JP6501301B2 - Torque hinge and various devices equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus having first and second casings that can be opened and closed with each other, office equipment, various storage cases, furniture, toys, etc. And a second hinge having a display unit relatively openably and closably, the opening and closing torque for achieving the optimum opening and closing operation force and the free stop function at any opening angle. The present invention relates to a torque hinge which can be adjusted to a desired state with a simple operation, and various devices as described above equipped with the same.

  For example, it is desirable that a hinge used in a notebook computer etc. has a function capable of arbitrarily stopping and holding the second housing having the display section at a desired opening / closing angle with respect to the first housing having the keyboard section. Therefore, a hinge called a so-called torque hinge, which has a friction function capable of creating friction torque at the time of use, is often used. However, since the torque torque value at the time of initial setting decreases as the frequency of use increases especially over a long period of time, a desired friction torque value can not be created, and the torque hinge for the first housing of the second housing is used. There is a problem that the stop holding function at an arbitrary opening and closing angle is degraded.

  Then, the torque hinge of following patent document 1 was developed. 9 and 10, the known torque hinge 101 has a mounting member 110 attached to a first case provided with a keyboard of a notebook computer, a display, etc. The support member 120 is inserted into the support member 120 attached to the second housing, the two left and right connection cylinder portions 110a and 110b provided on the attachment member 110, and the one connection cylinder portion 120a provided on the support member 120. The torque generating mechanism comprises a hinge shaft 130 rotatably connecting 120 to the mounting member 110, and a torque generating mechanism. The torque generating mechanism includes two left and right cam bodies 140 and 150, and one friction cylindrical body 160. , And a nut 170, and the large diameter portions 140a and 150a of the two left and right cam bodies 140 The small diameter portions 140b and 150b of the two left and right cam bodies 140 and 150 are fitted on the outside of the hinge shaft 130 by respectively fitting them into the left and right two connection cylindrical portions 110a and 110b of the mounting member 110 outside 0. The friction cylindrical body 160 is fitted in the connection cylindrical portion 120a of the support member 120, and the friction cylindrical body 160 is fitted in the connection cylindrical portion 120a of the support member 120 outside the hinge shaft 130, and the two left and right cam bodies The cam bevels 140c and 150c formed at the tip of the small diameter portions 140b and 150b of 140 and 150 are brought into contact with the cam bevels 160a and 160b formed at the left and right ends of the friction cylinder 160, respectively. By screwing the male screw portion 130a formed at the end of the The cams 140 and 150 are moved in the axial direction of the hinge shaft 130 so as to approach each other, and the friction cylinder 160 is moved by the guiding action of the cam slopes 140 c, 150 c, 160 a and 160 b. The support member 120 is mounted by moving in the radial direction and pressing the outer peripheral surface 160c of the friction cylindrical body 160 against the inner peripheral surface 120b of the connection cylindrical portion 120a of the support member 120 (see FIG. 10). When rotating with respect to the member 110, the friction cylindrical body 160 rotates with respect to the connection cylindrical portion 120a of the support member 120, and the outer peripheral surface 160c of the friction cylindrical body 160 and the inner peripheral surface of the connection cylindrical portion 120a Create a friction torque between itself and 120b, and then tighten the hinge shaft 130 It can be adjusted by the amount of depression.

  However, in the torque hinge configured as described above, when setting the torque value of the torque generation mechanism, as shown in FIG. 10, the axial direction length of the outer circumferential surface 160c of the friction cylindrical body 160 is long. A strong friction torque is created in the part of the region, and a relatively strong friction torque is not created in the part of the region where the axial length is short, or a gap 161 is generated. In addition to the fact that friction torque can not be created, there has been a problem that this tendency is further increased when the hinge shaft is tightened in order to adjust the hinge torque which fluctuates with the temporal variation of friction torque and the usage frequency by the torque creation mechanism. Moreover, in connection with this, the friction torque at the time of the rotation operation of the attachment member and the support member tends to be unstable, the smoothness of the opening / closing operation feeling of the attachment member and the second housing is lost, It had an adverse effect.

