KR20020025126A - Hinge apparatus capable of automatically and manually opening/closing a folder and a foldable apparatus employing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A foldable apparatus, capable of manually or automatically opening a folder, is provided to assemble a folder at a base with a hinge, i.e. of a flip type or a folder type cellular phone so that it can make a structure small sized or compact. CONSTITUTION: The apparatus comprises a motor(10), a speed reducing gear unit(80), the first cam(90), the second cam(100), a spring(120), and a housing(110). The motor(10) rotates clockwise or counterclockwise by an electric power. The speed reducing gear unit(80), interlocked with a shaft of the motor for a transmission of a rotational force, outputs a torque increased according to decrease of a rotational speed of the motor(10). The first cam(90), interlocked with a shaft of the speed reducing gear unit(80) for a transmission of a rotational force, includes a pair of female shaped portion and male shaped portion. The second cam(100) is assembled with the first cam(90) by a pair of female shaped portion and male shaped portion engaged with the male shaped portion and female shaped portion, respectively. The spring(120), installed between the motor(10) and the first cam(90), pushes the first cam(90) toward the second cam(100). The housing(110) offers a cylindrical space, and accommodates the second cam(100), the first cam(90), the speed reducing gear unit(80), the spring(120), and the motor(10) within the cylindrical space. The shaft of the second cam(100) is exposed from the cylindrical space. The motor(10) is directly or indirectly fixed to the housing(110).

Description

Hinge apparatus capable of automatically and manually opening / closing a folder and a foldable apparatus employing the same}

The present invention relates to a hinge device, and more particularly, it is applied to a foldable product such as a flip-type or folder-type mobile phone to hinge the folder (folder) to the base (base) and the folder in automatic mode Or it relates to a hinge device for opening and closing in manual mode.

In a flip type or folder type mobile phone, a flip or folder (collectively referred to as a "folder" except when necessary) should be opened and closed, so it is generally hinged with the main body of the mobile phone. In the case of the opening / closing mechanism of the folder of a mobile phone which is widely spread in the past, the structure of the user opening and closing the folder by hand is mostly. The present inventor has proposed and invented a device that can automatically open and close a folder by using a motor drive from the viewpoint of convenience of use of a mobile phone and enhancement of functionality such as opening a folder with one hand. Publication No. 10-2000-29158, title of the invention: cover opening and closing device for a mobile phone).

The cover opening and closing device for a mobile phone receives a fixed cam, a rotary cam, a gear box, a motor, a spacer, a spring, and the like in a housing, and has a structure in which the cam shaft of the fixed cam is exposed to the outside of the housing. When the gearbox decelerates the rotational force generated by the rotation of the motor to obtain a greater torque, the rotating cam rotates along with the fixed cam which is rotatably engaged with the rotating cam. Here the spring acts to allow the rotary cam to engage with the stationary cam. That is, the spring is disposed behind the motor to push the motor toward the fixed cam, so that the gearbox and the rotary cam are also pushed toward the fixed cam, so that the rotary cam can rotate in engagement with the fixed cam.

By the way, the device has a structure in which the springs are arranged in series behind the motor, so that the overall length is generally long. Such a long structure device may not have a big problem in mounting when the size of the mobile phone to be applied is large, but there is a problem in applying to a mobile phone which is getting smaller in recent years. Improvements to shorter and more compact structures are needed.

In addition, the original function of the spring is to make the rotary cam mesh well with the fixed cam, so even though it is enough to push the rotary cam toward the fixed cam, it is also designed to push the motor and gearbox together. There is also absurdity to be employed.

Furthermore, the body and the folder have electrical connections via a data bus made of a flexible PCB. The mounting space of the device is also the place where the data bus passes, and the appearance of the device can also impede the passage of the data bus, so improvement is required.

The present invention is an improved hinge device for opening and closing the folder in the manual mode by the user's force or the automatic mode by the motor drive is mounted on the hinge coupling portion of the object structured to open and close the folder and the main body by the hinge combination To provide that purpose.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a hinge device designed with a smaller and more compact structure than a conventional hinge device.

Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a folder type device employing the hinge device.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a hinge device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a cutaway perspective view of an assembled state of the hinge apparatus according to the first embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a front view as viewed in the direction "A" of FIG. 2A.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the assembled state of the hinge device according to the first embodiment of FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D ′ of FIG. 3.

5 is a view for explaining a method of detecting a rotation state of the first cam member by using a switch.

6 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a hinge device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a perspective view showing an intermediate assembly (temporary assembly) state of the hinge device according to the second embodiment of FIG.

8 is an exploded perspective view of the assembled state of the hinge device according to the second embodiment of FIG.

9 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a hinge device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a cutaway perspective view of the assembled state of the hinge device according to the third embodiment of FIG.

11 is a perspective view showing a closed state of the folding mobile phone to which the hinge device of the present invention is applied.

12 is a perspective view illustrating an open state of a folding cellular phone to which a hinge device of the present invention is applied.

13 and 14 are exploded perspective views for explaining a method of mounting the hinge device of the present invention to a folding cellular phone.

15 is a cutaway perspective view showing a state in which the hinge device of the present invention is mounted on a folding cellular phone.

16A and 16B are diagrams for explaining that the hinge device of the present invention can adequately provide a passage space of a data bus for electrically connecting a folder of a cellular phone and a phone body.

Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing the construction of a first embodiment of a circuit for driving a motor of the hinge apparatus according to the present invention.

18 is a block diagram showing the construction of a second embodiment of a circuit for driving a motor of the hinge apparatus according to the present invention.

19 to 24 are flowcharts for explaining a procedure for automatically opening and closing a folder using a hinge device according to the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: motor 20: coupling elements

34a, 34b, 34c, 34d: carriers

36a, 36b, 36c, 36d: sun gears

40a, 40b, 40c, 40d: planet gears

50: output shaft

60: reduction gear train

70: ring gear portion

77: snap ring 78: washer

80: reduction gear unit

90: first cam member 92a, 92b: valleys

98a, 98b: switching electrodes

100: second cam member 104a, 104b: mounts

106: cam shaft 110: housing

112: protrusion bar

114a, 114b, 114c: switching contacts

120: elastic member

200, 200-1, 200-2: hinge apparatus

300: mobile phone

310a, 310b: side hinge arm

312: inserting groove

320: central hinge arm

330: opening / closing key

340: phone body 350: folder

According to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a motor rotating in the forward or reverse direction by the drive power; A reduction gear unit which is interlocked with the shaft of the motor so as to transmit the rotational force, and increases the torque by reducing the rotational force of the motor; A first cam member interlocked with the output shaft of the reduction gear unit so as to transmit rotational force, and having at least one pair of female shaped portions or male shaped portions; At least one pair of male portions or female portions that are paired with the at least one pair of female portions or male portions is formed on one side, and a cam shaft for transmitting rotational force is formed on the other side; A second cam member rotatably engaged with the second cam member; An elastic member disposed between the motor and the first cam member to push the first cam member toward the second cam member by an elastic force; And providing a substantially cylindrical space, accommodating the second cam member in the cylindrical space such that the cam shaft is exposed to the outside, and having the first cam member, the reduction gear unit and the elastic member at a rear end of the second cam member. A hinge device is provided which receives at least a portion of the motor in turn and has a housing that is fixedly or directly coupled to the motor.

According to this hinge device, when a rotational force is applied from the outside to the camshaft of the second cam member while the motor is stopped, the second cam member rotates and the first cam member is moved by the second cam member. When the first cam member is retracted while pushing the elastic member, and the first and second cam members meet each other, the first cam member is moved by the restoring force of the elastic member, and the second cam member is moved back. Engagement with the member allows rotation of the second cam member.

