JP4836792B2 - HINGE DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING THE SAME - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a hinge device and a foldable electronic apparatus using the hinge device.

  In a foldable electronic device that secures sufficient space as an operation unit or display unit when in use and can be folded when not in use and is convenient to carry, a rotating unit (display unit) and a main unit (operation unit) The hinge unit is pivotally connected to the main body part using a hinge device. An electronic apparatus using such a hinge device employs a structure in which the rotating unit is fixed so that the rotating unit does not open and close unexpectedly when the rotating unit is expanded or closed.

  As shown in Patent Document 1, in the hinge device adopting the above-described fixing structure, a rotating mechanism is constituted by a disk 82 and a catch 84 as shown in FIG. The disk 82 has an engaging recess 86 formed at a symmetrical position with respect to the center of the guide path. In addition, the catch 84 is provided with engaging projections 88 at the upper and lower portions of the substrate portion and is urged by a coil spring 85.

  Here, in the middle of the engagement convex portion 88 entering the engagement concave portion 86 and moving toward the center portion thereof, the closing or unfolding (opening angle is 160 °) of the rotating portion is completed, and the engagement convex portion 88. Configure to stop the intrusion. At this time, the engaging convex portion 88 that has been slid halfway along the engaging concave portion 86 is moved to the center portion of the engaging concave portion 86 by the urging force of the coil spring 85, thereby causing a predetermined torque to be applied to the rotating portion. Is added to generate a so-called suction action. By the action of this suction, the rotating body can maintain a stable fixed state without rattling even in a closed state (open angle 0 °) and a deployed state (open angle 180 °).

  On the other hand, some foldable electronic devices have a deployment angle of 180 ° or more depending on individual applications. In this case, in the hinge device, it is difficult to hold and fix the rotating portion at the closed position (open angle 0 °) and the unfolded position (open angle 180 °) of the rotating portion. On the other hand, the hinge apparatus of patent document 2 and patent document 3 is disclosed. Each of these hinge devices can be expanded to an angle of 180 ° or 180 ° or more.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the hinge device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a first start point and a first end point engagement as a first engagement recess pair 92 having different diameters from each other on the end face of the movable disk. The recess 93 is formed with a second start point and a second end point engagement recess 95 as the second engagement recess pair 94 having different diameters from each other, and the other is formed by the first and second spheres. The first and second spheres roll along the first arc concave guide path 96 and the second arc concave guide path 97 while changing in the radial direction, and the movable disc of the movable disk is formed. A rotation operation is performed. Further, the hinge device described in Patent Document 3 sets the cover with respect to the device main body by setting the engagement recesses and the engagement protrusions at the required circumferential angle positions having different diameters from the rotation axis. It addresses the need to set the angle to a large angle of 180 ° or greater.

JP 2003-120656 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-50727 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-317779

  However, in the hinge device described in Patent Document 2, the first and second spheres are always kept at a distance of approximately the same length from the rotational axis of the movable disk. However, the first and second spheres are In both cases, the distance from the rotational axis similarly moves in the direction of expansion or contraction, so that there is a problem that the rotational torque varies with the rotation angle. Further, in the hinge device described in Patent Document 3, since the position of the large radius where the rotating disk is supported and the position of the small radius are in the biased position with respect to the rotation axis, There is a problem that the rotation cannot be performed smoothly. In addition, it is desired that the hinge device has sufficient rotational torque to improve operability.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a hinge device that can be smoothly rotated and that can be opened and held at 180 ° or more and an electronic apparatus using the same. For the purpose.

  In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention is slidable in the axial direction and rotated against the urging means 10 provided inside the cylindrical members 12 and 112, as shown in FIG. A disk-shaped catch 8 that is impossiblely fitted, a disk-shaped disk 4 that is disposed outside the cylindrical member and is rotatably mounted in contact with the catch, the cylindrical member, and the biasing means And the shafts 14 and 114 for connecting the catch and the disk, the cylindrical member is fixed to one of the main body part and the rotating part of the electronic device, and the disk 4 is fixed to the other, and the main body In the hinge device that connects the opening portion and the rotation portion so as to be openable and closable, the catch 8 is provided with an engagement groove portion 46 in a radial direction from the center on the disk surface portion facing the disk 4. An engagement convex part is provided on a central angle narrower than 180 ° with respect to 46, The disc 4 is provided with a first guide path 24 on the disc surface portion facing the catch 8 over a range in which the distance from the center of the disc surface portion is a constant arc shape and exceeds a center angle of 180 °, One end provided inside the first guide path 24 and the other end provided close to one end of the first guide path 24, and the gap between the both ends is gradually increased. And a second guide path 26 formed with an arc-shaped guide groove provided over the same central angle as the first guide path 24 is provided, and the one end of the first guide path 24 is engaged with the engagement. One engagement recess 28 that engages with the projection is provided, and another engagement recess 32 that engages with the sphere 6 held in the engagement groove 46 is provided at one end of the second guide path 26. In the closed position of the rotating part, the engagement convexity is applied by the urging force of the urging means. In addition, while the engaged state between the spherical body 6 and each of the engaging recesses 28 is maintained and the rotating portion is held and fixed, the biasing force of the biasing means is applied at an open position of 180 ° or more of the rotating portion. The engaging state between the engaging convex part and the sphere is maintained and the rotating part is held and fixed.