Patent No. 4130203

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and uniformly distributes the direction and force to which the surface pressure of the rotary friction portion of the mounting member and the support member is applied, and rotates the mounting member and the support member. By stabilizing the friction torque at the same time, the smoothness of the opening and closing operation feeling of the first housing and the second housing can be secured, and the torque hinge capable of extending the life of the hinge, and the notebook computer etc using this torque hinge We intend to provide various

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an attachment member attached to the first housing side of various devices and a support member attached to the second housing side are openably connected via a hinge shaft, A torque hinge that creates an opening and closing torque by a torque creating mechanism when opening and closing one housing and the second housing,
The first A connecting cylinder and the first B connecting cylinder are provided facing each other on the side of the mounting member, and the first A connecting cylinder and the first B connecting cylinder are fitted on the side of the support member. (2) A connecting tubular portion is provided, and the hinge shaft is constituted by providing a head at one end and an external thread at the other end side, and the first A connecting tubular portion and the 1B connecting tubular portion The second connecting cylindrical portion is connected, and the torque generation mechanism is inserted into and engaged with the hinge shaft on either side of the first A connecting cylindrical portion and the first B connecting cylindrical portion, and the axial direction is not rotated. And, a slide cam member having an axial slide cam portion on one end side slidably provided, and the axial slide of the slide cam member on the other side of either the first A coupling cylindrical portion or the first B coupling cylindrical portion A fixed cam portion provided opposite to the cam portion; The first and second radial slide cam portions are formed in contact with the axial slide cam portion and the fixed cam portion at both ends where the hinge shaft is held and accommodated in the second connection cylindrical portion. A pair of the first friction member and the second friction member, and by rotating the hinge shaft in any direction, the inside of the second connection cylindrical portion of the first friction member and the second friction member is formed. It is characterized in that the pressing force can be adjusted.

  At that time, in the invention according to claim 2, the slide cam member has a large-diameter portion with a non-circular shape with an axis-perpendicular cross section and an axial slide cam portion with a circular shape with an axis-perpendicular cross-section; The first slide cylinder portion of the mounting member is accommodated so as to be axially movable and axially non-rotatable in the first A coupling cylinder portion, and the axial slide cam portion is in a circular bearing hole of the second coupling cylinder portion of the support member. It is characterized in that it is made to be inserted.

  The invention according to claim 3 eliminates the fixed cam portion and provides a pair of slide cam members, and one slide cam member is in the first A-connected cylindrical portion of the mounting member as described in claim 1. The apparatus is characterized in that it is provided slidably and non-rotatably in the axial direction, and the other slide cam member is provided slidably and non-rotatably in the axial direction in the first B connecting cylindrical portion.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the first and second friction members are further divided into a plurality.

  Further, the invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the male screw portion formed at one end of the hinge shaft is screwed with the female screw portion provided in the first B connecting cylindrical portion of the mounting member. .

  Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 6, the axial slide cam portion and the fixed cam portion are formed in a wedge shape including the first A cam portion, the first B cam portion, the fourth A cam portion, and the 4 B cam portion. The first radial slide cam portion and the second radial slide cam portion are formed in a V shape including the second A cam portion, the second B cam portion, the third A cam portion, and the third B cam portion, respectively. To feature

  The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the various devices are provided with the torque hinge according to the above-mentioned claims 1 to 6.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, in the torque hinge according to the present invention, when the hinge shaft of the torque generation mechanism is operated to reduce the distance between the slide cam member and the fixed cam portion, the plurality of Since the friction members move radially outward, it is possible to adjust the pressure with which the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of friction members are in pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface of the second connection cylindrical portion of the support member. It is possible to adjust the friction torque at the time of rotation of the mounting member and the support member accompanying the opening and closing operation of the housing. By this, it is possible to create a stable friction torque also in the torque adjustment at the time of attachment to various devices of the torque hinge according to the present invention, and the torque adjustment after the temporal fluctuation of the torque after attachment and the frequency of use increase. It is possible to provide various devices such as a torque hinge and a notebook computer provided with the same capable of ensuring smoothness of the opening and closing operation and extending the life of the hinge.