When driving power is supplied to the motor, the first cam member is rotated by the rotational force of the motor transmitted through the reduction gear unit, and the second cam member is rotated by the elastic force of the elastic member. Rotate integrally with each other. Therefore, the hinge device of the present invention can be driven not only in automatic mode but also in manual mode. Employing such a hinge device in a foldable device, the device can be opened and closed in either automatic or manual manner.

In order to obtain a structure that is advantageous for miniaturization of the hinge device, it is preferable that the elastic member is implemented by a coil spring. A coil spring surrounds the reduction gear unit, one end of which is supported by the jaw of the motor or the reduction gear unit, and the first cam member is mounted on the opposite end thereof, so that the first cam member is attached to the second cam member. It acts as a push to the side.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a configuration in which the hinge device is applied to a foldable apparatus in which the first member and the second member are hinged to open and close. The clamshell device comprises a central hinge arm fixed to one end of the first member and providing a cylindrical receiving space; A pair of side hinge arms fixed to a predetermined portion on the second member and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval so that the central hinge arm can be inserted therebetween; It is interlocked in the central hinge arm and interlocked to allow rotational force transmission therebetween, and interlocked to allow rotational force transmission with at least one of the pair of side hinge arms, thereby allowing the motor to rotate the first member and the second member. Hinge device to enable the automatic mode opening and closing using the rotational force or the manual mode opening and closing by the user's force; And motor driving means for supplying driving power to the motor embedded in the hinge device in response to a user's automatic opening and closing instruction. And, the hinge device, the motor rotates in the forward or reverse direction by the drive power provided by the motor driving means; A reduction gear unit which is interlocked with the shaft of the motor so as to transmit the rotational force, and increases the torque by reducing the rotational force of the motor; A first cam member interlocked with the output shaft of the reduction gear unit so as to transmit rotational force, and having at least one pair of female shaped portions or male shaped portions; At least one pair of male portions or female portions that are paired with the at least one pair of female portions or male portions is formed on one side, and a cam shaft for transmitting rotational force is formed on the other side; A second cam member rotatably engaged with the second cam member; An elastic member disposed between the motor and the first cam member to push the first cam member toward the second cam member by an elastic force; And providing a substantially cylindrical space, accommodating the second cam member in the cylindrical space such that the cam shaft is exposed to the outside, and having the first cam member, the reduction gear unit and the elastic member at a rear end of the second cam member. And at least a portion of the motor, which is in turn fixedly coupled to the motor directly or indirectly, and which is housed in the central hinge arm and interlocked to allow rotational force transmission therebetween.

According to this configuration, when a force is applied to open or close the first and second members while the motor is stopped, the second cam member is rotated and the first cam member is connected to the second cam member. Pushed back by pushing the elastic member, and when the first and second cam members meet the male part and the female part which are mutually changed, the first cam member is advanced by the restoring force of the elastic member and the second cam is again. Engagement with the member allows rotation of the second cam member (manual mode opening and closing). In addition, when the driving power is supplied to the motor, the first cam member is rotated by the rotational force of the motor transmitted through the reduction gear unit, wherein the second cam member is the first cam by the elastic force of the elastic member The rotational force is transmitted to the side hinge arm interlocked with the camshaft by being integrally rotated in mutually engaged state with the cam member, whereby the opening and closing of the first and second members is automatically performed (automatic mode opening and closing).

The foldable device may be a foldable cellular phone in which the first member is a phone body and the second member is a folder.

The motor driving means specifically includes a battery; An opening and closing key for instructing automatic opening and closing of the foldable device; A control unit outputting an opening / closing control signal for enabling forward or reverse rotation of the motor in response to the output of the opening / closing key; And a motor driver for supplying charging power of the battery to the motor as driving power having a polarity corresponding to the type of the open / close control signal in response to the output of the open / close control signal. Further, the motor driving means further has an overcurrent detecting section for detecting whether the current flowing into the motor driving section exceeds a threshold current value for overload detection.

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

1 to 4 show the hinge device 200 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The hinge device 200 according to the first embodiment is roughly divided into a motor 10, a reduction gear unit 80, first and second cam members 90 and 100, a housing 110, and elasticity. Member 120.

As long as the motor 10 can generate a clockwise or counterclockwise rotational force by the driving power source, any kind of motor can be applied. Depending on the usage environment of the hinge device, the most suitable type of motor may be selected and used. For example, when used as a hinge device of a folding cell phone, it is preferable to use a small DC motor capable of forward or reverse rotation depending on the voltage polarity of the driving power provided. The motor 10 has a drive power supply line 18 connected to one side of the body 12 and a bushing 14 and a motor shaft 16 on the other side.

The reduction gear unit 80 functions to reduce the motor rotational force and convert it to a rotational force having a large torque. If this function can be satisfied, there is no limitation on the configuration of the reduction gear unit 80. As an example, a case where the reduction gear unit 80 is configured by using the planetary gear is illustrated in the drawing. According to this configuration example, the reduction gear unit 80 includes a ring gear portion 70, a reduction gear train 60, and an output shaft 50.

The ring gear 70 is a ring gear 74 having a gear tooth 76 formed on an inner wall thereof, and a fixing part for fixing the ring gear 74 to the motor 10 to prevent rotation of the ring gear 74. It consists of 72. One end of the ring gear 74 is closed by the bottom surface 75 having a through hole, and the fixing part is open. Since the fixing portion 72 serves to hold the ring gear 74 so as not to rotate, it is preferable that the fixing portion 72 is firmly coupled to the body of the motor 10 by a method such as welding or bonding using an adhesive. As shown in the figure, irregularities may be formed on the inner surface thereof. Although not shown, a method of directly fixing the ring gear 74 to the housing 110 is also possible.

The reduction gear train 60 is housed in the ring gear 74 by cascading a plurality of gear stages formed by using a carrier, a sun gear and a planetary gear to reduce the rotational force of the motor 10 to create a larger torque. Do it. The reduction gear train 60 cascaded the sun gears 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, the planetary gear sets 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d, and the carriers 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d. It consists of several stages of gear train. The number of stages of the gear train may be determined in consideration of the required torque of the motor 10, the number of revolutions, and the output torque and the number of revolutions required for the reduction gear unit 80. The figure shows an example of the configuration of the four-speed reduction gear. Each planetary gear set 40a, 40-b, 40-c, 40d is fixed to each carrier 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d and rotates integrally. The first set of planetary gear sets 42-1, 42-2, 42-3 is rotatably supported by the carrier 34a at the rear thereof, engages with the ring gear 74, and at the same time, the sun gear 30a is disposed and engaged with it. Subsequent stages are combined in the same manner to form a gear train as a whole. The above description or illustration of the gear train is only one example of the reduction gear unit 80. Any type of gear may be employed as long as it is a reduction gear that can reduce the rotational force of the motor and convert it into a rotational force having a desired torque and rotational speed.

The output shaft 50 is integrally fixed to the carrier 34d for rotatably supporting the planetary gear set 40d at the far end. The shaft 54 of the output shaft 50 is located inside the ring gear 74 by a through hole formed in the bottom surface 75 of the ring gear 74, and is located between the shaft 54 and the shaft 56. The coupling groove 55 is formed in the outer surface of the bottom surface 75 of the ring gear 74 to be in contact with the bottom surface so that the snap ring 77, the washer 78 and the like can be fastened. The snap ring 77 is fastened to the engaging groove 55 of the output shaft 50 and supported by the bottom surface 75 of the ring gear 74. Therefore, even if an external force is applied in the axial direction, the output shaft 50 is held so as not to be pushed into the ring gear 74 to protect the force from being transmitted to the gear train 60. It also serves to maintain a good assembly state of each gear of the gear train 60. The axial portion 56 is exposed to the outside of the ring gear 74 and coupled to the first cam member 90, it is necessary to be interlocked with the first cam member 90 so as to transmit the rotational force to each other. To this end, the shaft 56 is decut, and the first cam member 90 also has a through hole 93 corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the shaft 56.

