head portion formed on a plate member A and having a top wall 1a ′ having an inverted conical shape. The flat washer 2, the plate-like portion B of the device body, the flat washer 3, the two spring washers 4, 5 and the holding washer 6 are sequentially fitted, and the periphery of the top wall 1a 'is crushed and the top wall By caulking 1a 'to the holding washer 6, the plate-like portion B is pressed against the substrate member A via the flat washers 2 and 3 by the elasticity of the spring washers 4 and 5, and against the device body, that is, the plate member A Thus, a hinge mechanism has been proposed in which the display portion, that is, the plate-like portion B can be rotated with a predetermined torque (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-262214 A

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 7, the assembly of the hinge mechanism is carried out from above by pushing up the top wall 1a ′ having an inverted conical shape by the rod-shaped jig LG inserted into the hollow spindle 1 from above. This is done by crushing the peripheral edge of the top wall with UG. As a result, the peripheral edge of the top of the hollow spindle 1 extends widely on the restraining washer 6, and the top wall 1a 'having an inverted conical shape is deformed into a disk shape with a slightly depressed central portion, and is assembled as shown in FIG. In this case, the magnitude of the torque when the plate member A and the plate-like portion B are rotated relative to each other is determined by the deformation amount of the spring washers 4 and 5. Since the amount of deformation slightly changes depending on the degree of caulking, there is a problem that skill is required to adjust the moving strokes of the jigs LG and UG and the caulking work to perform caulking so that a predetermined value of torque can be obtained. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hinge mechanism of the above type having a structure that can be assembled so that a predetermined rotational torque can be easily obtained. It is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, a hinge mechanism according to the present invention is provided at least on a hollow support shaft having a closed head portion formed integrally with a substrate member by shaft drawing and having a top wall having an inverted conical shape. A washer, a plate member, a spring washer, and a restraining washer are sequentially fitted, and the peripheral portion of the top wall is crushed and the top wall is crimped to the restraining washer. In the hinge mechanism configured to press the plate member against the substrate member and to relatively rotate the substrate member and the plate member with a predetermined torque, the hollow shaft is connected to the flat washer and the plate member. divided into a main shaft portion of larger diameter to spring washer is fitted, said head portion of the small diameter to be fitted in the restraining washer When the restraining washer placed on the shoulder of the main shaft portion, as the upper surface of the restraining washer is the highest position substantially the same height position of the lower surface of the inverted conical top wall, and caulked It is characterized by being.

According to the present invention, in the hinge mechanism, the hollow shaft, the large-diameter main shaft portion on which the flat washer, the plate member, and the spring washer are fitted, and the small-diameter head on which the holding washer is fitted. When the holding washer is placed on the shoulder portion of the main shaft portion, the upper surface of the holding washer is substantially at the same height as the highest position of the lower surface of the inverted conical top wall. The hinge mechanism is characterized by being crimped.

  Further, according to the present invention, one flat washer, the plate member, one flat washer, and two spring washers are sequentially arranged on the main shaft portion.

  According to the present invention, at least a flat washer, a plate-shaped member, and a spring washer are formed on a hollow spindle having a closed head portion formed integrally with a substrate member by shaft drawing and having a top wall having an inverted conical shape. The presser washers are sequentially fitted, and the peripheral edge of the top wall is crushed and the top wall is crimped to the presser washer, whereby the plate member is attached to the substrate member via the flat washer by the elasticity of the spring washer. A hinge mechanism configured to press a member and relatively rotate the substrate member and the plate member with a predetermined torque can be provided easily and inexpensively.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on illustrated examples.
1 is a perspective view showing an example of a hinge device incorporating a hinge mechanism according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a normal state of the spring washer shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the positional relationship between a hollow support shaft having a closed head portion formed by a shaft restriction and a holding washer in the hinge mechanism of the present invention, and FIG. Before and (b), it is sectional drawing which shows the state after crimping, respectively.

