TW202137849A - Electronic device and hinge assembly thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device and a hinge assembly thereof. The electronic device includes a set-frame, a flexible panel and the above hinge assembly. The set-frame is disposed on the hinge assembly, and the flexible panel is disposed on the set-frame. The hinge assembly includes a base member, a gear shaft, a pair of worm gears, a pair of hinge brackets, a pair of first connecting rod and a pair of second connecting rod. The base member has a side surface and a top surface, wherein the top surface has a pair of arc-shaped grooves. The gear shaft is attached to the side surface of the base member, and the gear shaft has a first axial direction and a pair of gear portions arranged symmetrically in the first axial direction. The worm gears are attached to the side surface of the base member, and the worm gears and the gear portions are meshed in one-to-one manner. Each of the hinge brackets has an arc portion, and the arc portions are arranged in the corresponding arc-shaped grooves. One of the first connecting rods is connected between one of the worm gears and the corresponding arc portion, and the other first connecting rod is connected between the other worm gear and the corresponding arc portion. One of the second connecting rods is connected between one of the arc portions and the base member, and the other second connecting rod is connected between the other one of the arc portions and the base member.

Description

Electronic device and its hinge assembly

The present invention relates to a device and assembly, and more particularly to an electronic device and its hinge assembly.

Hinge components are commonly found in consumer electronic products such as smartphones, tablets, notebooks, or tablets with foldable screens. Two components (such as the screen and keyboard of the laptop, the support stand and the screen of the tablet) ) Can be relatively opened and closed, or even make the screen of the tablet or smart phone itself have the function of folding.

At present, it is not common to use a connecting rod in the hinge design of a tablet computer with a foldable screen. Usually, the hinge component of a foldable screen of a mobile phone uses a connecting rod design. However, the design structure of the hinge assembly of the foldable screen of the mobile phone is different from the design structure of the hinge assembly of the foldable screen of the tablet computer.

In addition, the design structure of the hinge assembly of the current tablet computer with a foldable screen cannot fully meet the usage requirements.

Specifically, in the current design of the hinge assembly, the trajectory of the hinge assembly is arc-shaped when the hinge assembly rotates. Therefore, during the folding process of the foldable screen, the hinge bracket will interfere with the frame. In order to prevent the hinge bracket and the frame from interfering with each other, part of the frame needs to be hollowed out to create a avoidance space.

However, the hollowed out part of the frame will cause the flexible panel to hang partially. Therefore, if force is applied to the suspended flexible panel, because there is no frame support, it is easy to cause the flexible panel to rupture and damage.

The "prior art" paragraph is only used to help understand the content of the present invention, so the contents disclosed in the "prior art" paragraph may include some conventional technologies that do not constitute the common knowledge in the technical field. The content disclosed in the "prior art" paragraph does not represent the content or the problem to be solved by one or more embodiments of the present invention, and has been known or recognized by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field before the application of the present invention.

The present invention provides a hinge assembly with a novel structure, and the hinge bracket does not need to be provided with an escape space.

The invention provides an electronic device, which can be opened and closed smoothly and has a prolonged service life.

A hinge assembly of the present invention includes a base, a gear rod, a pair of worm gears, a pair of hinge brackets, a pair of first connecting rods, and a pair of second connecting rods. The base has a side surface and a top surface, wherein the top surface has a pair of arc-shaped grooves. The gear rod is attached to the side surface of the base, and the gear rod has a first axial direction and a pair of worm parts symmetrically arranged on the first axial direction. The worm wheel is attached to the side surface of the base, and the worm wheel and the worm part are in one-to-one corresponding meshing. Each hinge bracket has an arc-shaped part, and the arc-shaped part and the arc-shaped slot are arranged one to one. One of the first connecting rods is connected between one of the worm wheels and the arc-shaped part, and the other first connecting rod is connected between the other worm wheel and the arc-shaped parts. One of the second connecting rods is connected between one of the arc-shaped parts and the base, and the other second connecting rod is connected between the other arc-shaped part and the base.

An electronic device of the present invention includes a frame, a flexible panel, and the above-mentioned hinge assembly, wherein the frame is arranged on the hinge assembly, and the flexible panel is arranged on the frame.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned worm gear is a spur gear.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned worm gear is a spur gear.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the aforementioned gear rod rotates with the first axis as the rotation axis, the worm gear moves simultaneously to relatively open or relatively close the hinge bracket.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further includes a first fixing member fixed to the side surface of the base. The first fixing member has a hollow receiving portion, and the gear rod is received in the receiving portion so as to be opposite to the first fixing member. Idling.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are respectively arranged symmetrically with the first fixing member as the center of symmetry.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device further includes a pair of second fixing members that pass through the corresponding worm gear and the first connecting rod and are locked into the base.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the above-mentioned gear rod rotates with the first axis as the rotation axis, the worm gear moves simultaneously to make the outer edge of the hinge bracket move along the respective cloud-shaped trajectory.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned cloud-shaped line trajectory means that when the hinge bracket is opened at 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees, the outer edge of the hinge bracket is located on a virtual circle drawn by a virtual center. When the state is not 0, 45, and 90 degrees, the outer edge of the hinge bracket is located outside the virtual circle.

