KR100468370B1 - Hinge device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hinge device. According to the present invention, in the hinge device for connecting the stop member and the movable member that can be relatively folded or unfolded with respect to the stop member, one end is provided with an end wall provided with a passage and the other end is opened with the housing member and the movable member. A coupling rod having at least a portion exposed through the open end of the housing member so as to engage with the member, and a guide rod extending from the coupling portion along the rotation axis and fitted into a passage provided in the end wall of the housing member. At the end, there is provided a rotating member provided with a locking portion formed with a jaw so as not to be separated from the passage, and a through hole formed in the housing member and contacted with the rotating member so as to linearly move by the rotation of the rotating member and fitted with a guide rod of the rotating member. A linear movement member that moves linearly along the rod and is accommodated in the housing member to rotate Is fitted on the guide rod member comprises a compression coil spring to push the direct moving member toward the rotating member, the rotating member and the linear motion member is a hinge apparatus is provided for moving the member relative to each other to interact with each other,

Description

Hinge device {HINGE DEVICE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hinge device, and more particularly, to a hinge device for connecting two members in a device (for example, a mobile phone) having two members that can be expanded or folded around one axis as needed. .

A portable device such as a folding cellular phone has two members joined by a hinge device. One member is provided with a keypad provided with a button, and the other member is usually provided with a liquid crystal display device. When not in use, extend the keypad and LCD display to expose them. The hinge device combines the two members and at the same time allows the two members to fold and unfold smoothly.

The structure of a normal hinge apparatus is as follows. The hinge device includes a rotating member, a linear moving member, an elastic member, and a housing member. The housing member receives the rotating member, the linear moving member, and the elastic member. The rotating member may rotate about the rotating shaft in the housing member, and a portion including the rotating shaft protrudes out of the housing member to form a coupling portion. The linear moving member is in contact with the rotating member but does not rotate in the housing member and linearly moves along the rotation axis of the housing member. The elastic member exerts a force such that the linearly movable member and the rotating member closely contact each other in the housing member. At this time, by appropriately shaping the surface of the linear moving member and the contact with the rotating member, the rotating member is easily rotated in some sections without the external force, so as to maintain a well stopped state at a predetermined position. One of the two members of the mobile phone to be connected to the hinge device configured as described above is fixed to the housing member and the other is fixed to the engaging portion of the rotating member. The two members connected in this way are fixed in the fully extended or closed state by the action of the hinge device, and the two members of the mobile phone are fixed without rotation, and can be easily rotated by applying external force in some sections or easily rotated in the other sections. I can spread it.

In the hinge device having the above-described configuration, a conventional housing member is a plastic resin member or a metal member, and then inserts a rotating member, a linear moving member, and an elastic member through an open end, and then closes the open end with a cap or on a side wall. It is configured to bend the provided extension side wall to close the open end.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a hinge device in which assembly is completed while inserting members received inside a cover member into a housing. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a hinge device in which the assembly is firmly maintained by the action of a spring accommodated therein.

1 is a perspective view of a foldable cellular phone having a hinge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The first case member and the second case member are separated and shown in an enlarged view.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge device of Figure 1

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the housing member of Figure 2

FIG. 4 is a cutaway perspective view of the housing member of FIG. 2, with the protective wall removed.

5 is a perspective view of the rotating member of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the hinge device of FIG. 1 and is a view showing the inside of the housing by cutting the housing member; FIG.

7 (a) to 7 (c) are diagrams showing the operation of the hinge device of FIG.

8 is an exploded view of the cam surface of the hinge device of FIG.

9 is a side view showing an expanded and folded state of the mobile phone of FIG.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