With respect to the coupling of the motor shaft 16 and the sun gear 30a, that is, the coupling between the motor 10 and the gear train 60, if there is no restriction on the diameter size of the sun gear 30a, Directly fastening the sun gear (36a) is the simplest. However, when the effective diameter of the sun gear 36a needs to be made very small, it may not be possible to insert the motor shaft 16 directly into the sun gear 36a. As a useful alternative in this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the coupling member 20 is interposed between the motor shaft 16 and the input end sun gear 36a of the reduction gear train 60 so as to transmit rotational force therebetween. 10) and indirect coupling of the reduction gear train 60 may be utilized. The coupling member 20 includes a first coupler 22 fixed to the motor shaft 16 and a second coupler 28 fixed to the input sun gear 36a. The two couplers 28 have a structure that is interlocked to allow the rotational force to be transmitted to each other. Configuration examples for this are various. For example, the first coupler 22 has a coupling hole 24 which is extrapolated and fixed to the motor shaft 16 in the center of the disc, and at least one protruding rod 26a, 26b, 26c extends on the opposite side thereof. The two couplers 28 are fixedly coupled to the input end sun gear 36 in the center, and the recesses / projections are formed on the side to which the protruding rods 26a, 26b and 26c can be caught. Alternatively, a corresponding coupling hole may be formed on a surface facing the protruding rods 26a, 26b and 26c of the second coupler 28 to insert the protruding rods 26a, 26b and 26c into the coupling hole. . As another indirect coupling method, the second coupler 28 can be extrapolated to the sun gear 30a and the corresponding protruding rods hung with the protruding rods 26a, 26b and 26c on the surface facing the first coupler 22. It is also possible to make a structure formed (not shown).

Next, the first cam member 90 provides a cylindrical space 99 whose top is open and defined by the bottom 94 and the side walls 95. The bottom 94 is formed with an angled through hole 93 into which the output shaft 50 of the reduction gear unit 80 can be inserted, and a pair of valleys 92a and 92b from the bottom 94 toward the side wall 95. It is formed at 180 degree intervals (see FIG. 5). As the output shaft 50 of the reduction gear unit 80 is inserted into the through hole 93 of the first cam member 90, the reduction gear unit 80 and the first cam member 90 can transmit rotational force to each other. To interlock. The inner diameter of the first cam member 90 is made larger than the outer diameter of the reduction gear unit 80 so that the head of the reduction gear unit 80 can be assembled into the cylindrical space 99 of the first cam member 90. desirable.

The second cam member 100 has a pair of peaks 104a, which are formed in a shape corresponding to the pair of valleys 92a and 92b of the first cam member 90 at the edge of one side of the disk 102. 104b) is formed, and the decut camshaft 106 extends in the center of the other side. At the time of assembly, the pair of peaks 104a and 104b of the second cam member 100 are rotatably engaged with the pair of valleys 92a and 92b of the first cam member 90, and the second cam member ( The disc 102 of the 100 is received inside the housing 110 and supported by the bottom 116, and the camshaft 106 is exposed and extended outside the housing 110.

As described above, the first cam member 90 and the second cam member 100 are rotatably engaged by the corresponding valleys 92a and 92b and the peaks 104a and 104b. The valleys 92a and 92b of the first cam member 90 are flat, and when the hills 104a and 104b of the second cam member 100 are raised in the flat section, the valleys 92a and 92b are raised. It is desirable to be able to maintain the state without slipping. When the hinge device 200 is applied to the mobile phone 300, the folder 350 may be left open in an intermediate state between full open and full close. Alternatively, it may be possible that there are no flat sections between valleys 92a and 92b or between hills 104a and 104b. In this case, when one peak 104a climbs up the wall of one valley 92a and exceeds its top, the first cam member 90 is pushed by the elastic member 120 so that the hill 104a is different from the other valley ( 92b) as it slides down, the phase of the folder 350 is only fully open and fully closed.

Furthermore, the second cam member 100 needs to form a cavity 108 having a predetermined depth toward the camshaft 106 in the center of the disc 102. The cavity 108 is utilized as an assembly space when the hinge device 200 is mounted on an application object such as the mobile phone 300. In order to mount the hinge device 200 to the mobile phone 300, the cam shaft 106 must be inserted into the insertion groove 312 of the side hinge arm 310b of the mobile phone 300. To this end, the second cam member 100 must be pushed into the housing 110 (the first cam member 100 is also retracted and the elastic member 120 is compressed). In spite of the retreat, it is possible to assemble without hitting the output shaft 50 of the reduction gear unit 80. Considering the case where the second cam member 100 is retracted so that the level of the tip of the cam shaft 106 becomes equal to the bottom of the housing 110, the bottom of the first cam member 90 and the reduction gear unit 80 The spacing B between the washers 78 fastened to the output shaft 50 is preferably made at least equal to or longer than the length C of the camshaft 106 extending from the bottom of the housing 110. (See FIGS. 13 and 15) Further, in order to ensure smooth rotation of the first and second cam members 90, 100, the spacing B also includes the peaks 104a, 104b of the second cam member 100. You need to make it longer than the height (H).

The housing 110 provides a cylindrical receiving space 119 defined by the bottom 116 in which the through hole is formed so that the side wall 118 and the camshaft 106 can be exposed. In the cylindrical receiving space 119, the second cam member 100, the first cam member 90, the reduction gear unit 80 and in particular the elastic member 120 surrounding the outer circumference thereof, and a part of the motor 10 are It is stored in turn. The housing 110 is directly coupled with the motor 10 or indirectly coupled with the motor 10 by being fixed to the coupling portion 72 as shown.

The elastic member 120 serves to push the first cam member 90 toward the second cam member 100 by its elastic force. As shown in the drawing, it is preferable to use the coil spring as the elastic member 120. In this case, the coil spring has a circumference of the reduction gear unit 80 in the outer surface of the ring gear 74, the inner surface of the housing 110, and the space defined by the coupling portion 72 and the first cam member 90. Wrapped and received, one end is supported by the motor 10 or the coupling portion 72, the other end is assembled to push the upper end of the first cam member 90 toward the second cam member 100. It is preferable to use a coil spring whose diameter is approximately equal to the diameter of the first cam member 90.

According to the hinge device of the first embodiment having such a configuration, it is possible to rotate the camshaft 106 of the second cam member 100 using the driving of the motor 10 (this is referred to as 'auto mode rotation'). In addition, the cam shaft 106 of the second cam member 100 may be rotated (this may be referred to as 'manual mode rotation') by applying an external force while the motor 10 is not driven.

In the hinge device 200 of the first embodiment, a driving power source must be provided to the motor 10 for the automatic mode rotation of the camshaft 106. The rotation direction of the motor 10 is determined by the polarity of the driving power source. When the motor 10 rotates, the rotational force of the motor shaft 16 is directly or indirectly transmitted to the input stage sun gear 30a when the coupling member 20 is introduced. As a result, the sun gear 30a is rotated, and its rotational force forces the rotation of the planetary gears 42-1, 42-2, and 42-3 engaged therewith. Since the ring gear 74 is constrained to prevent rotation, the planetary gears 42-1, 42-2, and 42-3 revolve on the gear teeth 76 of the ring gear 74. As a result, the rear end carrier 34a and the sun gear 30b rotate. In FIG. 4, when the sun gear 30a rotates in the clockwise direction, the planetary gears 42-1, 42-2, and 42-3 rotate in the counterclockwise direction to rotate the gear tooth 76 of the ring gear 74. Rides in a clockwise direction, whereby an input stage carrier 34a rotatably supporting the planetary gears 42-1, 42-2, and 42-3 and a second stage sun gear 34b fixed thereto are provided. The rotation is made. In the reduction gear train 60, the rotation speed of the sun gear at the rear end is a predetermined reduction ratio, i.kSlow down by a factor Therefore, the rotation speed of the output shaft 50 of the reduction gear unit 80 is compared with the rotation speed of the motor shaft 16.(1 / k) ⁿ (Where n represents the number of stages of the reduction gear unit). For example, when the gear ratio of one stage is 5: 1, since the illustrated reduction gear unit 80 includes four gear stages, the reduction gear ratio is 625: 1. By such deceleration, the rotational torque obtained through the output shaft 50 is greatly increased compared to the rotational torque of the motor shaft 16.