It is a perspective view of a notebook computer as an example of various devices which show use condition of a torque hinge concerning the present invention. It is a perspective view showing one example of a torque hinge concerning the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the torque hinge shown in FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of the torque hinge shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining operation | movement of the torque creation mechanism of the torque hinge shown in FIG. The slide cam member in the torque hinge shown in FIG. 2 is shown, (a) is the perspective view, (b) is the front view, (c) is the top view. The attachment member in the torque hinge shown in FIG. 2 is shown, (a) is the perspective view seen from the upper surface direction, (b) is the perspective view seen from the bottom direction, (c) It is a partial cross section top view. The support member in the torque hinge shown in FIG. 2 is shown, (a) is the perspective view seen from the lower surface side, (b) is the top view. It is a disassembled perspective view of an example of a conventionally well-known torque hinge. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view along an axial direction of a hinge shaft in the conventionally known torque hinge shown in FIG. 9.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a torque hinge according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The torque hinge according to the present invention may be used as a pair of left and right, but one of the left and right torque hinges uses the torque hinge according to the present invention, and the other uses a hinge known in the prior art, etc. It is also possible to use different types of hinges.

  In the following description, although an example in which the torque hinge according to the present invention is attached to a notebook computer is described, the torque hinge according to the present invention is an electronic device having openable first and second housings, office equipment, It can be attached to various storage cases, furniture, toys, and various other devices, and can be widely used. In the present application, an object using the torque hinge according to the present invention is referred to as "various devices".

  According to the drawing, in FIG. 1, the torque hinges 1A and 1B according to the present invention do not show the detailed configuration in the same drawing, but as shown by dotted lines in FIG. It is used to connect and support the second housing 22 relative to the rear of the body 21 so as to be able to open and close. The first case 21 is provided with a keyboard unit 23, and the second case 22 is provided with a display unit 24.

  Since these torque hinges 1A and 1B are provided with a pair of left and right ones having the same configuration in the illustrated embodiment, only one of the torque hinges 1A will be described below with reference to FIGS. The mounting member 11 and the support member 12 of the torque hinge 1A are rotatably connected to each other by the hinge shaft 13. When the first case 21 and the second case 22 of the notebook computer 2 are closed, they are superimposed on each other. It has become so.

  The mounting member 11 has a mounting base portion 11a, and a pair of first A coupling cylindrical portions 11b and a first B coupling cylindrical portion 11c provided apart from each other in both end regions of the mounting base portion 11a. Mounting screw holes 11k and 11k are provided in 11a, and can be mounted to the first housing 21 by appropriate mounting screws or the like. The material of the mounting member 11 is a synthetic resin having mechanical strength such as plastic, but may be made of metal according to the purpose of use of the torque hinge 1A. In the case of a synthetic resin, it can be mass-produced at low cost by injection molding or the like. The same applies to the support member 12, the slide cam member 14, the first friction member 16, and the second friction member 17 described below.

  On the other hand, the support member 12 has a mounting base portion 12a and a second connecting cylindrical portion 12b provided at a central position on one end side of the mounting base portion 12a. The mounting base portion 12a has mounting screw holes 12e. , 12e are opened and attached to the second housing 22 by an appropriate attachment screw or the like.

  The second connecting cylinder of the support member 12 is provided between the pair of first A connecting cylindrical portion 11b and the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c provided apart from each other on one end side of the mounting base portion 11a of the mounting member 11 The hinge shaft 13 is inserted into the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11b, the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c, and the second connecting cylindrical portion 12b, and the external thread portion 13d of the distal end portion of the hinge shaft 13 is inserted into the nut. By screwing 18, the support member 12 is rotatably connected to the mounting member 11.