10: hinge device 20: rotating member

22: coupling portion 30: guide bar

36: engaging portion 40: cam follower

50: linear moving member 51: through hole

60: cam portion 62: cam surface

90 housing member 92 end wall

922: incision gap 961: inclined portion

962 support

According to one aspect of the invention, in the hinge device for connecting the stop member and the movable member that can be relatively folded or unfolded relative to the stop member, one end is provided with a support having a passage and a wall surrounding the passage; An end wall is provided and the other end is opened, a housing member coupled to the stop member, a coupling portion at least partially exposed through the open end of the housing member so as to be coupled to the movable member, and a rotation shaft from the coupling portion. A guide rod extending along a line and fitted into a passage provided in an end wall of the housing member, the end of the guide rod being provided with a locking portion having a jaw formed at the end of the support of the housing member so as not to be separated from the passage; A member and accommodated in the housing member and linearly moved by rotation of the rotating member. A through hole formed to be in contact with the rotating member and fitted with a guide rod of the rotating member and linearly moved along the guide rod, and accommodated in the housing member and fitted to the guide rod of the rotating member. And a compression coil spring for pushing the linear member toward the rotary member, wherein the rotary member and the linear member interact with each other to convert linear movement of the linear member into rotation of the rotary member or rotation of the rotary member. Converted into a linear movement of the linear movement member, the support of the housing member is provided with a hinge device cut by one or more gaps extending radially to expand when the engaging portion of the rotating member passes. An inclined portion having a conical wall connected to one end of the wall of the support portion Is further provided, the coil spring may be fitted so as to surround the inclined portion in contact with the inclined portion that end.

The one or more gaps for cutting the support provided in the end wall of the housing member may further extend radially to cut the inclined portion together.

One of the linear moving member and the rotating member may be provided with a cam, and the other member may be provided with a cam follower.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1, the folding cellular phone 12 includes a first case member 14 provided with a keypad and a second case member 16 provided with a liquid crystal display. Hinge devices 10 are mounted on both sides of the coupling portion between the first case member 14 and the second case member 16. The housing member 90 side of the hinge device 10 described later is inserted into the mounting hole of the first case member 14. The engaging portion 22 of the hinge device 10 described later is inserted into the engaging hole 17 of the second case member 16. The shape of the mounting hole coincides with the housing member 90 and its size is determined so that the housing member 90 fits snugly. The shape of the coupling hole 17 also generally matches that of the coupling portion 22, and the size of the coupling hole 17 is determined so that the coupling portion 22 fits snugly so that the second case member 16 and the coupling portion 22 are together. It can rotate.

Referring to FIG. 2, the hinge device 10 includes a rotating member 20, a linear moving member 50, a compression coil spring 80, and a housing member 90. The rotating member 20, the linear moving member 50, and the compression coil spring 80 are accommodated in the housing member 90.

2, 3, and 4, the housing member 90 is made of a long tube. The longitudinal center line of the housing member 90 becomes the rotation axis 100 of the hinge device 10. The housing member 90 includes an end wall 92 formed at one end and a side wall 98 extending from the end wall 92. The opposite side of the end wall 92 is open.

On the end wall 92 a circular protective wall 94 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the protective wall 94 surrounds the locking portion 36 described later of the rotating member 20 exposed to the outside of the end wall 92. As shown in FIG. 2, 3, and 4, the end wall 92 has a stop portion 96 provided in the center portion and a flat portion 97 around the stop portion 96. As shown in FIG. The planar portion 97 is perpendicular to the side wall 98. The stop portion 96 is inclined inward from the planar portion 97 and extends to form an inclined portion 961 formed in a cylindrical shape of a truncated cone about the axis 100, and the housing member at the end of the inclined portion 961. It is provided with a support 962 that is bent outwards 90 and extends along axis 100 to form a generally cylindrical shape. The end wall 92 extends in the radial direction, and the stop 96 is divided by two gaps 922 that meet in a cross shape. This is to provide flexibility to the stop portion 96 composed of the support portion 962 and the inclined portion 961 so that the locking portion 36 to be described later fits well. A passage 963 of the housing member 90 is provided inside the support part 962 which is divided into four sides. The guide rod 30 of the rotating member 20 to be described later is fitted into the passage 963.

Sidewall 98 has flat walls 981 and 983 facing each other and arced walls 982 and 984 positioned therebetween. The flat walls 981 and 983 serve as keys to prevent rotation of the hinge device when assembled into the case member of the cellular phone. In addition, as will be described later, it also serves to prevent the linear movement member 50 accommodated therein from rotating. The housing member 90 is preferably formed by injection molding a plastic resin material.