When the output shaft 50 rotates, the first cam member 90 interlocked with respect to the rotation direction (??) rotates. As a result, the second cam member 100 also meshes with the first cam member 90. Will rotate. Thus, in order for the second cam member 100 to rotate together with the first cam member 90, the elastic force of the elastic member 120 is at least a load torque applied to the second cam member 100 (for example, to be described later). Torque of the folder 350 of the mobile phone), the first cam member 90 may have a size capable of supporting the second cam member 100 to be engaged without being retracted in the axial direction (-z). There is a need. If the elastic force of the elastic member 120 is insufficient, the first cam member 90 is pushed and the peak 104a of the second cam member 100 engaged with the valleys 92a and 92b of the first cam member 90. , 104b rides up the valleys 92a and 92b, in which case the second cam member 100 does not rotate and only the first cam member 90 idles. As a result, when the automatic mode operation of the hinge device 200 is briefly summarized, when the driving power is supplied to the motor 10, the first cam member 90 of the motor 10 is transmitted through the reduction gear unit 80. Rotate by rotational force, and the second cam member 100 is engaged with the first cam member 90 by the hills 104a and 104b and the valleys 92A and 92B by the elastic force of the elastic member 120. As a result, the second cam member 100 is interlocked with the rotating first cam member 90 to rotate together.

The hinge device 200 of the first embodiment also guarantees manual mode rotation of the camshaft 106. While the motor 10 is stopped, the cam shaft rotates from the outside while the first cam member 90 and the second cam member 100 are engaged with the valleys 92a and 92b and the peaks 104a and 104b. When applied to 106, rotation of the second cam member 100 is forced. As a result, the peaks 104a and 104b of the second cam member 100 exert a force on the side walls of the valleys 92a and 92b of the first cam member 90. This force is composed of a rotation direction (φ) component and an axial direction (-z) component, and the component force of the rotation direction component is insufficient to rotate the motor 10 and the reduction gear unit 80, so that the first cam member ( 90 cannot be rotated, and is eventually pushed back on the output shaft 50 by the component of the axial component. That is, the first cam member 90 does not rotate and retreats in the axial direction (-z) by overcoming the elastic force of the elastic member 120, wherein the second cam member 100 is a peak 104a, 104b. This goal (92a, 92b) is to climb while climbing. The second cam member 100 continues to rotate, and when the peaks 104a and 104b meet the valleys 92b and 92a, the bones are formed by the elastic force of the elastic member 120 applied to the first cam member 90. 92b, 92a) and slide down again. As such, the hinge device 200 performs a linear motion in which the first cam member 90 retracts in the axial direction (-z) and returns to its original position while the second cam member 100 rotates 180 degrees. Allow the rotation of the second cam member 100 by the external rotational force.

In the above, the case in which the cam shaft 106 of the second cam member 100 is rotated while being constrained to prevent the housing 110 from rotating is described. On the contrary, the cam shaft 106 of the second cam member 100 is rotated. The housing 110 may rotate even if an external rotational force is applied to the housing 110 in a state in which it is restrained not to. In this case, the external rotational force applied to the housing 110 rotates the body of the motor 10, and accordingly, the reduction gear unit 80 interlocked with the motor shaft 16 rotates by the same angle as the motor 10. do. Therefore, while the output shaft 50 also rotates to force the rotation of the first cam member 90, at this time, the second cam member 100 is constrained so as not to rotate, only the first cam member 90 Overcoming the elastic force of the elastic member 120 retreats and returns to its original position to complete the rotation of 180 degrees. When the hinge device 200 of the present invention is mounted on the cellular phone 300, the actual movement is the same.

On the other hand, the following conditions are required to enable such exercise. That is, when viewed from the position of the second cam member 100 forced to be rotated by the external rotational force, the motor 10 and the reduction gear unit 80 acts as a load together with the first cam member 90, thus applying this load. The elastic force of the elastic member 120 needs to be determined so that it is easier to compress the elastic member 120 than to rotate.

Next, FIGS. 6 to 8 show a configuration of the hinge device 200-1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The hinge device 200-1 of the second embodiment is different from the reduction gear unit 80-1, more specifically, the ring gear portion 70-1 as compared with the first embodiment. The ring gear part 70 of the first embodiment is configured to be fixedly coupled while the coupling part 72 surrounds the outer circumference of the body of the motor 10, whereas the ring gear part 70-1 of the second embodiment is engaged. The portion 72-1 is stepped up at the end of the ring gear 74 to have a structure in contact with the front portion of the motor 10. It is preferable that the outer diameter of the engaging portion 72-1 does not exceed the outer diameter of the motor 10. According to this structure, the hinge device 200-1 of the second embodiment has the remaining components except for the motor 10 and the housing 110 and these two components 10 and 110, as shown in FIG. 7. The gear assembly 130 is assembled into a single module, consisting of three independent modules. Since the hinge device 200-1 of the second embodiment does not have a structure in which the coupling part 74-1 covers the body 12 of the motor 10, the level between the housing 110 and the motor 10 when assembled. There is little difference.

9 and 10 show the configuration of the hinge device 200-2 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the second embodiment, the feature of the third embodiment is that the reduction gear unit 80 surrounded by the second cam member 100, the first cam member 90, and the elastic member 120 in the housing 110-1. -1) is stored one by one, and in particular, not all parts of the motor 10-1 are stored to constitute a geared motor. One end of the housing 110-1 has a plurality of protrusions 117a to 117d formed on the plug 115 while exposing only the power line 18 to supply driving power to the motor 10-1. It is inserted into the fastening holes (119a ~ 119d) formed at one end of the c) and closed with a stopper 115, the opposite end is exposed only the cam shaft 106 of the second cam member (100). When using a DC motor as the motor 10-1, as shown, a motor core 12-1 composed of a permanent magnet and a coil wound around an iron core, and a commutator piece 17 of the motor core 12-1. ) Can be assembled by purchasing a brush (15) in the form of parts in contact with the reverse direction of the current flowing through the coil.

The hinge devices 200, 200-1, 200-2 according to the embodiments of the present invention as described above are applied to a device having a first member and a second member to hinge the first and second members. In combination it can be used as a device for opening and closing in automatic or manual mode. One example is the case where it is used as a hinge device of a folding cellular phone (see Figs. 11 to 19B).

11 and 12 show a closed state and an open state of the folding cellular phone 300 to which the hinge device of the present invention is applied, respectively. The clamshell phone 300 is hingedly coupled to the phone body 340 and the folder 350. For hinge coupling, a central hinge arm 320 is provided at the bottom of the folder 350 to provide a cylindrical accommodation space, and a pair of side hinge arms 310a and 310b are provided at both upper corners of the phone body 340. Stand facing each other at predetermined intervals. The central hinge arm 320 is inserted into the pair of side hinge arms 310a and 310b to be rotatably fastened. One side of the main body 340 or the folder 350 is provided with one or more opening and closing keys 330 for instructing automatic opening and closing of the folder. In addition, the main body 340 is provided with a microphone 344 and an operation key array 342, and the folder 350 is provided with a speaker 354, a display 352, and the like.

13 and 14 are exploded perspective views for explaining a method of mounting the hinge device of the present invention to the cellular phone 300, Figure 15 is a cutaway perspective view showing a state in which the hinge device of the present invention is mounted to the clamshell mobile phone to be. Although the drawing illustrates the case where the hinge device 200 of the first embodiment is applied, it is obvious that the hinge devices 200-1 and 200-2 of the other embodiment can be applied to the mobile phone 300.