  More specifically, the slide cam member 14 and the washer 19 are accommodated in the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11 b of the mounting member 11, and the two first connecting cylindrical portions 12 b of the support member 12 are provided. The friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 are accommodated in a state of holding the hinge shaft 13, and the fixed cam portion 11f is integrated with the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c in the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c of the mounting member 11. The hinge shaft 13 is formed between the center hole 19a of the washer 19, the shaft insertion hole 14e of the slide cam member 14, and the inner circumferential surfaces 16b and 17b of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17. By inserting the male screw portion 13 d on the tip end side of the hinge shaft 13 into the nut 18 by inserting it into the bearing hole 11 j of the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11 c of the mounting member 11, the mounting member 11 and the support are supported. Connecting member 12 so as to be rotatable with each other.

  A deformed bearing hole 11d having a hexagonal cross section is formed in one of the first A connecting cylindrical portions 11b of the mounting member 11, and the large diameter portion 14a of the slide cam member 14 is centered on the axis thereof. It is accommodated so as to be non-rotatable and axially movable. That is, the large-diameter portion 14a of the slide cam member 14 is formed to have a hexagonal shape having the same shape as that of the perpendicular-to-aperture cross section of the deformed bearing hole 11d of the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11b of the mounting member 11. Thus, the large diameter portion 14a is accommodated and held in the first A coupling cylindrical portion 11b so as to be non-rotatable about the axis and movable in the axial direction. The shape of the deformation bearing hole 11d of the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11b of the mounting member 11 is not limited to a hexagonal shape, and various non-circular shapes can be adopted. Corresponding to that, the large diameter portion of the slide cam member 14 Various shapes can be adopted as the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the axis of 14a.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the other first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c of the mounting member 11 has an axis-perpendicular cross-section having the same size as the deformed bearing hole 11d at the end opposite to the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11b. A hexagonal cam forming chamber 11e is formed, and a fixed cam portion 11f is integrally formed with the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c. The cam forming chamber 11 e may have a circular cross section perpendicular to the axis. A nut hole 11i for accommodating and holding the nut 18 in a non-rotatable manner is formed on the other end side of the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c, and a bearing hole 11j is formed in the nut hole 11i from the cam forming chamber 11e. . The first A cam portion 14c and the first B cam portion 14d of the axial slide cam portion 14b of the slide cam member 14 and the fourth A cam portion 11g and the fourth B cam portion 11h of the fixed cam portion 11f are, in the illustrated embodiment, The shape is such that both sides of the cylindrical peripheral wall are cut diagonally symmetrically to each other (see FIGS. 3 to 6), and the second A cam portion 16c and the second B cam portion 16d of the first friction member 16 and the The first radial slide cam portion 20a and the second radial slide cam portion 20b, which are composed of the third A cam portion 17c and the third B cam portion 17d of the second friction member 17, respectively come into sliding contact with each other. The fixed cam portion 11f does not necessarily have to be integrally formed with the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c, and as the slide cam member 14, for example, a plastic material is used separately from the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c. You may use what was manufactured by the injection molding etc. In this case, the fixed cam portion 11 f is omitted, and in the same manner as the slide cam member 14, the fixed cam portion 11 f is accommodated in the cam forming chamber 11 e non-rotatably and axially slidable in the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11 c. is there. In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of recesses 11m, 11n and 11p are formed on the bottom surface of the mounting member 11 as shown in FIG.

  A circular bearing hole 12c is formed in the second connection cylindrical portion 12b of the support member 12, and in the inside of the embodiment, in the illustrated embodiment, an axial slide cam portion 14b of the slide cam member 14 and two first The friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 are accommodated. As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of recesses 12f, 12g and 12h are also formed on the bottom surface of the support member 12 for the purpose of weight reduction.