  In the hinge device according to the present invention, an engagement hole portion 48 is provided in the disk surface portion of the catch 8, the sphere 6 is rotatably disposed in the engagement hole portion, and a part of the sphere is protruded to make the engagement. It is the structure which formed the convex part.

  In the hinge device according to the present invention, the engaging convex portion of the catch is formed in a convex spherical shape having a predetermined curvature radius, while the one engaging concave portion 28 has a radius of curvature larger than the curvature radius of the engaging convex portion. It is formed in a concave spherical shape, and the other engaging concave portion 32 is formed in a concave spherical shape having a radius of curvature greater than the radius of curvature of the sphere.

  In the hinge device according to the present invention, the other end of the first guide path 24 and the other end of the second guide path 26 are respectively concave spherical surfaces having a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the engaging convex portion. The holding recesses 31 and 35 are provided.

  The hinge device according to the present invention has a configuration in which a friction plate 110 is interposed between the shaft body 114 and the bottom of the cylindrical member 112 to brake the relative rotation of the cylindrical member with respect to the shaft body by friction. It is.

  The hinge device according to the present invention includes a first friction plate 106 that rotates together with the cylindrical member in the cylindrical member 112 and a second friction plate 106 that presses against the first friction plate and rotates together with the shaft body. The friction plate 108 is interposed, and the relative rotation of the cylindrical member with respect to the shaft body is braked by friction.

  In the electronic apparatus according to the present invention, the disk 4 is fixed to one side of the main body 18 having an operation unit or the rotating unit 16 having a display unit, and the cylindrical member 12 is fixed to the other side. In addition, using the hinge device according to any one of the above, the rotating part is attached so that the engaging convex part enters the engaging concave part and the rotating part is closed. In this configuration, torque is applied to the rotating portion in the closing direction by the biasing means.

〔The invention's effect〕
As described above, according to the hinge device according to the present invention, the catch in which the engagement groove portion is provided in the radial direction and the engagement convex portion is provided on the predetermined central angle, the first guide path, and the second guide path are provided. Since the guide path is provided and a structure having a disc that can rotate with respect to the catch is adopted, the rotating part can be held and fixed at the closed position and at an open angle of 180 ° or more than 180 ° and rotated. Sufficient torque is obtained when the part is opened and closed, and a relatively constant opening and closing torque is obtained, and at the same time, the effect of sucking gives a sharp feeling to the opening and closing of the rotating part.

  In addition, since the engaging hole is provided with a spherical body as an engaging convex portion of the catch and a part of the spherical body is protruded as the engaging convex portion, the disk is prevented from entering and exiting the engaging concave portion. There is an effect that it can be performed smoothly and an appropriate opening / closing torque can be obtained in the rotating portion by the biasing means.

  According to the hinge device according to the present invention, the friction plate is interposed between the shaft body and the bottom of the cylindrical member, or the first friction plate and the second friction plate are interposed in the cylindrical member, Since the relative rotation of the cylindrical member with respect to the shaft body is braked by friction, a large static friction is obtained at each operation position of the rotation unit, the rotation unit is stably held and fixed, and the rotation unit Sufficient opening / closing torque can be obtained even during the opening / closing operation, and it is possible to stop and hold the rotating portion at a desired opening / closing position.

  According to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, the holding unit can be stably held and fixed at the closed position and the open position at an opening angle of 180 ° or 180 ° or more, and good operability is obtained. A sufficient torque can be obtained at the time of opening and closing, and a relatively constant opening and closing torque can be obtained. At the same time, the effect of suction can give a sharp feeling to the opening and closing of the rotating portion.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the hinge apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. (A) is an inner surface, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA, (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB, and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC. . (A) is an outer side surface, (b) is a DD line cross section, (c) is a EE line cross section about the catch of a hinge apparatus. The hinge apparatus which concerns on embodiment is a figure which shows the cross section of an axial direction, (b) is a FF line cross section, (c) is a GG line cross section. The perspective view of the hinge apparatus which concerns on embodiment is shown. It is a figure which concerns on embodiment, and is a figure which shows the relationship between a catch and a disk, (a) shows a closed position, (b) shows a 1st operation position, (c) shows the state in a 2nd operation position. It is a figure which shows the electronic device using the hinge apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the hinge apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the hinge apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the hinge apparatus which concerns on other embodiment. The fragmentary exploded perspective view of the hinge apparatus which concerns on a prior art example is shown. It is a figure which shows the movable disk of the hinge apparatus which concerns on a prior art example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 relates to the first embodiment and shows an exploded perspective view of a hinge device 2 used in an electronic device such as a foldable game machine or a mobile phone. The hinge device 2 includes a disk 4, two spheres 6, a catch 8, a coil spring 10, a cylindrical member 12, a shaft body 14, and the like as constituent members. Among these members, a cam mechanism is mainly constituted by the disk 4, the sphere 6 and the catch 8. The external appearance of the hinge device 2 is composed of a disk 4, a cylindrical member 12, and a shaft body 14.

  The disk 4 and the catch 8 are made of metal such as steel (SPCC) or stainless steel. The spherical body 6 is a steel ball, the coil spring 10 is a steel material, and the shaft body 14 is made of aluminum killed steel (SWCH12A) or a metal such as a steel material. The cylindrical member 12 is made of a synthetic resin such as POM or ABS, or a material formed by sintering or MIM (metal injection molding). The disk 4, the catch 8 and the shaft body 14 are subjected to surface treatment such as electroless Ni plating or Ni plating.