Based on the above, the present invention provides a hinge assembly with a novel structure, and an electronic device using the hinge assembly can avoid interference between the frame and the base during the opening and closing process, and therefore the frame can maintain a complete shape without the need to provide an escape space. . Therefore, the electronic device can have a longer service life.

The foregoing and other technical content, features, and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, for example: up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only directions for referring to the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are used to illustrate but not to limit the present invention.

[First Embodiment]

FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of the electronic device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an assembled schematic diagram of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the hinge assembly in FIG. 2. In order to clearly show the meshing of the worm gear and the gear rod in Figure 3, some components are omitted.

Please refer to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 at the same time. The electronic device 1 of this embodiment is a tablet computer with a foldable screen, which includes a flexible panel 2, a pair of frames 3, and a hinge assembly 4, wherein the frame 3 is mounted on The hinge assembly 4 and the flexible panel 2 are installed on the plate-shaped frame 3. The electronic device 1 can be relatively opened and closed by changing the state of the hinge assembly 4.

The aforementioned hinge assembly 4 includes a base 41, a gear rod 42, a pair of worm gears 43, a pair of hinge brackets 44, a pair of first connecting rods 45 and a pair of second connecting rods 46.

The base 41 has a side surface 411 and a top surface 412 that are substantially vertically connected, wherein the top surface 412 has a pair of arc-shaped grooves 413.

The gear lever 42 is rotatably attached to the side surface 411 of the base 41. The electronic device 1 further includes a first fixing member 47. The gear rod 42 of this embodiment is attached to the side surface 411 of the base 41 through the first fixing member 47. Specifically, the first fixing member 47 is fixed to the side surface 411 of the base 41, wherein the first fixing member 47 has a hollow receiving portion 471, and the gear rod 42 is received in the receiving portion 471, and the gear rod 42 can be opposite to the first fixing member 47. A fixing member 47 is idling. In other words, the first fixing member 47 is only used to attach the gear rod 42 to the side surface 411 of the base 41 and will not affect the rotation of the gear rod 42.

The gear rod 42 has a first axial direction A1 and a pair of worm parts 421 symmetrically arranged in the first axial direction A1. The first axial direction A1 and the assembly direction D in which the gear rod 42 is assembled to the side surface 411 of the base 41 are perpendicular to each other.

The worm wheel 43 is attached to the side surface 411 of the base 41, and the worm wheel 43 and the worm part 421 mesh with each other one-to-one. The worm gear 43 in this embodiment is a spur gear, and the second axial direction A2 of the worm gear 43 is parallel to the assembly direction D.

The frame 3 is arranged on the hinge bracket 44 and the flexible panel 2 is arranged on the frame 3. Each hinge bracket 44 has an arc portion 441 and a body portion 442 connected to the arc portion 441. The arc-shaped portion 441 and the arc-shaped slot 413 are arranged one to one. The body portions 442 of the two hinge brackets 44 extend and protrude from the arc-shaped portion 441 along different directions in the first axial direction A1. The main body 442 provides enough space to connect with the frame 3.

In order to enable the hinge bracket 44 to rotate relative to the base 41 in conjunction with the actions of the gear rod 42 and the worm wheel 43, the hinge bracket 44, the worm wheel 43 and the base 41 are connected together by a plurality of links.

In this embodiment, four connecting rods (two first connecting rods 45 and two second connecting rods 46) are used to connect the hinge bracket 44, the worm gear 43 and the base 41 together, and the four connecting rods are two The two are arranged in pairs.

The two first connecting rods 45 are connected between the worm wheel 43 and the arc portion 441. Specifically, one of the first connecting rods 45 is connected between one of the worm gears 43 and the arc-shaped portion 441, and the other first connecting rod 45 is connected between the other worm gear 43 and the arc-shaped portion 441. The two first connecting rods 45 have the same shape and size, and are symmetrically arranged with the first fixing member 47 as the center of symmetry and mirroring left and right.