  As described above, the slide cam member 14 has the large diameter portion 14a having a noncircular cross section perpendicular to the axis and the axial slide cam portion 14b having a circular shape perpendicular to the cross section, as shown in FIG. Is accommodated in a deformable bearing hole 11d provided in the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11b of the mounting member 11 so as to be axially movable and axially non-rotatable, and the axial slide cam portion 14b is supported by the support It is inserted into the second connection cylindrical portion 12 b of the member 12. A first A cam portion 14c and a first B cam portion 14d are formed on the axial slide cam portion 14b, and the first A cam portion 14c and the first B cam portion 14d are cylindrical peripheral walls of the axial slide cam portion 14b. The second A cam portion 16c of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 have a wedge shape (see FIGS. 3, 4 and 5) in which both sides of the second friction member 16 are symmetrically cut diagonally to each other. It is in sliding contact with the 3A cam portion 17c.

  The first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 have the same shape and dimensions, and in the illustrated embodiment, an arc shape having an axis-perpendicular section as if the cylindrical body is vertically divided into two along the axial direction 3 (see FIG. 3), the outer circumferential surfaces 16a and 17a having a radius of curvature which is the same as or slightly smaller than the radius of curvature of the inner circumferential surface 12d of the circular bearing hole 12c of the second connection cylindrical portion 12b of the support member 12; , Inner circumferential surfaces 16b and 17b having a radius of curvature which is the same as or slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the outer circumferential surface of the main shaft portion 13a of the hinge shaft 13 and the male screw portion 13d, and the first A cam portion 14c of the slide cam member And the second A cam portion 16c and the third A cam portion 17c which are obliquely cut in the axial direction in sliding contact with the first B cam portion 14d, and the fourth A cam portion 11g and the fourth B cam of the fixed cam portion 11f. 11h respectively and a second 2B cam portion 16d and the 3B cam portion 17d which is cut obliquely in the same axial direction in sliding contact.

  The first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 are, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, an inner circumferential surface 12d of the circular bearing hole 12c of the second connection cylindrical portion 12b of the support member 12. Between the slide cam member 14 and the fixed cam portion 11 f between the outer peripheral surface of the hinge shaft 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the hinge shaft 13. The thickness of each of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 is between the inner peripheral surface 12 d of the circular bearing hole 12 c of the second connection cylindrical portion 12 b of the support member 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the hinge shaft 13. It is set shorter than the interval of In addition, between axial both ends of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 and between the axial direction and the radial direction of the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11b and the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c, as shown in FIG. Thus, the gaps a and a ′ and the gaps b and b ′ allow axial and radial movement of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17.

  That is, as described above, the tip side of the axial slide cam portion 14b of the slide cam member 14 is the first A cam portion 14c and the first B cam portion 14d, and the fixed cam portion 11f is the fourth A cam portion 11g and the fourth B The cam portion 11 h forms a wedge-shaped convex portion, and both ends of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 are the second A cam portion 16 c and the second B cam portion 16 d, the third A cam portion 17 c and The third B cam portion 17d forms a pair of a first radial slide cam portion 20a and a second radial slide cam portion 20b that form a recess that accommodates each of the convex portions, and each of the convex portions corresponds to the respective ones. By advancing and retracting with respect to the recess, the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 are moved in the radial direction, and the friction torque is adjusted between the inside and the second connection cylindrical portion 12b.