  Here, each component will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the disk 4 is provided with a hexagonal square hole 22 at the center of an oval base 20. An arc-shaped first guide path 24 having a constant distance (same radius) from the center is formed at a substantially left side portion of the surface portion 21 of the base portion 20. Further, in the substantially right side portion of the base portion 20, the distance from the center gradually increases from one end portion provided inside the first guide path 24, and the other end portion is one end portion of the first guide path 24. A second guide path 26 having an arc shape (spiral curve shape) in a state of being adjacent to the second guide path 26 is provided.

  One end of the first guide path 24 has an engaging recess 28 for locking the sphere 6, and a first holding recess 30 in which the sphere 6 enters and is held near the other end. Is provided with a second holding recess 31. The engagement recess 28 and the first holding recess 30 are spaced apart by a center angle narrower than 180 °, and the first holding recess 30 and the second holding recess 31 are spaced apart by several tens of degrees.

  On the other hand, one end portion of the second guide path 26 is positioned so as to enter the inside of the other end portion of the first guide path 24, and an engagement concave portion 32 to which the sphere 6 is locked is provided. Yes. The other end of the second guide path 26 is provided in the vicinity of the extension of one end of the first guide path 24, and the first holding recess in which the sphere 6 is plunged and held in the vicinity of the other end. 34, and a second holding recess 35 is provided at the other end. The engaging recess 32 and the first holding recess 34 have a center angle that is narrower than 180 °, and the first holding recess 34 and the second holding recess 35 have a distance of about several tens of degrees. A guide groove is formed in the second guide path 26, and a cross section perpendicular to the groove direction of the guide groove is an arc shape, and the radius of the arc is slightly larger than the radius of the sphere 6. On the other hand, the first guide path 24 is formed flush with the surface portion 21.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the engaging recess 28 is a concave spherical surface having a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the sphere 6, and is a recess having a depth about half the radius of curvature of the sphere 6. Further, a smooth convex curved surface is formed between the engagement recess 28 and the first guide path 24. The engaging recess 32 is a concave spherical surface having a radius of curvature similar to the radius of curvature of the sphere 6 and is a recess having a depth of about half the radius of curvature of the sphere 6. Further, a space between the engaging recess 32 and the second guide path 26 is formed in a convex curved surface having a radius of curvature slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the engaging recess 32.

  The first holding recess 30 and the second holding recess 31 have a concave spherical shape with a radius of curvature slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the sphere 6, and a convex curved surface is formed between each holding recess and each guide path. The first holding recess 34 and the second holding recess 35 have substantially the same shape.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the catch 8 has a substrate portion 38 having a shape in which fitting portions 40 and 41 are formed at the upper and lower portions of the disc, and a circular hole 42 is formed at the center of the substrate portion 38. Is provided. The fitting portions 40 and 41 are formed with fitting protrusions 44 and 45 that protrude inward in the axial direction from the substrate portion 38, respectively. A linear engagement groove 46 is formed in the outward surface portion of the substrate portion 38 from the hole 42 to a portion on the right side of the fitting portion 40. The cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the groove direction of the engaging groove portion 46 is an arc shape (a part of a circle), and this radius is formed larger than the radius of the sphere 6. The groove depth of the engaging groove portion 46 is constant, and the corner of the outer end portion is formed with a concave spherical roundness.

  Further, the catch 8 is formed with an engagement hole portion 48 at a position on the right side of the fitting portion 41 on the center line having an angle narrower than 180 ° with respect to the engagement groove portion 46. The engagement hole 48 is a cylindrical hole whose opening is circular and is gently inclined inward (about 5 °) toward the bottom. The bottom surface of the engagement hole 48 is flat, and a lubricant such as grease is added thereto. The spherical body 6 is rotatably disposed in the hole with a part thereof protruding. Instead of the sphere 6, a convex portion (for example, convex spherical surface portion) may be formed at the position of the engagement hole 48 of the catch 8. At this time, a convex portion may be formed by embedding and arranging a part of the sphere 6 in a fixed state on the surface portion of the catch 8.

  The coil spring 10 is a compression spring and biases the catch 8. As shown in FIG. 1, the cylindrical member 12 is a cylindrical container in which a bottom portion 51 having a through-hole 50 is formed at one end side and an open port is formed at the other end side. In the upper and lower portions of the opening, fitting recesses 54 and 55 that are cut in a shape parallel to the axial direction are formed. In addition, fitting protrusions 56 and 57 are formed in the axial direction at the outer left and right portions of the cylindrical member 12, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the shaft body 14 includes a disk-shaped head portion 60 and a shaft portion 62. The shaft portion 62 is formed with a large-diameter shaft portion 64, a medium-diameter shaft portion 65, and a small-diameter shaft portion 66 having a circular cross section in order from the position near the head 60, and a hexagonal corner having a cross section at the tip portion. A shaft portion 67 is formed.