2 and 5 together, the rotating member 20 is coupled to the coupling portion 22, the guide rod 30 and the guide rod 30 extending along the rotation axis 100 from the coupling portion 22 It has two cam driven protrusions 40 located on both sides. Coupling portion 22 has a flat front face 24 and four sides 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d perpendicular to the front face 24 and four sides 25a, 25b, 25c and 25d at right angles to the front face. And a back face 26 parallel to the head 24. In the center of the front face 24 is provided a groove 27 which is dug inwardly. By forming the groove 27, it is possible to prevent the molding shrinkage and to save the material, as well as to reduce the weight of the hinge device (10). A pair of opposing faces 25a, 25c of the four sides 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are parallel planes, and a pair of opposing pairs of surfaces 25b, 25d are curved surfaces that are outwardly convex. to be.

Guide bar 30 is a long circular rod formed along the axis of rotation 100 from the rear surface 26 of the coupling portion 22. The guide bar 30 has a large diameter portion 32 extending from the rear surface 26 of the coupling portion 22 with a constant diameter, and a diameter extending from the end of the large diameter portion 32 and smaller than the large diameter portion 32. The small diameter part 34 is provided. At the end of the small diameter portion 34, a locking portion 36 is provided. The catching portion 36 is a disk shape having a diameter larger than that of the small diameter portion 34, and an inclined surface 37 is provided at the end thereof so that the end portion becomes smaller toward the end. The locking portion 36 is provided with a locking jaw 38 at a portion in contact with the small diameter portion 34. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the small diameter portion 34 fits into a passage formed between the support portions 962 of the housing member 90 and the catch portion 36 protrudes out of the housing member 90. At this time, the locking jaw 38 of the locking portion 36 is caught by the end of the support portion 962.

2 and 5, two cam driven protrusions 40 protrude from the rear surface 26 of the coupling portion 22 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis 100 and are formed by being attached to the side of the guide rod 30. do. The cam driven protrusion 40 extends to a height lower than the large diameter portion 32 of the guide rod 30. Two cam driven protrusions 40 having the same shape are arranged to be symmetrical about the rotation axis 100. Two inclined surfaces 44 and 46 are provided at both sides of the cam driven protrusion 40. The rotating member 20 may be manufactured by injection molding a plastic resin or by forging or die casting a metal material.

Referring to Figure 2, the linear movement member 50 is a cylindrical portion formed by protruding from the central portion on the opposite side of the side wall 52, the cam portion 60 formed on the surface facing the rotating member 20, cam portion 60 The boss 70 is provided. The linear movement member 50 is provided with a through hole 51 passing through the boss 70 from the cam portion 60 along the rotation axis 100. The guide rod 30 of the rotating member 20 is fitted into the through hole 51 penetrating the boss 70 from the cam portion 60 to guide relative movement.

The side wall 52 has an arcuate wall 522 facing the flat wall 521 facing the same as the shape of the side wall 98 of the housing member 90. The linear movement member 50 having such a shape is inserted into the housing member 90 so that linear movement is possible along the rotation axis 100, but not rotational movement. The cam portion 60 has a cam surface 62 provided on the side facing the rotating member 20. The cam part 60 has two peaks (mountains) 64a and 64b symmetrically around the rotation axis 100 and two concave grooves symmetrically about the rotation axis 100. 66b). Between the top portion 64a and the valley 66a, two continuous inclined surfaces 65 and a steep inclined surface 651 are provided. Although not shown in detail, a continuous slope is also provided between the top portion 64b and the valley 66b. In addition, a smoothly inclined surface 641 is provided between the top portion 64a and the valleys 66b. The same inclined surface 642 is also provided between the top 64b and the valley 66a.

The linear moving member 60 is inserted into the housing member 90 through the open portion of the housing member 90. At this time, the guide rod 30 of the rotating member 20 is fitted into the through hole 51, so that the cam surface 62 faces the cam driven protrusion 40 of the rotating member 20. In general, the linear movement member 50 is inserted to fit inside the housing member 90, so that linear movement is possible in the direction of the rotation axis 100 in the housing member 90, but rotation is limited. The linear moving member 60 may be manufactured by injection molding a plastic resin or forging or die casting a metal material.

2 and 6, the compression coil spring 80 pushes the linear moving member 50 toward the rotating member member 20. One end of the compression coil spring 80 surrounds a portion of the inclined portion 961 of the housing member 90. One end of the spring 80 surrounding the inclined portion 961 prevents the stop portion 96 from opening to prevent the catching portion 36 from falling out. If the linear member 50 is pushed in while the rotary member 20 is rotated, a reaction force is generated in the rotary member 20 to open the stop 96 more strongly. At this time, as the compression coil spring 80 is further compressed, many athletes tighten the stop 96 so that the stop 96 does not open. The other end of the compression coil spring 80 surrounds the boss 70 of the linear moving member 50.