  The hinge shaft 13 rotatably connecting the support member 12 to the mounting member 11 is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a main shaft portion 13a, a head portion 13b provided at one end thereof, and the head portion 13b. And an externally threaded portion 13d provided on the other end side of the main shaft portion 13a. As described above, the hinge shaft 13 passes between the shaft insertion hole 14e of the slide cam member 14, the first friction member 16, and the inner circumferential surfaces 16b and 17b of the second friction member 17 from the center hole 19a of the washer 19. The mounting member 11 and the supporting member 12 are rotated relative to each other by inserting the male screw portion 13 d on the tip end side of the hinge shaft 13 into the nut 18 by being inserted into the bearing hole 11 j of the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11 c of the mounting member 11. It is designed to be connected as possible. In this case, the slide cam member 14 approaches and separates from the fixed cam portion 11 f by increasing or decreasing the amount of tightening of the nut 18 to the male screw portion 13 d of the hinge shaft 13. The screw portion 13 d and the nut 18 adjust the distance between the slide cam member 14 and the fixed cam portion 11 f. The material of the hinge shaft 13 and the nut 18 is usually metal, but in the case of a special purpose, it is not excluded to be made of plastic.

  The torque generation mechanism 15 inserts and engages the hinge shaft 13 on the side of the first A coupling cylindrical portion 11 b and provides the first A cam portion 14 c and the first B cam on one end side provided non-rotatably and slidably in the axial direction. The slide cam member 14 having the portion 14d, and the fourth A cam portion 11g and the fourth A cam portion 11g provided on the side of the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c so as to face the first A cam portion 14c and the first B cam portion 14d of the slide cam member 14 A fixed cam portion 11f having a 4B cam portion 11h, and the first A cam portion 14c and a first B cam portion 14d respectively at both end portions of the second connection cylindrical portion 12b with the hinge shaft 13 held therein. A second A cam portion 16c, a second B cam portion 16d, a third A cam portion 17c and a third B cam portion 17d are provided in contact with the fourth A cam portion 11g and the fourth B cam portion 11h. The outer peripheral surface of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 is constituted by a pair of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 and by rotating the hinge shaft 13 in either direction. Is configured to be able to adjust the strength of pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface 12d of the second connection cylindrical portion 12b.

  Next, the function of the torque hinge 1A according to the present invention configured as described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, in the torque hinge 1A according to the present invention, the outer peripheral surfaces 16a and 17a of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 are inside the second connecting cylindrical portion 12b of the support member 12 at the time of delivery. When the second housing 22 is opened and closed with respect to the first housing 21, the supporting member 12 is rotated with respect to the mounting member 11, and the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 are engaged. The friction torque is created between each outer peripheral surface 16a, 17a of the second connecting cylindrical portion 12b of the support member 12 and the outer peripheral surface 16a, 17a, and the torque value is set to an intended value.

  However, since the torque hinge 1A according to the present invention can arbitrarily change the torque value, the hinge shaft 13 is operated as described later if necessary at the supplier or the manufacturer of the torque hinge. The torque value can be changed arbitrarily. This point is an advantage over the one in which the friction torque is created by caulking the friction washer and the spring washer.

  Torque hinges generally can not be avoided as torque values fluctuate and torque down occurs as they are used. In addition, although the torque hinge according to the present invention copes with fluctuations in torque value after use, it may be necessary to adjust the torque value as described above in the stage of attaching the torque hinge to various devices. is there. The torque hinge 1A according to the present invention can cope with this case as well. In this case, the hinge shaft 13 may be loosened rather than tightened. The torque hinge 1A according to the present invention adjusts the torque value to cope with the required torque value when the torque value fluctuates as a result of temporal fluctuation during initial operation of the torque value or as a result of use over many years Also, the stable free stop function can be regained.