In the pair of side hinge arms 310a and 310b, one of the hinge arms 310a has a hinge ring 310b opposite the protruding ring 314 to fit with the central hinge arm 320. It extends toward the side, the inner side of the other one of the hinge arm 310b is formed with an insertion groove 312 into which the cam shaft 106 of the second cam member 100 can be inserted.

The central hinge arm 320 should be interlocked with the hinge device 200 so as to transmit the rotational force. For this purpose, the central hinge arm 320 and the hinge device 200 are interlocked with each other to form a male and male member having a corresponding shape. do. As an example, as shown in the drawing, the concave groove 322 is formed inward from the right end of the central hinge arm 320, and the concave groove 322 is inserted into the outer surface of the housing 110 of the hinge device 200. It further forms a protrusion 112 (see FIG. 1), which may be used. Forming the protrusion 112 on the outer surface of the housing 110 is the same in the other two embodiments.

Under these conditions, the hinge device 200 is inserted into the cylindrical receiving space of the central hinge arm 320 while the protrusion 112 is fitted to be inserted into the recess 322. Then, the center hinge arm 320 is engaged with the protruding ring 314 of the left hinge arm 310a, and then the cam shaft 106 of the second cam member 100 is pushed into the center hinge arm 320. Next, the cam shaft 106 is assembled to the insertion groove 312 by being aligned with the insertion groove 312 point of the right hinge arm 310b.

As such, when the hinge device 200 is assembled to the mobile phone 300, the folder 350 is interlocked to allow the rotational force to be transmitted to the housing 110 of the hinge device 200, and the phone main body 340 is second. The camshaft 106 of the cam member 100 is interlocked so as to allow rotational force transmission therebetween. The housing 110 is fixedly coupled to the reduction gear unit 80 and the motor 10, and the first cam member 90 is also interlocked with the reduction gear unit 80. Therefore, the interlocking of the folder 350 and the rotational force is possible by the motor 10, the reduction gear unit 80, and the first cam member 90, and interlocked with the phone body 340 by the rotational force transmission. This is the second cam member 100.

Meanwhile, FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate that the hinge device of the present invention can adequately provide a passage space 370 of the data bus 360 that electrically connects the folder 350 and the phone body 340 of the mobile phone to each other. It is a figure for following. The phone body 340 and the folder 350 of the mobile phone 300 are electrically connected through the data bus 360. The data bus 360 departs from the folder 350 and passes through the central hinge arm 320 and the one side hinge arm 310a to the phone body 340. The data bus 360 is mainly made of a flexible PCB film, since the folder 350 should not be damaged even if it is frequently opened and closed. According to the first or second embodiment of the present invention, the rear portion of the body 12 of the motor 10 is not covered with the housing 110 so that the inner wall of the central hinge arm 320 and the body 12 of the motor 10 are provided. A space 370 is secured between the rear parts. The data bus 360 extending from the folder 350 is assembled to travel through this space 370 to the left side hinge arm 310a. Such a structure can provide a wider free space, which can contribute to preventing damage to the data bus 360.

When the folder 350 is opened or closed in the automatic opening / closing mode, when the folder 350 is completely closed or fully open and cannot be moved anymore, the motor 10 is overloaded, and as a result, the motor 10 is momentarily overcurrent. In this case, the detection of the occurrence of an overcurrent may indicate that the cover is completely closed or opened. However, overcurrent flows even when the folder 350 cannot be moved by an external interference force during opening and closing. Therefore, the method of determining whether the folder 350 is opened or closed based only on the overcurrent detection cannot distinguish the above two cases, and therefore, it is preferable to introduce a separate sensing means for detecting the opening / closing phase of the folder 350 of the folder.

The function to be provided by the sensing means is to provide information to know whether the folder 350 is in the current closed position or the open position. As one way to obtain such a function, a magnetic switch (not shown) basically provided in the mobile phone 300 may be utilized. When the magnetic switch is used, when the folder 350 is in the closed position, the switch is positioned in the area of influence of the magnetic field formed by the magnet to generate an on-signal, and when the folder 350 is opened and the angle with the phone main body 340 gradually increases. The switch signal turns off because the switch is out of the field of influence of the magnetic field. Sensing means for determining the closing and opening of the folder 350 may be configured in various ways. For example, one method is to provide a contact of a push switch (not shown) and a switching electrode for interposing the contacts in the folder 350 and the phone main body 340, respectively.

As described above, instead of installing the sensing means in the folder 350 and the phone main body 340, the above switches may be directly installed in the hinge devices 200, 200-1, and 200-2. The drawings of each embodiment of the present invention exemplarily show a three-contact switch for detecting that the rotation state of the first cam member 90, that is, the phase is 0 degrees and 180 degrees, for this function. The three-contact switch includes three switching contact terminals 114a, 114b, and 114c and a first switching electrode 98a for switching on / off of the upper two contact terminals 114a and 114b of the three contact terminals; And a second switching electrode 98b for switching on / off of the lower two contact terminals 114b and 114c among the three contact terminals. These switching contact terminals 114a, 114b and 114c and the switching electrodes 98a and 98b can both be made of a conductive film having excellent conductivity. The three switching contact terminals 114a, 114b, and 114c are connected to lead wires for electrical connection with the controller 400 to be described later. For the convenience of installation, the three switching contacts 114a, 114b, 114c are arranged in one line on one side of the resin rod 114 and accommodated in the protrusion 112 of the housing 110. The switching contacts 114a, 114b, 114c are arranged to be nearly parallel with the inner wall of the housing 110. The first and second switching electrodes 98a and 98b form grooves 96a and 9b spaced 180 degrees apart on the outer surface of the first cam member 90 and fixed therein.

In such a configuration, when the first switching electrode 98a is in contact with the upper two switching contacts 114a and 114b, the phase of the first cam member 90 is 0 degrees and the lower two switching contacts 114b and 114c are in contact with each other. The phase of the first cam member 90 is promised 180 degrees. If the phase of the first cam member 90 is 0 degrees, the folder 350 is closed, and if the phase is 180 degrees, the open state is promised. Of course, you can also promise. Whenever the phase of the first cam member 90 is changed from the three-contact switch by 180 degrees, a switching signal representing a closed or open state of the folder 350 may be obtained. The controller 400 may accurately determine whether the folder 350 is opened or closed by using the switching signal.

Means for driving the motor 10 to mount the hinge device 200, 200-1 or 200-2 to a foldable apparatus such as a mobile phone 300 to open and close the folder 350 in an automatic mode. This is necessary. 17 and 18, the configuration of the motor drive means is illustrated in a block diagram.

In Figure 17, the motor driving means is basically a battery (in response to the opening and closing key 410 for instructing the automatic opening and closing of the folder 350, the battery 430 charging the power, the control signals CW, CCW) When the motor driving unit 420, which supplies the charging power of the 430 to the motor 10, and the opening / closing key 330 is turned on, in response to the current position of the folder 350, the folder 350 may be opened or closed. The control unit 400 is provided to provide the control signal to the motor driving unit 420. If the output voltage of the battery 430 is different from the driving voltage of the motor 10, it is necessary to further arrange a regulator 440 between the battery 430 and the motor driver 420 for adjusting the former to a level suitable for the latter. There is. Depending on whether the control signal of the controller 400 is the control signal CW for forward rotation or the control signal CCW for reverse rotation, the polarity of the driving power supplied by the motor driver 420 to the motor 10 is determined. do. The motor driver 420 may be formed in the form of an electronic circuit configured using a resistor, a transistor, and the like. That is, a circuit for forwarding a battery output voltage or a regulator output voltage to the motor 10 in a forward direction and a circuit for walking in reverse direction are respectively configured, and each circuit is connected to a port for a forward rotation control signal CW of the controller 400 and a reverse rotation control. The motor driver 420 may be configured by connecting to the signal CCW port, respectively. According to this configuration, the driving voltage is applied to the motor 10 in either the forward or reverse direction while the control signal CW or CCW which is a square wave is output. Furthermore, in configuring the motor drive means, the switch 350 may further include switches 412a and 412b that sense whether the current position of the folder 350 is in a closed state or an open state and provide the information to the controller 400. Automatic opening and closing can be performed more efficiently. In the case of the mobile phone 300, the opening / closing key 410 corresponds to the reference numeral 310 in FIG. 11, and the switches 412a and 412b are the aforementioned magnetic switches or the switches 114a to 114b, 98a and 98b shown in FIG. Corresponds to). In addition, the control unit 400 stores a predetermined program capable of processing shown in FIGS. 19 to 24 in a nonvolatile memory (not shown) so that the microcontroller or the microcomputer (not shown) of the mobile phone 300 performs the processing according to the program. The battery 430 may be configured to use the battery 430 provided to the mobile phone 300.