  When the hinge device 2 is assembled, as shown in FIG. 4, the coil spring 10 is housed in the cylindrical member 12, and the other end of the coil spring 10 is in contact with the catch 8, and the catch 8 is fitted. The mating portions 40 and 41 (fitting protrusions 44 and 45) are fitted into the fitting concave portions 54 and 55 of the cylindrical member 12. At this time, since the fitting protrusions 44 and 45 are formed so as to protrude from the board portion 38, the fitting protrusions 44 and 45 are fitted into the fitting recess 54 without being subjected to the action of the urging force of the coil spring 10. Can be assembled easily. The fitting recesses 54 and 55 are cut out with a constant width, and the fitting portions 40 and 41 of the catch 8 are movable in the axial direction in the fitting recesses 54 and 55.

  Further, the shaft portion 62 of the shaft body 14 is inserted from the through hole 50 in the bottom portion 51 of the cylindrical member 12, the coil spring 10 and the catch 8 are inserted, and two spheres 6 are interposed between the catch 8 and the disk 4. Then, the square shaft portion 67 is inserted into the square hole 22 of the disk 4. At this time, one sphere 6 is disposed in the engagement hole 48 of the catch 8, and the other sphere 6 is disposed in the engagement groove 46, and each sphere 6 is in contact with the first holding recess 30 of the first guide path 24 and the first retaining recess 30. The first guide recess 26 of the second guide path 26 is held and engaged to align. Then, the tip of the angular shaft portion 67 of the shaft body 14 protruding from the disc 4 is caulked to fix the disc 4, and the hinge device 2 is assembled.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the appearance of the hinge device 2 is formed by an oval disk 4 and a cylindrical member 12, and the disk 4 is fitted and fixed to one casing (for example, the rotating part 16) of the electronic device. In addition, the fitting ridges 56 and 57 of the tubular member 12 are fitted and fixed to the other casing (for example, the main body 18).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, in the hinge device 2, the square hole 22 of the disk 4 is fitted in the square shaft portion 67 of the shaft body 14, and the disk 4 rotates integrally with the shaft body 14. On the other hand, the through hole 50 of the cylindrical member 12 is inserted into the large diameter shaft portion 64 of the shaft body 14, the coil spring 10 is inserted into the medium diameter shaft portion 65, and the hole portion 42 of the catch 8 is inserted into the small diameter shaft portion 66. The cylindrical member 12, the coil spring 10, and the catch 8 are free with respect to the rotation of the shaft body 14. Further, the catch 8 is fitted to the cylindrical member 12, and the catch 8 and the cylindrical member 12 rotate integrally.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, the catch 8 is always urged toward the disk 4 by the coil spring 10, and in the engagement hole 48 of the catch 8 as the disk 4 rotates. The sphere 6 forms a cam mechanism that repeatedly enters and exits the engaging recess 28, the first holding recess 30 and the second holding recess 31 of the disk 4, and the sphere 6 in the engaging groove 46 of the catch 8 is formed. Forms a cam mechanism that reciprocates along the engaging groove 46 and repeatedly enters and exits the engaging recess 32, the first holding recess 34, and the second holding recess 35 of the disk 4. Therefore, the hinge device is configured such that the disk 4 rotates with respect to the cylindrical member 12 via the cam mechanism.

  Here, the basic operation of the hinge device 2 will be described. In the hinge device 2, the opening angle of the rotating unit 16 of the electronic device is 0 ° (closed position), the opening angle is narrower than 180 ° (first operation position), and the opening angle is 180 ° (second position). The operation position is held and fixed at each position. FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the sphere 6 held by the catch 8 and the disk 4 at each position, where (a) is the closing position of the hinge device, (b) is the first operating position, (C) shows a state at each position of the second operation position.

  Further, since the hinge device 2 has a configuration in which the first guide path 24 and the second guide path 26 of the disk 4 are formed continuously, the first end of the first guide path 24 (open angle 0 °) and The engaging concave portion 28 and the engaging concave portion 32 serving as the starting end of the second guide path 26 are provided at positions separated by a predetermined center angle (an angle greater than 180 °). The central angle formed by the engaging recess 28 formed on the first guide path 24 and the first holding recess 30 is narrower than 180 °, and the first holding recess 30 and the second holding recess 31 The center angle formed by is an angle of about several tens of degrees. The angle narrower than 180 ° is to provide a slight angle margin in order to obtain the suction effect described later.

  In addition, since the radius of the first guide path 24 is constant, the sphere 6 that moves there is held in the engagement hole 48 that is the fixed position of the catch 8. By making the radius of the first guide path 24 constant, the first guide path 24 can be formed with a large radius over the disk surface of the disk 4, and a constant rotational torque can be obtained as a hinge. And high rotational torque can be obtained.

  On the other hand, the central angle formed by the engaging recess 32 and the first holding recess 34 formed on the second guide path 26 is also an angle narrower than 180 °, and the first holding recess 34 and the second holding recess The angle formed by 35 was about several tens of degrees. Here, since the second guide path 26 has a spiral shape and the distance from the center varies depending on the location, the sphere 6 held in the engagement groove portion 46 of the catch 8 moves in the guide groove of the second guide path 26. At the same time, it reciprocates in the engagement groove 46 in accordance with the movement of the second guide path 26.