In the drawing, A is a hollow support by dividing a small-diameter closed head portion 1a and a large-diameter main shaft portion 1b, each of which has a top wall 1a 'formed into an inverted conical shape in a direction perpendicular to the surface by axial drawing. In this embodiment in which the shaft 1 is formed, one of a pair of rotating members used as the rotating side (hereinafter referred to as “rotating member” for convenience of description), B is flat on the main shaft portion 1 b of the hollow support shaft 1. In the present embodiment, which is rotatably fitted via the washer 2, the other of the pair of rotating members used as the fixed side (hereinafter referred to as "fixing member" for convenience of description), 3 is attached to the main shaft portion 1b. The fitted flat washers 4 and 5 are disc springs as spring washers press-fitted to the main shaft portion 1b, and 6 is a support shaft portion that forms a boundary between the head portion 1a of the hollow support shaft 1 and the main shaft portion 1b. 1b is mounted on the head portion 1a while being placed on the shoulder portion 1b ', and the top wall 1a' is caulked. When squeezed and crimped by the tool, the rotating member A is pressed against the fixed member B via the two spring washers 4 and 5 and the two flat washers 2 and 3, and a predetermined amount of friction is applied. The rotating member A can be rotated with force, that is, torque, and the washer for preventing the flat washer 2, the fixing member B, the flat washer 3, and the spring washers 4 and 5 from escaping from the hollow support shaft 1. It is.

Next, assembly of the illustrated hinge device will be described. First, the rotary member A and the fixed member B having a predetermined size and form are mass-produced using a pre-machine, and a head portion 1a and a spindle portion 1b of a required size are formed at required locations of the rotary member A by shaft drawing. Forming a hollow spindle 1 having
Prepare necessary parts such as flat washers and spring washers. Then, the flat washer 2, the fixing member B and the flat washer 3 are fitted on the main shaft portion 1b of the hollow support shaft 1 of the rotating member A, and then the disc springs 4 and 5 are overlapped so that their bulging portions are formed. After press-fitting in the direction facing the outside (left side in FIG. 3), and subsequently fitting the presser washer 6 on the head portion 1a, the outer edge of the top wall 1a ′ was struck using a known jig (not shown). Then, the hollow washer 1 is crimped to the hollow support shaft 1 with the holding washer 6 placed on the shoulder 1b '. At this time, the spring washers 4 and 5 are deformed by a predetermined amount so as to be close to the flat washer from the dish-shaped washer, and this stress causes the fixing member B to be pressed and clamped via the flat washers 2 and 3, The rotating member A and the fixing member B are assembled so as not to be able to rotate relative to each other unless a rotational force equal to or greater than is applied. Needless to say, the predetermined rotational force in this case is determined by appropriately selecting the spring constants and the normal shapes of the spring washers 4 and 5.

Here, the relative relationship between the shape of the best head portion 1a and the thickness of the restraining washer 6 found by the inventors' many years of research and experiment will be described. In this type of hinge mechanism, when a spring washer having a large spring constant is required, that is, when it is necessary to configure the rotating member A so that it cannot be rotated unless a larger rotational force is applied, a restraining washer is used. It is necessary to increase the thickness of 6, but in this case, in order to increase the caulking strength, a counterbore is applied to the inner periphery of the normal washer to increase the spread area of the top wall 1a 'during caulking. I will let you. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), when the holding washer 6 is placed on the shoulder 1b 'of the main shaft portion 1b, the counterbore bottom edge 6a is substantially flush with the bottom position 1a "of the top wall lower surface. It is preferable to select so that it is in the vertical position (broken line position in FIG. 4A).

As described above, by providing the shoulder portion 1b ', buckling of the main shaft portion 1b during crimping can be reliably prevented, and the bottom edge 6a of the counterbore portion of the restraining washer 6 and the lower surface of the top wall 1a' can be prevented. By selecting the highest position 1a "at substantially the same height position, coupled with the fact that the head portion 1a is closed rather than open, the top wall 1a 'and the restraining washer 6 The caulking can be performed properly and extremely firmly, and the caulking will not be loosened even after long-term use, that is, the height position of the counterbore bottom edge 6a of the restraining washer 6 is the highest on the lower surface of the top wall 1a '. If the position is higher than the position 1a ", the extension range of the head portion when crimping is reduced and the crimping strength is lowered, and the height position of the bottom edge 6a of the counterbore portion of the restraining washer 6 is the highest on the lower surface of the top wall 1a '. If it is lower than the position 1a ", the extension range of the head portion when caulking is excessive. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide this type of hinge mechanism with a clean caulked portion appearance that can maintain a set torque for a long period of time.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of another embodiment for explaining the positional relationship between the hollow support shaft formed by the shaft restriction and the holding washer in the hinge mechanism of the present invention, (a) is before crimping, (b) These are sectional drawings which show the state after crimping, respectively. In the drawing, members and portions that are substantially the same as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.
This embodiment shows a case where no counterbore is provided on the inner peripheral edge of the restraining washer 6. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), when the restraining washer 6 is placed on the shoulder 1b 'of the main shaft portion 1b, the upper surface 6b of the restraining washer 6 and the lower surface of the inverted conical top wall 1a'. The thickness of the restraining washer 6 is selected so that the highest position 1a "is substantially at the same height position. By selecting the thickness of the restraining washer 6 in this way and performing caulking, The same effects as the embodiment can be achieved.