According to another configuration example of the motor driving means, according to FIG. 18, an overcurrent detection unit between the battery 430 and the motor driving unit 420 or between the regulator 440 and the motor driving unit 420 when the regulator 440 is employed. Place 450. The overcurrent detector 450 is introduced as a means for controlling the driving time of the motor 10. When the folder 350 is fully opened or closed when the motor 10 is driven to open and close the folder 350, the motor 10 is overloaded so that a much larger amount of current flows into the motor 10 than before. It flows in. The overcurrent detector 450 detects the amount of current supplied from the battery 430 to the motor driver 420 and provides the current to the analog / digital converter 402 of the controller 400. The controller 400 may determine whether the folder 350 is fully opened or closed by checking whether the amount of current flowing through the overcurrent detector 450 exceeds a reference value. When it is confirmed that the folder 350 is completely opened and closed, the controller 400 no longer outputs the control signal CW or CCW. As a result, the supply of driving power to the motor 10 is no longer performed.

19 to 24 are flowcharts illustrating a procedure for automatically opening and closing a folder using a hinge device according to the present invention. A case in which the hinge devices 200, 200-1 or 200-2 are mounted on the mobile phone 300 will be described as an example.

In FIG. 19, when the user presses the opening / closing key 330, an ON signal is generated. The controller 400 monitoring the output of the open / close key 330 checks the close switch SW1 412a and the open switch SW2 412b when a signal from the open / close key 330 is generated (S10). . If the close switch SW1 412a and the open switch SW2 412b are on and off, respectively, the open mode is executed because the folder 350 is currently closed (S14 and S16). On the contrary, if the close switch SW1 412a and the open switch SW2 412b are in an off state and an on state, respectively, the folder 350 is in an open state to execute the close mode (S18 and S20). When the closing switch SW1 412a and the opening switch SW2 412b are both in an off state, the folder 350 is in an intermediate state of the current closing and opening, that is, halfway open. In this case, first, a state initialization mode in which the folder 350 is completely opened or closed is executed (S24), and then the process returns to step S12 to perform the open mode (S16) or the close mode (S20).

20 shows an execution procedure of the open mode S16 by the control unit 400. When the program module in the open mode is executed by the controller 400, first, in the controller 400, the maximum driving time Tset and the actual driving time of the motor 10 applied when the folder 350 is opened or closed once. Set Topr to constant values k and 0, respectively (S32). The maximum running time Tset of the motor 10 is the time taken to fully open the folder 350 in the closed state or the time taken to fully close in the open state (which can be obtained through experiment) plus a few seconds of spare time. It is preferable to set to. The maximum driving time Tset of the motor 10 is thus limited in order to prevent the motor 10 from being driven continuously even if there is a malfunction of the switch SW1 or SW2. Next, the controller 400 outputs the forward rotation control signal CW to cause the motor driving unit 420 to supply driving power for enabling forward rotation to the motor 10 (S34). When the driving power is supplied, the forward rotational force of the motor 10 rotates the second cam member 100. Thereby, the folder 350 is opened. At this time, if the user grabs the phone main body 340, the folder 350 rotates, and conversely, if the user grasps the folder 350, the phone main body 340 rotates. The supply of driving power continues until the opening switch SW2 412b is turned on (S36), and the actual driving time Topr of the motor 10 is accumulated periodically (S40). Every cycle, the actual driving time Topr is compared with the preset maximum driving time Tset (S38), and if the opening switch SW2 412b does not turn on despite the former exceeding the latter, it is checked whether an error has occurred (S42). . When the open switch (SW2) 412b is turned on within the maximum driving time Tset, the folder 350 is completely opened, so the supply of driving power to the motor 10 is cut off (S44), and the state waits for the next operation. Do The user can close the folder 350 again in the automatic mode as well as in the manual mode.

21 shows an execution procedure of the close mode S20 by the controller 400. Compared with the open mode S20 of FIG. 20, the control signal provided by the controller 400 to the motor driving unit 420 is the reverse rotation control signal CCW (S52) and the close mode, so the close switch SW1 412a is closed. Only the point (S54) to check whether the ON is the difference is the same as the open mode.

22 and 23 show another example of execution of the open mode S16 and the close mode S20, which are similar to those of FIGS. 20 and 21 in that the threshold current Ith is further introduced as a control variable. different. If disturbances are given when opening or closing the folder 350 (e.g., supplying a drive current to continue to open or close while the folder 350 is fully open or closed, or due to external interference during opening or closing of the folder 350) When the folder 350 is in a state in which it can no longer be opened and closed), the overcurrent flows much larger than the normal driving current. It is preferable to set the threshold current Ith to an appropriate value L between the normal driving current and the overcurrent (S66). While the open switch SW2 412b is not on (S76), the control unit 400 provides the forward rotation control signal CW to the motor driving unit 420 to open the folder 350 (S68) and at the same time the motor driving unit ( The motor driving current Iopr flowing in 420 is read from the overcurrent detecting unit 450 (S70) and checked whether its magnitude exceeds the threshold current Ith (S72). If an overcurrent is detected while the open switch SW2 412b is not on, the folder 350 may be viewed as a state where external interference is applied to the folder 350 while the folder 350 is not yet fully opened. In this case, the retry mode shown in FIG. 24 is executed (S74). While repeating this execution periodically, the actual driving time Topr of the motor 10 is accumulated (S80), and it is checked whether the value exceeds a preset maximum driving time Tset (S78). If the actual drive time Topr exceeds the maximum drive time Tset in the state that the open switch SW2 412b is turned off, it is not a normal state and thus it is checked whether an error occurs (S82). When the opening switch SW2 412b is turned on through the above process, the folder 350 is normally opened, and thus the supply of the driving power to the motor 10 is stopped (S84). Wait for opening and closing of the folder 350 (S86).

23 except that the closing switch SW1 412a is checked to determine whether the driving power is supplied to drive the motor 10 in the closing direction (S88) and whether the driving of the motor is terminated. It is the same as the execution procedure of the open mode of FIG.

FIG. 24 shows a processing procedure when an external interference force is applied to the folder 350 while the folder 350 is opened and closed. When it is detected that the external disturbance force interferes with the opening and closing of the folder 350, the controller 400 turns off both the control signals CW and CCW for a predetermined time (S110, S112), and then again the motor (according to the same driving mode as before). 10, the driving power is controlled to be supplied (S114). While the driving power is supplied to the motor 10, the motor driving current Iopr is read from the overcurrent detecting unit 450 (S116), and the magnitude thereof is compared with the threshold current Ith (S118). As a result of the comparison, when the motor driving current Iopr is smaller than the threshold current Ith, the external interference force can be seen as being removed, and the flow returns to step S76 of FIG. 22 or step S96 of FIG. 23. As a result of the comparison, when the motor driving current Iopr is greater than the threshold current Ith, the overcurrent is still supplied to the motor 10, that is, the external interference force is still present, and thus the number of retries RN is increased by 1 (S122). Repeat the same process. Since the above retries cannot be repeated indefinitely, if the number of retries RN exceeds a predetermined number Z, the driving power supply to the motor 10 is completely stopped (S126), and waits for manual opening and closing by the user ( S128).