  Further, in this embodiment, each of the spheres 6 enters the engaging recesses 28 and 32 and goes toward the center of the concave spherical surface. Configure to stop. At this time, the sphere 6 that has slid halfway along the engagement recesses 28 and 32 is moved to the center of the engagement recess 32 by the urging force of the coil spring 10 (suction action). Thus, the closing direction is maintained without rattling of the rotating portion 16.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the foldable electronic device 15 includes a rotating portion 16 provided with a display screen 17 and the like, and a main body portion 18 provided with operation keys 19 and the like. When the hinge device 2 is attached to the electronic device, the hinge device 2 is inserted from the outside of the electronic device with the disc 4 first, and the hinge is inserted into the hinge mounting hole 72 provided in the inner rotating portion 16. The disc 4 of the device 2 is fitted and fixed, and the fitting ridge portions 56 and 57 of the cylindrical member 12 are fitted and fixed to the cylindrical portion 70 provided in the main body portion 18. Usually, the hinge device 2 is attached to the left and right connecting parts of the main body 18 and the rotating part 16 of the electronic device. Since the hinge device 2 has a direction of rotation, when the left and right hinge devices of the electronic device are mounted in a symmetrical form, these hinge devices need to be formed in a symmetrical structure (a symmetrical disk and catch). There is.

  Now, in the electronic device 15 to which the hinge device 2 is mounted, the cam mechanism is operated when the rotating unit 16 is opened by hand, and the disk 4 rotates together with the rotating unit 16. As the disk 4 rotates, both spheres 6 held by the catch 8 come out of the engagement of the engaging recesses 28 and 32 of the disk 4 and slide on the guide paths 24 and 26 of the disk 4. While the spherical body 6 is pulled out of the engaging recesses 28 and 32, a predetermined torque is applied to the rotating portion 16, and the rotating portion is opened against this. Eventually, when the rotating part 16 reaches the first operating position, both spheres 6 enter the first holding recesses 30 and 34 respectively, and the rotating part 16 is held at this position by the biasing force of the coil spring 10. Fixed.

  If necessary, the operator can operate the electronic device at this position and can operate the keys provided on the main body 18. When the rotating part 16 is further opened, it reaches the second operation position at an opening angle of 180 ° (the rotating part 16 and the main body part 18 are in a parallel state), and both the spheres 6 have the second holding recesses 31 and 35, respectively. The rotating portion 16 is held and fixed at this position. The operator can operate the electronic device even at this position.

  When closing the rotating part 16, the rotating part 16 is closed against the torque applied to the rotating part 16 as in the opening operation. Then, the disk 4 rotates with the closing movement of the rotating part 16, and each sphere 6 held by the catch 8 comes out of the second holding recesses 31, 35 of the disk 4, and the first holding recesses 30, 34, respectively. The rotating portion 16 is once held and fixed at this position.

  When the rotating portion 16 is further closed, each sphere 6 held by the catch 8 comes out of the first holding recesses 30 and 34 of the disk 4 and slides on the first guide path 24 and the second guide path 26, respectively. To do. Eventually, at the same time as the rotating portion 16 is closed, the respective spheres 6 held by the catches 8 biased by the coil springs 10 enter the engaging recesses 28 and 32, respectively. At this time, due to the momentum of each sphere 6 sliding into the concave spherical surfaces of the engaging concave portions 28 and 32, a click feeling is obtained together with the suction action. If it is configured so that the intrusion of each sphere 6 stops halfway when the rotating unit 16 is closed, torque is applied to the rotating unit 16 in the closing direction even when the rotating unit 16 is closed. The rotating part 16 does not rattle or open unexpectedly, and stably maintains the closed state.

  Therefore, according to the hinge device and the electronic device using the same according to the above-described embodiment, the rotating part can be held and fixed at the open position with an opening angle of 180 ° or 180 ° or more, and is sufficient when the rotating part is opened and closed. In addition, a relatively constant opening / closing torque can be obtained, and a suctioning action gives a sharp feeling to opening and closing of the rotating part, and also excellent operability of the electronic device.

  FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge device 102 according to the second embodiment. The hinge device 102 is also used in an electronic device such as a foldable game machine or a mobile phone, like the hinge device 2. The hinge device 102 can be configured to use only one in the folding electronic device 15 by increasing the frictional force (dynamic friction and static friction) of the part that relatively rotates, and even in that case, A high opening / closing torque and a static torque that hinders movement from the operation position are obtained. Of course, it is not difficult to obtain a higher opening / closing torque by using two hinge devices 102. The basic form, members, and materials of the hinge mechanism 102 of the hinge device 102 are the same as those of the hinge device 2, and the members common to both are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted here. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the hinge device 102 includes a disk 4, two spheres 6, a catch 8, a coil spring 10, a first friction plate 106, a second friction plate 108, a cylindrical member 112, a friction plate 110, and The shaft body 114 or the like is a constituent member. Of these members, a cam mechanism is mainly constituted by the disk 4, the sphere 6 and the catch 8. The external appearance of the hinge device 102 includes a disk 4, a cylindrical member 112, and a shaft body 114.

  The first friction plate 106 and the second friction plate 108 are made of a metal such as phosphor bronze or steel (SPCC, SUS), a porous material such as a sintered material, or a synthetic resin (such as carbon or glass fiber). . In particular, if one of the friction plates 106 and 108 is made of phosphor bronze and the other is made of steel harder than phosphor bronze, a friction mechanism having a suitable friction force can be formed. Phosphor bronze is excellent as a friction plate because of its excellent wear resistance, viscosity, and mechanical strength. The cylindrical member 112 is made of a synthetic resin such as POM or ABS, or a material formed by sintering or MIM (metal injection molding). The friction plate 110 is made of a cork sheet having high frictional resistance, a porous material such as hard rubber or a sintered material, a synthetic resin, a metal such as phosphor bronze, or the like. The shaft body 114 is made of aluminum killed steel (SWCH12A) or a metal such as steel.