  In the embodiment, the case where two flat washers and two spring washers are used and a disc spring is used as a spring washer has been described. However, the number of washers and the form of the spring washers are limited to this. Instead, it can be appropriately changed depending on the magnitude of the required rotational torque of the hinge.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide such a hinge mechanism at a low cost, in which the rotational torque of the rotational member with respect to the fixed member is extremely large and the set value can be maintained for a long time. It can be used very favorably in liquid crystal televisions, notebook personal computers and other OA devices.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the hinge apparatus incorporating the hinge mechanism which concerns on this invention. It is an expanded sectional view which follows the II-II line of FIG. It is a perspective view of the normal state of the spring washer used for FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the positional relationship between a hollow support shaft formed by a shaft restriction and a restraining washer in one embodiment of the hinge mechanism of the present invention, (a) before crimping, (b) after crimping. Each state is shown. The principal part enlarged view for demonstrating the positional relationship of the hollow support shaft formed by the axial aperture_diaphragm | restriction in another Example of this invention and the restraining washer, (a) is before crimping, (b) is after crimping. Each state is shown. It is an expanded sectional view in the conventional hinge mechanism corresponding to FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the crimping state of the pressure washer at the time of the assembly of this kind hinge mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hollow support shaft 1a Head part 1a 'Top wall 1a "The highest position of the lower surface of the top wall 1b Main shaft part 1b' Shoulder part of main shaft part 2, 3 Flat washer 4, 5 Spring washer 6 Retaining washer 6a Counterbore bottom of restraining washer Edge 6b Upper surface of holding washer A Rotating member B Fixed member

Claims (3)

  At least a flat washer, a plate member, a spring washer, and a restraining washer are sequentially fitted to a hollow spindle having a closed head portion formed integrally with the substrate member by shaft drawing and having an inverted conical top wall. In addition, the plate member is pressed against the substrate member via the flat washer by the elasticity of the spring washer by crushing the peripheral portion of the top wall and caulking the top wall to the holding washer. In the hinge mechanism configured so that the member and the plate member can be rotated relative to each other with a predetermined torque, the hollow support shaft has a large-diameter main shaft portion on which the flat washer, the plate member, and the spring washer are to be fitted. And the small-diameter head portion to be fitted with the holding washer, and the holding washer was placed on the shoulder of the main shaft portion. Come, the restrained inner circumferential counterbore portion bottom edge position of the washer is set to be highest position and the same height position of the inverted conical top wall lower surface, a hinge mechanism, characterized in that has been caulked.   At least a flat washer, a plate member, a spring washer, and a restraining washer are sequentially fitted to a hollow spindle having a closed head portion formed integrally with the substrate member by shaft drawing and having an inverted conical top wall. In addition, the plate member is pressed against the substrate member via the flat washer by the elasticity of the spring washer by crushing the peripheral portion of the top wall and caulking the top wall to the holding washer. In the hinge mechanism configured so that the member and the plate member can be rotated relative to each other with a predetermined torque, the hollow support shaft has a large-diameter main shaft portion on which the flat washer, the plate member, and the spring washer are to be fitted. And the small-diameter head portion to be fitted with the holding washer, and the holding washer was placed on the shoulder of the main shaft portion. Come, the suppressed as the upper surface of the washer is the highest position and the same height position of the inverted conical top wall lower surface, a hinge mechanism, characterized in that has been caulked. The hinge mechanism according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein one flat washer, the plate member, one flat washer, and two spring washers are sequentially arranged on the main shaft portion .

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