In general, in order to open and close the folder 350 automatically, the following two things should be determined in relation to the driving of the motor 10. The first is the rotational direction of the motor 10, the second is the drive time of the motor 10. As a means for instructing the user to open or close the folder 350, the operation key is not used in a manner of using a single opening / closing key 410, but in a manner of using two keys, that is, an opening key (not shown) and a closing key (not shown). If configured, the rotation direction of the motor 10 may be determined using the signals of these two keys. The time for driving the motor 10 is preferably a method of using the open / close confirmation sensor such as the switches 412a and 412b, but other methods of not using the open / close confirmation sensor may be considered. For example, the minimum time required to rotate the folder 350 from the closed state to the open state or vice versa is extracted and the driving power is supplied to the motor 10 at least for the time when the user opens and closes the instruction. The method of terminating or the method of continuously supplying the driving power to the motor 10 until the overcurrent is detected without setting the driving power supply time in advance may be applied.

Meanwhile, in the mobile phone 300 equipped with the hinge apparatuses 200, 200-1, and 200-2 of the present invention, the user may open or close the folder 350 in a manual mode. When the user opens the folder 350 and the phone body 340 in the closed state, the rotational force applied to the folder 350 is transmitted to the housing 110 through the central hinge axis 320. Since the housing 110 is integrated with the motor 10, the reduction gear unit 80, and the first cam member 90, the force transmitted through the central hinge shaft 320 eventually results in the first cam member 90. Acts as a rotating force. On the other hand, the rotational force applied to the phone body 340 is transmitted to the second cam member 100 acts as a force to rotate it. Directions of rotational force applied to the first cam member 90 and the second cam member 100 are opposite to each other. When such a force is applied to the first cam member 90 and the second cam member 100, the peaks 104a and 104b of the second cam member 100 form walls of the valleys 92a and 92b of the first cam member. As you ride, the mutual engagement is resolved. At this time, the first cam member 90 is pushed backward by the elastic force of the elastic member 120 by the second cam member 100, and eventually the peaks 104a and 104b of the second cam member 100 1 is completely out of the valleys (92a, 92b) of the cam member 90 is raised to a flat section. After that, the first cam member 90 and the second cam member 100 continue to rotate in opposite directions, and when the hills 104a and 104b encounter the altered valleys 92b and 92a, they are pushed back into them. do. The force for pushing the first cam member 90 toward the second cam member 100 to engage again is the restoring force of the compressed elastic member 120. This allows the folder 350 to be opened manually by the user. The case of manually closing the folder 350 can be understood as well. As a result, in the manual mode opening and closing, the force applied to the folder 350 and the phone body 340 causes the first cam member 90 and the second cam member 100 to rotate in opposite directions, but the second cam member While the 100 rotates 180 degrees, the first cam member 90 makes a linear movement forward after retreating in the axial direction (-z direction), whereby the phase of the folder 350 is closed or closed at the opening. From to open.

In fact, the angle between the folder 350 and the phone body 340 in a fully open state is smaller than 180 degrees. Therefore, when the folder 350 rotates from the closed position to the open position, the second cam member 100 is rotated at an angle smaller than 180 degrees, so that the end portions of the peaks 104a and 104b of the second cam member 100 are rotated. It is not fully inserted into the valleys 92a and 92b of the first cam member 90 and is about halfway between the inclined walls of the valleys 92a and 92b. At this time, since the elastic member 120 pushes the first cam member 90, the peaks 104a and 104b are completely pushed into the valleys 92a and 92b.

The hinge device of the present invention is embedded in the hinge arm of a clamshell device such as a clamshell mobile phone to enable the clamshell device to be automatically opened and closed by driving a motor, and also to be opened and closed manually by a user. Therefore, the folding device employing the hinge device of the present invention can be convenient to use.

In addition, the hinge device of the present invention is disposed between the elastic member 120 and the motor 10 and the first cam member 90, in particular, in the case of using the coil spring as the elastic member 120 coil spring and reduction gear unit ( Since 80 can be superimposed and assembled, the hinge device can be made much smaller than the conventional structure in which the elastic members 120 are arranged in a line behind the motor 10. Furthermore, the miniaturization of the hinge device can be harmoniously applied to the miniaturization trend of mobile phones.

Although the hinge device of the present invention is shown and described with an example of a clamshell cellular phone as an application thereof, the application of the hinge device of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the cellular phone, but includes a folder hingeably coupled to the main body. It can be applied to other devices. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art will recognize that such improvements or modifications also belong to the present invention.

Claims (29)