  Here, each component will be described. The disk 4, the sphere 6, the catch 8, and the coil spring 10 are as described in the above embodiment. The first friction plate 106 includes a disk-shaped substrate portion 122, fitting portions 120 and 121 formed on the upper and lower portions of the substrate portion, and a circular hole portion 124 provided in the center of the substrate portion. . The second friction plate 108 includes a disk-shaped base portion and a rectangular hole 126 formed in the center of the substrate portion. The first friction plate 106 and the second friction plate 108 abut against each other and rotate relative to each other with a predetermined friction force. The friction plate 110 has a disc shape and is provided with a circular hole 127 in the center.

  The cylindrical member 112 is a cylindrical container in which a bottom portion 51 having a through hole 50 at the center is formed on one end side of the cylindrical portion 128 and an open port 130 is formed on the other end side. In the upper and lower portions of the opening 130, fitting recesses 54 and 55 cut in parallel to the axial direction are formed, respectively, and the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 128 is recessed in a groove shape toward the bottom 51. Fitting grooves 134 and 135 are formed. In addition, fitting protrusions 56 and 57 are formed in the axial direction on the left and right portions of the cylinder portion 128, respectively.

  The shaft body 114 includes a disk-shaped head portion 60 and a shaft portion 62. The shaft portion 62 includes, in order from the position near the head 60, a first shaft portion 136 having a circular cross section, a first angular shaft portion 137 having a square cross section, and a second shaft portion having a circular cross section. 138 and the second angular shaft portion 139 having a hexagonal cross section are formed at the tip portion, and a step portion is provided at the boundary between these shaft portions, and the diameter of the shaft portion on the tip side is made thinner. Yes. The cross section of the first angular shaft portion 137 has a shape in which a square corner portion is rounded.

  When the hinge device 102 is assembled, as shown in FIG. 9, the second friction plate 108, the first friction plate 106 and the coil spring 10 are accommodated in the cylindrical member 112. At this time, the fitting portions 120 and 121 of the first friction plate 106 enter and fit into the fitting grooves 134 and 135 of the cylindrical member 112, respectively. Here, a friction mechanism consisting of a pair of the first friction plate 106 and the second friction plate 108 is adopted. However, two or more sets of friction mechanisms are provided to increase the friction force and enhance braking. It is good to do.

  The coil spring 10 has one end abutted against the first friction plate 106 and the other end abutted against the catch 8 while fitting the fitting portions 40 and 41 of the catch 8 with the tubular member 112. Fit into the mating recesses 54 and 55.

  Then, the friction plate 110 is inserted through the shaft body 114, the shaft portion 62 of the shaft body 114 is inserted from the through hole 50 in the bottom portion 51 of the cylindrical member 112, and the coil spring 10 and the catch 8 are further inserted, Two spheres 6 are interposed between the disk 4 and the disk 4 to be inserted into the square hole 22. Here, the tip end portion of the second angular shaft portion 139 of the shaft body 14 protruding from the disc 4 is caulked to fix the disc 4, and the hinge device 102 is assembled while the coil spring 10 maintains a predetermined urging force.

  At this time, the friction plate 110 is interposed between the back surface portion 140 of the head portion 60 of the shaft body 114 and the bottom portion 51 of the cylindrical member 112 in a close state. The first shaft portion 136 of the shaft body 114 is rotatably inserted into the through hole 50 of the cylindrical member 112, and the first angular shaft portion 137 is fitted into the square hole 126 of the second friction plate 108. In addition, the first friction plate 106 is rotatably inserted. Further, the second shaft portion 138 of the shaft body 114 is rotatably inserted into the hole portion 42 of the catch 8, and the second square shaft portion 139 is fitted into the square hole 22 of the disk 4.

  For this reason, the shaft body 114, the second friction plate 108, and the disk 4 are integrated to form a first rotating body, and the cylindrical member 112, the first friction plate 106, and the catch 8 are integrated to form the second rotating body. The first rotating body is rotatable relative to the second rotating body. Here, due to the biasing force of the coil spring 10, the first friction plate 106 and the second friction plate 108 are pressed against each other to form a friction braking mechanism, thereby causing a predetermined friction force (dynamic friction and static friction). Relative rotation is performed, and a predetermined rotation torque (friction torque) is generated between the first friction plate 106 and the second friction plate 108.

  Further, the second friction plate 108 and the inner surface portion of the bottom portion 51 of the cylindrical member 112 are in pressure contact with each other and relatively rotated with a predetermined friction force. The friction plate 110 is interposed between the shaft body 114 and the cylindrical member 112 in a free state, and generates a predetermined rotational torque (friction torque) between the shaft body 114 and the cylindrical member 112. I am letting. In order to obtain a predetermined rotational torque as the hinge device 102, only one of the friction mechanism including the first friction plate 106 and the second friction plate 108 or the friction mechanism including the friction plate 110 is employed. It is good to do.