The two second connecting rods 46 are connected between the arc-shaped portion 441 and the base 41. Specifically, one of the second connecting rods 46 is connected between one of the arc-shaped parts 441 and the base 41, and the other second connecting rod 46 is connected between the other arc-shaped part 441 and the base 41. Similar to the arrangement of the first connecting rod 45, the two second connecting rods 46 also have the same shape and size, and are arranged symmetrically with the first fixing member 47 as the center of symmetry, mirroring left and right.

Whether the first connecting rod 45 and the second connecting rod 46 also have the same shape or size is determined according to requirements, but the first connecting rod 45 and the second connecting rod 46 are not symmetrically arranged.

The electronic device 1 further includes a pair of second fixing members 48. The worm gear 43 is rotatably fixed on the side surface 411 of the base 41 through the second fixing member 48. In detail, the second fixing member 48 has a rod shape, passes through the center of the worm wheel 43 and the corresponding first connecting rod 45 and is locked into the base 41. In other words, the second axial direction A2 of the worm wheel 43 is the axial direction of the second fixing member 48 and is also the assembling direction D of the worm wheel 43 to the base 41.

The second fixing member 48 is only used to fix the worm wheel 43 and the first connecting rod 45 on the side surface 411 of the base 41, but does not affect the rotation of the worm wheel 43 and the first connecting rod 45.

4A to 4C are flowcharts of the relatively closed hinge assembly. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the electronic device 1 is opened for flat use, when the hinge assembly 4 is opened 180 degrees, the hinge brackets 44 are arranged in parallel and juxtaposed.

When the electronic device 1 is to be closed, please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C at the same time, and force the two ends of the electronic device 1 to be relatively close. At this time, through the shapes of the arc-shaped portion 441 of the hinge bracket 44 and the arc-shaped groove 413 of the top surface 412 of the base 41 matching and guiding each other, the hinge bracket 44 rotates relative to the base 41.

Specifically, the hinge bracket 44 first uses the end of the second link 46 pivotally connected to the side surface 411 of the base 41 as a rotation axis to rotate relative to the base 41. At the same time, the hinge bracket 44 also rotates on its own by taking the end of the second link 46 pivotally connected to the hinge bracket 44 as the rotation axis. Therefore, the arc-shaped portion 441 of the hinge bracket 44 moves along the contour of the arc-shaped groove 413 of the top surface 412 of the base 41 at the same time, and the two hinge brackets 44 gradually rotate toward each other from the state opened by 180 degrees.

In particular, due to the movement of the hinge bracket 44, the first link 45 also drives the worm wheel 43 to rotate along with the rotation of the hinge bracket 44, and the worm part 421 meshing with the worm wheel 43 is driven to rotate.

Incidentally, since the worm parts 421 located at the two ends of the gear rod 42 mesh with one worm wheel 43, as long as one of the worm wheels 43 rotates, the gear rod 42 is driven by the rotating worm wheel 43 to rotate, and the other worm wheel 43 is synchronously driven to rotate. . In other words, the two worm gears 43 complement and rotate in synchronization.

It can be seen from the above that the worm gears 43 arranged in pairs rotate synchronously, and the worm gears 43 arranged in pairs rotate in reverse. Specifically, in the process of the electronic device 1 from opening to closing, the worm wheel 43 on the left in FIGS. 4A to 4C rotates counterclockwise, and the worm wheel 43 on the right in FIGS. 4A to 4C rotates clockwise. .

Please continue to refer to Figure 1, Figure 4B and Figure 4C. In particular, when the hinge bracket 44 rotates and moves relative to the base 41, since the lengths of the first link 45 and the second link 46 are fixed, they are affected by the first link 45 and the second link 46. When the hinge bracket 44 that is driven by the rotation rotates, the movement track of the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 is not circular.

Specifically, when the hinge bracket 44 uses the second link 46 pivotally connected to the end of the base 41 as a rotation axis to rotate to a certain angle relative to the base 41, it is limited by the length of the first link 45, and the hinge The bracket 44 uses the first connecting rod 45 pivotally connected to the end of the worm wheel 43 as a rotation axis to rotate relative to the base 41.

Due to the transformation of the rotation axis during the rotation of the hinge bracket 44 relative to the base 41, the rotation trajectory of the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 does not simply move along a circular arc, but along a cloud-shaped line trajectory T move.

The cloud-shaped line trajectory T is also shown in FIG. 4C. Please refer to FIG. 4C. The cloud-shaped line trajectory T referred to in this embodiment means that the movement trajectory of the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 does not move along a circular arc.