A motor rotating in a forward or reverse direction by a driving power source; A reduction gear unit which is interlocked with the shaft of the motor so as to transmit the rotational force, and increases the torque by reducing the rotational force of the motor; A first cam member interlocked with the output shaft of the reduction gear unit so as to transmit rotational force, and having at least one pair of female shaped portions or male shaped portions; At least one pair of male portions or female portions that are paired with the at least one pair of female portions or male portions is formed on one side, and a cam shaft for transmitting rotational force is formed on the other side; A second cam member rotatably engaged with the second cam member; An elastic member disposed between the motor and the first cam member to push the first cam member toward the second cam member by an elastic force; And Provide a substantially cylindrical space, accommodate the second cam member in the cylindrical space such that the camshaft is exposed to the outside, and at the rear end of the second cam member the first cam member, the reduction gear unit and the elastic member; A housing that receives at least a portion of the motor in turn and is fixedly coupled directly or indirectly to the motor, When a rotational force is applied to the camshaft of the second cam member from the outside while the motor is stopped, the second cam member rotates and the first cam member is pushed by the second cam member to push the elastic member. When the first and second cam members retreat from each other, the first cam member moves forward by the restoring force of the elastic member and engages with the second cam member again. Allow the rotation of the second cam member, When driving power is supplied to the motor, the first cam member is rotated by the rotational force of the motor transmitted through the reduction gear unit, and the second cam member is rotated by the elastic force of the elastic member. The hinge device, characterized in that to rotate integrally in engagement with each other. The first cam member of claim 1, wherein the elastic member surrounds the reduction gear unit, one end of which is supported by the jaw of the motor or the reduction gear unit, and the first cam member is mounted on the opposite end thereof. And a coil spring for pushing the cam member toward the second cam member. The method of claim 1, wherein the elastic force of the elastic member has a size that supports the first cam member to maintain engagement with the second cam member despite the load torque applied to at least the second cam member when the automatic mode opening and closing. Hinge device characterized in that it has. According to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the side wall of the housing is formed with a protrusion, the protrusion is engaged in the concave groove of the hinge arm in which the hinge device is accommodated to allow interlocking force transmission between the housing and the hinge arm so as to interlock. Hinge device, characterized in that. The hinge device according to claim 1, further comprising sensing means for detecting that the phase of the first cam member is 0 degrees and 180 degrees. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensing means comprises three switching contact terminals arranged in a row on the inner surface of the housing; A first switching electrode fixed to the cylindrical outer surface of the first cam member and configured to switch on / off of the top two of the three contact terminals; And a third contact switch fixed to the cylindrical outer surface of the first cam member by 180 degrees spaced from the first switching electrode, and having a second switching electrode for switching on / off of the lower two of the three contact terminals. Hinge device, characterized in that. The method of claim 1, wherein the output shaft of the reduction gear unit is coupled to a coupling groove formed at a height that meets the bottom surface of the ring gear portion, characterized in that it further comprises a snap ring for holding the output shaft does not push into the ring gear Hinge device. According to claim 1, wherein the reduction gear unit is fixed to be integral with the motor and / or the housing and the ring gear portion formed with gear teeth on the inner wall of the cylinder; And a gear train housed in the ring gear by cascading a plurality of reduction gear stages formed by using a carrier, a sun gear and a planetary gear, wherein the output shaft of the reduction gear unit is fixed integrally to a carrier at the end of the gear train. The first cam member and the hinge device, characterized in that interlocking is possible to transfer the rotational force between each other. 9. The hinge device according to claim 8, wherein the reduction gear unit further comprises a coupling member for connecting rotational force between the shaft of the motor and the input sun gear of the gear train. The ring gear unit of claim 8, wherein the ring gear unit is fixedly coupled to the body of the motor while supporting the elastic member by stepping up at one end of the ring gear and a ring gear having inner gears engaged with the planetary gears. Hinge device comprising a coupling portion. 9. The gear reduction gear stage of the gear train of claim 8, wherein a plurality of planetary gears are rotatably supported by a carrier and the plurality of planetary gears are engaged while enclosing one sun gear fixed to a carrier of a front end. And the gear tooth is also engaged with the ring gear portion. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cam member is a cylindrical member having one open side, the cylindrical member is extrapolated to the output shaft of the reduction gear unit is interlocked so as to transmit the rotational force between each other, the opposite edge of the cylindrical member And at least a pair of valleys disposed 180 degrees apart, wherein the reduction gear unit is capable of advancing and retracting into the cylindrical space of the first cam member. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second cam member has at least one pair of peaks and camshafts extending integrally with one another about a disc and integrally formed, wherein the at least one pair of peaks is formed by the at least one of the first cam members. And the disc is accommodated in the housing while being caught by the bottom of the housing and the camshaft is exposed out of the housing. 14. The cavity of claim 13, wherein the second cam member is formed with a cavity into which the output shaft of the reduction gear unit can be inserted toward the cam shaft from the center of the disc to allow the cam shaft to retract into the housing. Hinge device. The method of claim 1, wherein the pair of female portions are flat, so that the pair of male portions can maintain their position without slipping when they climb on the piece section between the pair of female portions. Hinge device. A foldable apparatus in which a first member and a second member are hinged to be opened and closed, A central hinge arm fixed to one end of the first member and providing a cylindrical accommodation space; A pair of side hinge arms fixed to a predetermined portion on the second member and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval so that the central hinge arm can be inserted therebetween; It is interlocked in the central hinge arm and interlocked to allow rotational force transmission therebetween, and interlocked to allow rotational force transmission with at least one of the pair of side hinge arms, thereby allowing the motor to rotate the first member and the second member. Hinge device to enable the automatic mode opening and closing using the rotational force or the manual mode opening and closing by the user's force; And A motor driving means for supplying driving power to the motor built into the hinge device in response to a user's automatic opening and closing instruction; The hinge device, The motor rotating in the forward or reverse direction by a driving power provided by the motor driving means; A reduction gear unit which is interlocked with the shaft of the motor so as to transmit the rotational force, and increases the torque by reducing the rotational force of the motor; A first cam member interlocked with the output shaft of the reduction gear unit so as to transmit rotational force, and having at least one pair of female shaped portions or male shaped portions; At least one pair of male portions or female portions that are paired with the at least one female portion or male portion is formed on one side, and a cam shaft for transmitting rotational force is formed on the other side, and the first cam member A second cam member rotatably engaged with the second cam member; An elastic member disposed between the motor and the first cam member to push the first cam member toward the second cam member by an elastic force; And Provide a substantially cylindrical space, accommodate the second cam member in the cylindrical space such that the camshaft is exposed to the outside, and at the rear end of the second cam member the first cam member, the reduction gear unit and the elastic member; A housing that receives at least a portion of the motor in turn and is fixedly coupled directly or indirectly to the motor, and which is housed in the central hinge arm and interlocked to allow rotational force transfer therebetween, When a force is applied to open or close the first and second members while the motor is stopped, the second cam member is rotated and the first cam member is pushed by the second cam member to close the elastic member. When the first and second cam member is pushed back and meets the male portion and the female portion which are mutually changed, the first cam member is advanced by the restoring force of the elastic member and engages with the second cam member again. Allow the rotation of the second cam member, When driving power is supplied to the motor, the first cam member is rotated by the rotational force of the motor transmitted through the reduction gear unit, and the second cam member is rotated by the elastic force of the elastic member. And a rotational force transmitted to the side hinge arm interlocked with the camshaft by integrally rotating in mutual engagement with the camshaft. 17. The clamshell device according to claim 16, wherein the clamshell device is a clamshell cell phone wherein the first member is a phone body and the second member is a folder. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the motor driving means comprises a battery; An opening and closing key for instructing automatic opening and closing of the foldable device; A control unit outputting an opening / closing control signal for enabling forward or reverse rotation of the motor in response to the output of the opening / closing key; And a motor driver for supplying the charging power of the battery to the motor as a driving power having a polarity corresponding to the type of the opening / closing control signal in response to the output of the opening / closing control signal. 19. The foldable device according to claim 18, wherein the motor driving means further comprises an overcurrent detecting unit for detecting whether a current flowing into the motor driving unit exceeds a threshold current value for overload detection. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the elastic member surrounds the reduction gear unit, one end of which is supported by the jaw of the motor or the reduction gear unit and the other end of which the first cam member is placed on the first gear. A folding device characterized in that the coil spring for pushing the cam member toward the second cam member. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the elastic force of the elastic member has a size that supports the first cam member to maintain engagement with the second cam member despite the load torque applied to at least the second cam member when the automatic mode opening and closing. A clamshell device, characterized in that. 17. The clamshell apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising sensing means for detecting the closing and opening of the first member and the second member. 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the sensing means comprises: three switching contact terminals arranged in a row on an inner surface of the housing; A first switching electrode fixed to the cylindrical outer surface of the first cam member and configured to switch on / off of the top two of the three contact terminals; And a third contact switch fixed to the cylindrical outer surface of the first cam member by 180 degrees spaced from the first switching electrode, and having a second switching electrode for switching on / off of the lower two of the three contact terminals. A clamshell device, characterized in that. The method of claim 16, characterized in that it further comprises a snap ring which is fastened to a coupling groove formed at a height meeting the bottom surface of the ring gear portion of the output shaft of the reduction gear unit to prevent the output shaft from being pushed into the ring gear. Clamshell device. 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the reduction gear unit comprises: a ring gear portion fixed to be integral with the motor and / or the housing and having gear teeth formed on an inner wall of the cylinder; And a gear train housed in the ring gear by cascading a plurality of reduction gear stages formed by using a carrier, a sun gear and a planetary gear, wherein the output shaft of the reduction gear unit is fixed integrally to a carrier at the end of the gear train. A clamshell device, characterized in that the first cam member and the interlock can be interlocked with each other so as to transmit the rotational force. 26. The foldable device according to claim 25, wherein the reduction gear unit further comprises a coupling member for connecting rotational force between the shaft of the motor and the input sun gear of the gear train. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first cam member is a cylindrical member having one open side, the cylindrical member is extrapolated to the output shaft of the reduction gear unit is interlocked to allow the rotational force to be transmitted to each other, the opposite edge of the cylindrical member And at least one pair of valleys spaced 180 degrees apart, and the reduction gear unit can move back and forth into the cylindrical space of the first cam member. 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the second cam member has at least one pair of peaks and camshafts extending integrally with one another about a disc and integrally formed with the at least one pair of peaks of the first cam member. Made into a mating shape that can engage a pair of valleys, the disc being held in the housing while being caught by the bottom of the housing and the camshaft exposed out of the housing, allowing the camshaft to retract into the housing. The second cam member is a folding device characterized in that a cavity in which the output shaft of the reduction gear unit can be inserted toward the cam shaft from the center of the disc. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the pair of female portions is flat so that the pair of male portions can maintain their position without slipping when they climb on a flat section between the pair of female portions. Clamshell device.