  The hinge device 102 is formed by an oval disk 4 and a cylindrical member 112, and the disk 4 is fitted and fixed to one housing (for example, the rotating part 16) of the electronic device 15 shown in FIG. In addition, the fitting ridges 56 and 57 of the tubular member 112 are fitted and fixed to the other casing (for example, the main body 18). In this case, since a high frictional force (dynamic friction and static friction) is generated in the rotating body of the hinge device 102 and sufficient rotating torque (friction torque) is obtained, only one piece is mounted on the casing of the electronic device. And use it. For example, the hinge device 102 is attached to one of the left and right connecting parts of the main body part and the rotation part of the electronic device, and a freely rotatable member including a pin and a bearing is attached to the other.

  Now, the basic opening / closing operation of the foldable electronic device 15 to which the hinge device 102 is attached is the same as that to which the hinge device 2 is attached. 8 is operated, and the disk 4 is rotated together with the rotating portion 16. As the disk 4 rotates, both spheres 6 held by the catch 8 come out of the engagement of the engaging recesses 28 and 32 of the disk 4 and slide on the guide paths 24 and 26 of the disk 4. While the spherical body 6 is pulled out of the engaging recesses 28 and 32, a predetermined torque is applied to the rotating portion 16, and the rotating portion is opened against this.

  Eventually, when the rotating part 16 reaches the first operating position, both spheres 6 enter the first holding recesses 30 and 34 respectively, and the rotating part 16 is held at this position by the biasing force of the coil spring 10. Fixed. If necessary, the operator can operate the electronic device at this position and can operate the keys provided on the main body 18. When the rotating part 16 is further opened, it reaches the second operation position at an opening angle of 180 ° (the rotating part 16 and the main body part 18 are in a parallel state), and both the spheres 6 have the second holding recesses 31 and 35, respectively. The rotating portion 16 is held and fixed at this position. The operator can operate the electronic device even at this position.

  Here, the electronic device 15 to which the hinge device 102 is attached has the first and second frictional mechanisms composed of the first friction plate 106 and the second friction plate 108 and the friction mechanism composed of the friction plate 110. Large static friction is obtained at the second operation position, and the rotating portion 16 is stably held and fixed. Further, due to the large dynamic friction of the hinge device 102, a sufficient opening / closing torque can be obtained even during the opening / closing of the rotating unit 16, and the rotating unit 16 can be stopped and held at a desired opening / closing position. Operation is possible. When closing the rotation unit 16, the rotation unit 16 is closed against the rotation torque applied to the rotation unit 16 as in the opening operation.

  Therefore, according to the hinge device and the electronic apparatus using the same according to the above-described embodiment, the rotating part can be securely held and fixed at the operation position such as an opening angle of 180 °, and the rotating part can be rotated at a high speed when the rotating part is opened and closed. Dynamic torque can be obtained, and the rotating part can be held and fixed at any position during opening and closing, so that the operation at the free operating position can be performed accurately. And is excellent in operability and functionality.

  FIG. 10 shows a cross section of a hinge device 152 according to another embodiment. The hinge device 152 is also used in an electronic device such as a foldable game machine or a mobile phone, like the hinge device 2. This hinge device 152 increases the frictional force (dynamic friction and static friction) between the shaft body and the coil spring, so that the electronic device can obtain the opening / closing torque of the rotating portion and the static torque held at the operation position. Is. In addition, the hinge device 152 can sufficiently function even when only one hinge device 152 is mounted on an electronic device. The basic form, members, and materials of the hinge mechanism 182 such as a cam mechanism are the same as those of the hinge devices 2 and 102, and the members common to both are denoted by the same reference numerals and will be described in detail here. Is omitted.

  The hinge device 152 includes the disk 4, the two spheres 6, the catch 8, the coil spring 160, the cylindrical member 12, the friction plate 110, the shaft body 14, and the like as constituent members. Of these members, a cam mechanism is mainly constituted by the disk 4, the sphere 6 and the catch 8. The coil spring 160 has a spiral spring and a locking projection 162 in which one end of the spring protrudes in the compression direction. Further, the shortest inner diameter of the coil spring 160 is formed to be approximately the same as the outer diameter of the medium diameter shaft portion 65 of the shaft body 14, and the coil spring 160 is fitted to the medium diameter shaft portion 65 with a predetermined pressing force. Include. As a result, the coil spring 160 is in pressure contact with the medium diameter shaft portion 65. On the other hand, the cylindrical member 12 is provided with a locking hole 164 in the axial direction inside the bottom 51.

  At the time of assembling the hinge device 152, when the coil spring 160 is housed in the cylindrical member 12, the locking projection 162 at one end of the coil spring 160 is inserted and locked into the locking hole 164 of the cylindrical member 12. The coil spring 160 fits the fitting portion of the catch 8 into the fitting recesses 54 and 55 of the cylindrical member 12 with the other end abutting against the catch 8.

  Further, the friction plate 110 is fitted to the shaft body 14, the shaft portion 62 of the shaft body 14 is inserted from the through hole 50 of the bottom portion 51 of the cylindrical member 12, the coil spring 160 and the catch 8 are inserted, and the catch 8 and the disc The two spheres 6 are interposed between the disk 4 and the disk 4 and are inserted into the square holes. Then, the tip end portion of the shaft body 14 is caulked to fix the disk 4, and the hinge device 152 is assembled in a state where the coil spring 160 maintains a predetermined urging force.