  The adjustment of the torque value is performed by inserting a tool such as a hexagonal wrench into a tool hole 13 c provided in the head 13 b of the hinge shaft 13 and twisting the hinge shaft 13 to tighten it in the nut 18. When the distance between the head 13b and the nut 18 is shortened, the slide cam member 14 is moved in the direction approaching the fixed cam portion 11f. Accordingly, in the first friction member 16, one of the second A cam portions 16c is in sliding contact with the first A cam portion 14c of the slide cam member 14, and the other second B cam portion 16d is the first of the fixed cam portions 11f. By the sliding contact with the 4A cam portion 11g, the first friction member 16 is guided by the guiding action of each of the cam portions by the reduction of the distance between the slide cam member 14 and the fixed cam portion 11f as described above. It is moved radially outward. Thereby, the outer peripheral surface 16a of the first friction member 16 and the inner peripheral surface 12d of the circular bearing hole 12c are more strongly in pressure contact with each other. At the same time, a gap 13e may occur between the inner circumferential surface 16b of the first friction member 16 and the outer circumferential surface of the hinge shaft 13. Similarly, in the second friction member 17, one third A cam portion 17 c is in sliding contact with the first B cam portion 14 d of the slide cam member 14 and the other third B cam portion 17 d is the fourth B cam of the fixed cam portion 11 f By sliding contact with the portion 11h, the second friction member 17 is guided in the radial direction by the action of the respective cam portions by the reduction of the distance between the slide cam member 14 and the fixed cam portion 11f as described above. It is moved to the outside. Thereby, the outer peripheral surface 17a of the second friction member 17 and the inner peripheral surface 12d of the circular bearing hole 12c are in pressure contact with each other. At the same time, a gap 13f may occur between the inner circumferential surface 17b of the second friction member 17 and the outer circumferential surface of the hinge shaft 13.

  Thus, the friction torque between the outer peripheral surface 16 a of the first friction member 16 and the outer peripheral surface 17 a of the second friction member 17 is brought into pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface 12 d of the circular bearing hole 12 c of the support member 12. When the support member 12 is rotated relative to the mounting member 11, friction torque can be generated. That is, when trying to rotate the mounting member 11 and the supporting member 12 to each other at the time of opening and closing the second housing 22 with respect to the first housing 21, the inside of the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11 b and the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11 c of the mounting member 11 The slide cam member 14 and the fixed cam portion 11 f provided non-rotatably about the axis rotate together with the mounting member 11, and together with this, the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 also try to rotate. However, the outer peripheral surfaces 16a and 17a of the first friction member 16 and the second friction member 17 are in pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface 12d of the circular bearing hole 12c of the support member 12 to generate friction torque. A considerable operating force is required to rotate the support members 12 relative to one another. Therefore, in order to open and close the first housing 21 and the second housing 22 attached to the mounting member 11 and the support member 12, respectively, a predetermined opening and closing operation force is required. It is possible to achieve a free stop function that holds the housing 22 at any opening angle. Further, the rotational torque of the mounting member 11 and the support member 12 can be easily adjusted by a simple operation of twisting the hinge shaft 13 to change the amount of tightening of the nut 18.

  As another example, about the nut 18 attached to the male screw part 13d of the hinge shaft 13, this is abbreviate | omitted and the female screw part 13d of the hinge shaft 13 is directly provided to the internal thread part provided in the 1st B connection cylinder part 11c. It is also possible to screw it on. Furthermore, the slide cam member 14 may be a pair, and one may be attached to the first A connecting cylindrical portion 11b as described above, and the other may be mounted as described above to the first B connecting cylindrical portion 11c. . In this case, the fixed cam portion 11f described above may be omitted. Also, the friction members are not limited to the pair of first friction members 16 and the second friction members 17 described above, and can be appropriately changed within a range of, for example, 3 to 8 pieces. The shape and the number of cam portions provided on the cam member 14 and the fixed cam portion 11 f are also changed. Furthermore, the shapes, sizes, and so forth of the other members can be appropriately changed according to the purpose of use and the like.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, in the torque hinge according to the present invention, the hinge shaft is operated to expand and contract the distance between the slide cam member and the fixed cam portion, and the plurality of friction members are radially When it is moved to the lower side, the force with which the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of friction members are in pressure contact with the inner peripheral surface of the connecting cylindrical portion of the support member can be adjusted, and the torque value can be adjusted arbitrarily. At this time, the torque hinge according to the present invention is capable of reducing the friction torque at the time of the rotation operation of the mounting member and the supporting member because the direction in which the surface pressure is applied and the force are equally dispersed by the first friction member and the second friction member. A torque hinge that can be stabilized and that has a smooth sense of opening and closing operation and that can extend the life of the hinge can be suitably used as various devices using this torque hinge.