7, 8, and 9, the operation of the hinge device 10 according to the embodiment will now be described.

In FIG. 9, when the position of the second case member 16 is at A, the cellular phone 12 is completely folded. 7A shows the state of the hinge device at this position, and the position of the cam follower 40 on the cam surface 62 is A in FIG. In this state, the cam follower 40 is located on the inclined surface 65 between the top 64a and the valley 66a on the cam surface 62. In this position A, the linear moving member 50 pushes the rotating member 20 by the force 80 of the compression coil spring. At this time, the rotating member 20 receives the rotational force by the compression coil spring 80 and the inclined surface 65 of the hinge device 10, the rotational force of the second case member 16 toward the first case member 14. Rotate That is, in the A position, the rotational force that causes the first case member 14 and the second case member 16 to be in close contact with each other is generated by the hinge device 10 so that the mobile phone 12 maintains the folded state stably. .

In this state, when the mobile phone 12 is spread out so as to be usable, the cam follower 40 reaches the top 64a of the cam surface 62. This is the state (b) of FIG. 7 and the position B in FIGS. 8 and 9. If it continues to open, the cam follower 40 will pass through the top part 64a of the cam surface 62. When the cam follower 40 passes the top 64a of the cam face 62, the compression coil spring 80 pushes the linear member 50 toward the rotating member 20, so that the cam follower 40 does not need external force. ) Is lowered along the inclined surface 641 of the cam surface 62 is inserted into the bone 66b to be fixed. This is the state of Fig. 7C and the C position of Figs. 8 and 9, where the second case member 16 is fully unfolded.

Now, the operation of the hinge device in the process of switching from the expanded state to the folded state will be described. That is, the process of changing the position of the second case member from the C position to the A position in FIG. 8 will be described. In the state in which the cellular phone is fully deployed (C position in Figs. 7 and 8, and Fig. 7 (c)), the cam follower 40 is inserted into and fixed to the valley 66b. In this state, rotational force must be applied to the B position in order to close the cellular phone. After the cam follower 40 passes through the inclined surfaces 65 and 651 that descend after the top 64a (B position), the cam automatically reaches the A position without the external rotational force and the mobile phone is folded.

According to the present invention, by coupling the rotating member to the housing member, it is possible to close the opening of the cover member in the manufacturing process. Further, according to the present invention, the housing member and the rotating member are firmly coupled by the spring.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and that such modifications and variations also fall within the present invention.

Claims (4)

In the hinge device for connecting the stop member and the movable member that can be folded or unfolded relative to the stop member, One end is provided with an end wall provided with a support having a passage and a wall surrounding the passage, the other end being opened, and a housing member coupled to the stop member; A coupling portion at least partially exposed through the open end of the housing member so as to engage with the movable member, and a guide rod extending from the coupling portion along a rotation axis and fitted into a passage provided in an end wall of the housing member; At the end of the guide rod is a rotating member provided with a locking portion formed with a jaw is caught on the end of the support of the housing member so as not to be separated from the passage; A linear movement member accommodated in the housing member and provided with a through hole formed in contact with the rotation member so as to linearly move by rotation of the rotation member and fitted with a guide rod of the rotation member and linearly moved along the guide rod; A compression coil spring accommodated in the housing member and fitted to a guide rod of the rotating member and pushing the linear moving member toward the rotating member, The rotation member and the linear movement member interact with each other so that the linear movement of the linear movement member is converted into the rotation of the rotation member, or the rotation of the rotation member is converted into the linear movement of the linear movement member, And a support of the housing member is cut by one or more gaps extending radially to extend when the engaging portion of the rotating member passes. According to claim 1, The end wall of the housing member is further provided with an inclined portion having a truncated conical wall connected to one end of the wall of the support, The coil spring is hinged so that its end portion is in contact with the inclined portion to wrap the inclined portion. 3. The hinge device according to claim 2, wherein the one or more gaps for cutting the support portion provided in the end wall of the housing member further extend radially to cut the inclined portion together. The hinge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a cam is provided on one of the linear moving member and the rotating member, and a cam follower is provided on the other member.