  At this time, the friction plate 110 is interposed between the back surface portion 140 of the head portion 60 of the shaft body 14 and the bottom portion 51 of the cylindrical member 12 in a close state. A coil spring 160 is in close contact with the medium-diameter shaft portion 65 of the shaft body 14, and is arranged in a state where a part of the shaft body 14 is tightened by the coil spring 160. Then, the coil spring 160 rotates relative to the shaft body 14 together with the cylindrical member 12, and at this time, a frictional force (dynamic friction and static friction) is generated between the shaft body 14 and the coil spring 160. Due to this frictional force, a rotation torque (friction torque) is generated in the hinge device 152 as a braking action. The friction plate 110 is interposed between the shaft body 14 and the cylindrical member 12 in a free state, and generates a predetermined rotational torque (friction torque) between the shaft body 14 and the cylindrical member 12. Let

  The basic opening / closing operation of the foldable electronic device 15 to which the hinge device 152 is attached is the same as that to which the hinge device 2 is attached. When the rotating portion 16 is opened by hand, the disc 4 and the catch 8 are used. And the disc 4 rotates together with the rotating portion 16.

  Here, in the electronic device equipped with the hinge device 152, a large static friction is obtained at each operation position by the frictional action between the shaft body 14 and the coil spring 160, and the rotating portion 16 is stably held and fixed. The In addition, due to the large dynamic friction of the hinge device 152, a sufficient opening / closing torque can be obtained even during the opening / closing of the rotating unit 16, and the rotating unit 16 can be stopped and held at a desired opening / closing position. Operation is possible. When closing the rotating part 16, the rotating part 16 is closed against the torque applied to the rotating part 16 as in the opening operation. Therefore, according to the hinge device and the electronic apparatus using the same according to this embodiment, a high rotational torque can be obtained when the rotational portion is opened and closed, and the operation at a free operation position can be performed accurately. A sharp feeling is given to the opening and closing of the rotating part, and it is excellent in operability and functionality.

Explanation of symbols

4 Disc 6 Sphere 8 Catch 10 Biasing means (coil spring)
12, 112 Cylindrical members 14, 114 Shaft body 16 Rotating part 18 Main body part 24 First guide path 26 Second guide path 28 One engaging recess 32 Other engaging recess 46 Engaging groove 106 First Friction plate 108 Second friction plate 110 Friction plate

Claims (7)

A disc-shaped catch that is slidable in the axial direction against the biasing means provided inside the cylindrical member and non-rotatably fitted;
A disk-shaped disc that is disposed outside the cylindrical member and is rotatably mounted in contact with the catch;
The cylindrical member, the biasing means, the catch and the shaft for connecting the disk,
In the hinge device that fixes the cylindrical member to one of the main body part and the rotating part of the electronic device and fixes the disk to the other, and connects the main body part and the rotating part so as to be openable and closable.
In the catch, on the disk surface portion facing the disk, an engagement groove portion is provided in the radial direction from the center, while an engagement convex portion is provided on a center angle narrower than 180 ° with respect to the engagement groove portion,
The disk is provided with a first guide path on a disk surface portion facing the catch and having a constant arc shape with a distance from the center of the disk surface portion in a range exceeding a central angle of 180 °. One end provided inside the guide path and the other end provided close to the one end of the first guide path, and the gap between the both ends is gradually widened and the first A second guide path having an arc-shaped guide groove provided over the same central angle as the one guide path is provided, and one end portion of the first guide path is engaged with the engagement convex portion. And another engagement recess that engages with the sphere held in the engagement groove at one end of the second guide path,
In the closed position of the rotating part, the engaging state of the engaging convex part and the sphere and the engaging concave parts is maintained by the urging force of the urging means to hold and fix the rotating part. A hinge device characterized in that, at an open position of 180 ° or more of the rotating portion, the engaging portion is maintained in engagement with the engaging convex portion and the sphere by the urging force of the urging means, and the rotating portion is held and fixed. .   An engagement hole is provided in the disc surface portion of the catch, a sphere is rotatably disposed in the engagement hole, and a part of the sphere is protruded to form the engagement protrusion. The hinge device according to claim 1.   The engaging convex portion of the catch is formed into a convex spherical shape having a predetermined curvature radius, while the one engaging concave portion is formed into a concave spherical shape having a curvature radius larger than the curvature radius of the engaging convex portion, and The hinge device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the other engaging recess is formed in a concave spherical shape having a radius of curvature greater than the radius of curvature of the sphere.   The other end of the first guide path and the other end of the second guide path are each provided with a concave spherical holding recess having a radius of curvature larger than the radius of curvature of the engagement protrusion. The hinge device according to claim 2 or claim 3.   2. The friction plate according to claim 1, wherein a friction plate is interposed between the shaft and the bottom of the cylindrical member to brake the relative rotation of the cylindrical member with respect to the shaft by friction. The hinge device according to claim 4.   A first friction plate that rotates together with the cylindrical member and a second friction plate that presses against the first friction plate and rotates together with the shaft body are interposed in the cylindrical member, and the shaft body The hinge device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the relative rotation of the cylindrical member with respect to the brake is braked by friction. Claims 1 to 5 wherein the disk is fixed to one side of the main body portion having an operation portion or the rotating portion having a display portion, and the cylindrical member is fixed to the other side. The hinge device according to any one of items 6 is used,
The rotating part is closed so that the engaging convex part enters the engaging concave part, and torque is applied to the rotating part in the closing direction by the biasing means even when the rotating part is closed. An electronic device characterized by being added.

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