Specifically, in this embodiment, each hinge bracket 44 is opened at 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees with its virtual center C as the center of rotation (that is, when the two hinge brackets 44 are relatively opened at 0 degrees, 90 degrees, and 180 degrees, ), the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 is located on a virtual circle VC drawn by the virtual center C. When the opening angles of each hinge bracket 44 with its virtual center C as the center of rotation are non-zero degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees (that is, the relative opening angles of the two hinge brackets 44 are non-zero degrees, 90 degrees, and 180 degrees). In the state), the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 is located outside the respective virtual circle VC. Incidentally, only the virtual circle center C of the hinge bracket 44 on the left is shown in FIG. 4A, and only the virtual circle VC of the hinge bracket 44 on the left in the figure is shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, but the hinge bracket 44 on the right also has The virtual center C and virtual circle VC are not shown in the figure.

It can be seen from FIG. 4C that when the two hinge brackets 44 are at 180 degrees, the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 is located on the circumference of the virtual circle VC. When the two hinge brackets 44 are closed from 180 degrees to the angle between the two hinge brackets 44 being 90 degrees, the movement track of the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 is located within the circumference of the virtual circle VC.

When the two hinge brackets 44 are at 90 degrees (that is, one hinge bracket 44 is rotated to 45 degrees), the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 is located on the circumference of the virtual circle VC.

Before the two hinge brackets 44 are closed from 90 degrees to 0 degrees, the movement track of the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 is located outside the circumference of the virtual circle VC.

Through the above-mentioned arrangement structure, the outer edge of the hinge bracket 44 moves along the cloud-shaped line trajectory T, and the frame 3 arranged on the hinge bracket 44 rotates and moves relative to the base 41, the frame 3 and the base 41 There will be no structural interference between 41 and cause the problem of the card. Therefore, it is not necessary for the conventional hinge assembly 4 to hollow out a part of the area at the frame 3 to create a avoidance space. In this way, the frame 3 can maintain a complete structure and can provide good support to the flexible panel 2.

Incidentally, after understanding the above description, those skilled in the art can change the size of the component or the erection structure according to actual needs without violating the spirit of the present invention, thereby changing the trajectory of the cloud-shaped line, and can also achieve the same as the present invention. Technical efficacy.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 again. Incidentally, the electronic device 1 may further include a nut 49 and a washer 50, and the nut 49 and the washer 50 are screwed to the aforementioned second fixing member 48, and the nut 49 and the gasket 50 can apply force to the worm wheel 43 along the assembly direction D to tighten the worm wheel 43, thereby affecting the force required for the rotation of the worm wheel 43. In other words, the torque of the hinge assembly 4 can be further adjusted by the degree to which the nut 49 and the washer 50 squeeze the worm wheel 43.

[Second Embodiment]

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a hinge assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 at the same time. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the type of the worm wheel 43A of this embodiment is different from the type of the worm wheel 43 of the first embodiment.

The spur gear of the worm gear 43 in this embodiment. The advantage of using the spur gear is that the transmission power is large, and the hinge assembly 4A of this embodiment has a smoother and quieter rotation process than the hinge assembly 4 of the first embodiment.

In addition, the implementation aspect of the worm part 421A of this embodiment is different from the worm part 421 of the first embodiment. The thread shape of the worm portion 421A shown in FIG. 5 is similar to the shape of the positive torsion worm wheel 43A.

The operation mode of the hinge assembly 4A has been described in detail in the first embodiment, so the description will not be repeated in the second embodiment.

[Third Embodiment]

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a hinge assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 6, the difference between this embodiment and the foregoing first and second embodiments is that the worm wheel 43A of the second embodiment and the worm portion 421 of the first embodiment are used in this embodiment.

The operation of the hinge assembly 4B has been described in detail in the first embodiment, so the description will not be repeated in the third embodiment.

It can be known from the foregoing first, second, and third embodiments that the implementation of the worm gear and the worm part can be selectively changed according to requirements.

In summary, the present invention provides a hinge assembly with a novel structure, which has the advantages of synchronous and smooth rotation. The electronic device using the novel hinge assembly of this architecture can avoid the problem of structural interference between the frame and the base. Therefore, the frame does not need to hollow out a part of the area to form a avoidance space. The frame maintains the shape and structural integrity, so it can provide good The support for the flexible panel, thereby extending the service life of the electronic device.