1A, 1B Torque hinge 11 Mounting member 11b 1st A connecting cylinder 11c 1st B connecting cylinder 11f fixing cam 11g 4th A cam 11h 4th B cam 12 Support member 12b 2nd connecting cylinder 12c circular bearing hole 13 hinge shaft 13b Head 13d Male thread 14 Slide cam member 14a Large diameter portion 14b Axial slide cam portion 14c 1st A cam portion 14d 1st B cam portion 15 Torque creation mechanism 16 1st friction member 16c 2nd A cam portion 16d 2nd B cam portion 17 second friction member 17 c third A cam portion 17 d third B cam portion 2 notebook computer 21 first housing 22 second housing 20 a first radial direction slide cam portion 20 b second radial direction slide cam portion

Claims (7)

An attachment member attached to the first housing side of various devices and a support member attached to the second housing side are openably connected via a hinge shaft, and when opening and closing the first housing and the second housing A torque hinge that creates an opening and closing torque by a torque creating mechanism,
The first A connecting cylinder and the first B connecting cylinder are provided facing each other on the side of the mounting member, and the first A connecting cylinder and the first B connecting cylinder are fitted on the side of the support member. (2) A connecting tubular portion is provided, and the hinge shaft is constituted by providing a head at one end and an external thread at the other end side, and the first A connecting tubular portion and the 1B connecting tubular portion The second connecting cylindrical portion is connected, and the torque generation mechanism is inserted into and engaged with the hinge shaft on either side of the first A connecting cylindrical portion and the first B connecting cylindrical portion, and the axial direction is not rotated. And, a slide cam member having an axial slide cam portion on one end side slidably provided, and the axial slide of the slide cam member on the other side of either the first A coupling cylindrical portion or the first B coupling cylindrical portion A fixed cam portion provided opposite to the cam portion; The first and second radial slide cam portions are formed in contact with the axial slide cam portion and the fixed cam portion at both ends where the hinge shaft is held and accommodated in the second connection cylindrical portion. A pair of the first friction member and the second friction member, and by rotating the hinge shaft in any direction, the inside of the second connection cylindrical portion of the first friction member and the second friction member is formed. A torque hinge characterized in that the pressing force can be adjusted.   The slide cam member has a large diameter portion with a noncircular cross section perpendicular to the axis and an axial slide cam with a circular shape perpendicular to the cross section, and the large diameter portion is axially inserted into the first A connecting cylinder of the mounting member. The axial slide cam portion is accommodated so as to be movable in a direction and non-rotatable around an axis, and the axial slide cam portion is inserted into a circular bearing hole of the second connection cylindrical portion of the support member. Torque hinge as described in.   The fixed cam portion is eliminated, and a pair of slide cam members are provided, and one slide cam member is axially slidably and non-rotatably provided in the first A connecting cylinder portion of the mounting member as described in claim 1 The torque hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that the other slide cam member is axially slidably and non-rotatably provided in the first B connecting cylinder.   The torque hinge according to claim 1, wherein the first and second friction members are further divided into a plurality.   The torque hinge according to claim 1, wherein an external thread portion formed at one end of the hinge shaft is screwed with an internal thread portion provided in the first B connecting cylindrical portion of the mounting member.   The axial slide cam portion and the fixed cam portion are each formed in a wedge shape including a first A cam portion, a first B cam portion, a fourth A cam portion and a 4 B cam portion, and the first radial direction slide The cam portion and the second radial slide cam portion are each formed in a V shape including a second A cam portion, a second B cam portion, a third A cam portion, and a third B cam portion. Torque hinge as described in.   The various apparatus characterized by having the torque hinge of any one of Claims 1-6.

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