1: Electronic device 2: Flexible panel 3: frame 4. 4A, 4B: hinge assembly 41: Pedestal 411: side 412: top surface 413: Arc Groove 42: Gear lever 421, 421A: Worm part 43, 43A: Worm gear 44: Hinge bracket 441: Arc 442: body part 45: first link 46: second link 47: The first fixing part 471: accommodating part 48: second fixing part 49: Nut 50: Gasket D: Assembly direction A1: First axis A2: second axis T: Cloud-shaped line trajectory C: Virtual center VC: Virtual Circle

FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of the electronic device of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the hinge assembly in Fig. 2. 4A to 4C are flowcharts of the relatively closed hinge assembly. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a hinge assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a hinge assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

1: Electronic device

2: Flexible panel

3: frame

4: Hinge assembly

41: Pedestal

411: side

412: top surface

413: Arc Groove

42: Gear lever

421: Worm

43: Worm gear

44: Hinge bracket

441: Arc

442: body part

45: first link

46: second link

47: The first fixing part

471: accommodating part

48: second fixing part

49: Nut

50: Gasket

D: Assembly direction

A1: First axis

A2: second axis

Claims (16)

A hinge assembly includes: A base having a side surface and a top surface, wherein the top surface has a pair of arc-shaped grooves; A gear rod attached to the side surface of the base, the gear rod having a first axial direction and a pair of worm parts symmetrically arranged on the first axial direction; A pair of worm gears attached to the side surface of the base, and the pair of worm gears meshes with the pair of worm parts correspondingly; A pair of hinge brackets, each of the pair of hinge brackets has an arc-shaped portion, and each arc-shaped portion is disposed in one of the corresponding pair of arc-shaped grooves; A pair of first connecting rods, one of the pair of first connecting rods is connected between one of the pair of worm wheels and the arc-shaped part, and the other of the pair of first connecting rods is connected to Between the other of the pair of worm wheels and the arc portion; and A pair of second links, one of the pair of second links is connected between one of the arc-shaped parts and the base, and the other of the pair of second links is connected to the other Between the arc-shaped part and the base. The hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pair of worm gears are spur gears. The hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pair of worm gears are spur gears. The hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein when the gear rod rotates with the first axial direction as the rotation axis, the pair of worm gears move simultaneously to make the pair of hinge brackets relatively open or relatively close. The hinge assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a first fixing member fixed to the side surface of the base, the first fixing member having a hollow receiving portion, and the gear rod is received in the receiving portion so as to face each other The first fixing part rotates idly. The hinge assembly according to claim 5, wherein the pair of first links are symmetrically arranged with the first fixing member as the center of symmetry, and the pair of second links are symmetrical with the first fixing member as the center of symmetry set up. The hinge assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of second fixing parts, which pass through the corresponding pair of worm gears and the pair of first connecting rods and are locked into the base. An electronic device, including: A flexible panel; A hinge assembly, including: A base having a side surface and a top surface, wherein the top surface has a pair of arc-shaped grooves; A gear rod attached to the side surface of the base, the gear rod having a first axial direction and a pair of worm parts symmetrically arranged on the first axial direction; A pair of worm gears attached to the side surface of the base, and the pair of worm gears meshes with the pair of worm parts correspondingly; A pair of hinge brackets, each of the pair of hinge brackets has an arc-shaped portion, and each arc-shaped portion is disposed in one of the corresponding pair of arc-shaped grooves; A pair of first connecting rods, one of the pair of first connecting rods is connected between one of the pair of worm wheels and the arc-shaped part, and the other of the pair of first connecting rods is connected to Between the other of the pair of worm wheels and the arc portion; and A pair of second links, one of the pair of second links is connected between one of the arc-shaped parts and the base, and the other of the pair of second links is connected to the other Between the arc-shaped part and the base. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the pair of worm gears are spur gears. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the pair of worm gears are spur gears. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein when the gear rod rotates with the first axial direction as a rotation axis, the pair of worm gears move simultaneously to make the pair of hinge brackets relatively open or relatively close. The electronic device according to claim 8, further comprising a first fixing member fixed to the side surface of the base, the first fixing member having a hollow accommodating part, and the gear rod is accommodated in the accommodating part so as to be opposite The first fixing part rotates idly. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the pair of first connecting rods are symmetrically arranged with the first fixing member as the center of symmetry, and the pair of second connecting rods are symmetrically arranged with the first fixing member as the center of symmetry set up. The electronic device according to claim 8, further comprising a pair of second fixing members, which pass through the corresponding pair of worm gears and the pair of first connecting rods and are locked into the base. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein when the gear rod rotates with the first axial direction as the axis of rotation, the pair of worm gears move simultaneously so that the outer edges of the pair of hinge brackets follow respective cloud shapes Line trajectory movement. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the cloud-shaped line trajectory refers to the outer edge of the pair of hinge brackets when each of the pair of hinge brackets is opened at 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees. It is located on a virtual circle drawn by a virtual center, and when the state is not 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees, the outer edges of the pair of hinge brackets are located outside the virtual circle.

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