TWI815386B - Electronic device and hinge structure - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device includes a first body, a second body and a hinge structure. The hinge structure includes a base, a rack, a rotation shaft and at least one position-limiting component. The base is connected to the first body. The rack is disposed on the base. The rotation shaft is connected to the second body and elevatably pivoted to the base. The gear is disposed on the rotation shaft and engaged with the rack. When the rotation shaft is pivotally rotated with respect to the base, the gear moves along the rack to drive the rotation shaft and the second body to be elevated.

Description

Electronic devices and pivot structures

The present invention relates to an electronic device and a pivot structure, and in particular to an electronic device including a plurality of bodies and a pivot structure thereof.

Notebook computers and other electronic products include multiple bodies. The bodies can be relatively closed for portability or storage, and the bodies can be relatively unfolded for users to operate and view display screens. In order to respond to the design trend of thinner electronic products, the distance between the bodies when they are relatively closed needs to be designed to be smaller. However, if the distance is designed to be too small, the bodies will not be able to smoothly unfold relative to each other due to structural interference.

The present invention provides an electronic device and a pivot structure that can take into account the thinning design trend on the premise that the body can operate smoothly.

The electronic device of the present invention includes a first body, a second body and a pivot structure. The pivot structure includes a base body, a rack, a rotating shaft, a gear and at least one limiting member. The base body is connected to the first body. The rack is arranged on the base body. The rotating shaft is connected to the second body and is pivotally connected to the base body in a liftable and lowerable manner. The gear is arranged on the rotating shaft and meshes with the rack. When the rotating shaft pivots relative to the base body, the gear moves along the rack to drive the rotating shaft and the second body to rise and fall. The limiting member is connected between the rack and the rotating shaft to limit the distance between the gear and the rack.

The pivot structure of the present invention includes a base body, a rack, a rotating shaft, a gear and at least one limiting member. The rack is arranged on the base body. The rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the base body in a liftable manner. The gear is arranged on the rotating shaft and meshes with the rack. When the rotating shaft pivots relative to the base, the gear moves along the rack and drives the rotating shaft to rise and fall. The limiting member is connected between the rack and the rotating shaft to limit the distance between the gear and the rack.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned limiting member is slidably disposed on the rack along a sliding direction, and the rotating shaft is adapted to move up and down relative to the base along the sliding direction.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the base body along a rotation axis, and the rotating shaft is pivotally connected to at least one limiting member along the rotation axis.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the base body along a rotation axis, and the rotation axis passes through the center of the gear.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the number of the above-mentioned limiting members is two, and the gear and the rack are limited between the two limiting members.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned base has at least one guide part. The guide part has a slot. The rotating shaft is rotatably passed through the slot and is suitable for lifting and lowering along the slot.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the number of the above-mentioned guide parts is two, and the gear and at least one limiting member are located between the two guide parts.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned pivot structure further includes a torsion component, and the torsion component is disposed on the rotating shaft to provide torsion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the back side of the rack has at least one slide groove, and the end of at least one limiting member has a bent portion, and the bent portion is slidably located in the at least one slide groove.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned chute is a dovetail chute.

Based on the above, the present invention is provided with a rack and a gear respectively on the base body and the rotating shaft of the pivot structure. When the rotating shaft rotates as the second body is unfolded, the rotating shaft can be moved by the movement of the gear along the rack. Subsequently, the second body connected to the rotating shaft is lifted up relative to the first body. Thereby, even if the distance between the first body and the second body when they are relatively closed is designed to be small, the second body can still use the lifting action without interfering with the first body during rotation, so as to smoothly move relative to the second body. A body unfolds. In addition, the pivot structure of the present invention is further provided with a limiter between the rack and the rotating shaft, so that the distance between the gear and the rack is limited, thereby preventing the gear and the rack from meshing too tightly or too loosely. The pivot structure operates smoothly.

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1 . The electronic device 100 of this embodiment includes a first body 110 , a second body 120 and a pivot structure 130 . The first body 110 and the second body 120 are pivotally connected to each other through the pivot structure 130 so that the second body 120 can expand and close relative to the first body 110 (shown in a closed state in FIG. 1 ). In this embodiment, the electronic device 100 is, for example, a notebook computer, the first body 110 is, for example, a partial casing of the notebook computer's host, and the second body 120 is, for example, a partial casing of the notebook computer's screen. In other embodiments, the electronic device 100 may be other types of electronic products, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of partial components of the electronic device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pivot structure of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the pivot structure of FIG. 3 . FIG. 5 is a perspective view of partial components of the pivot structure of FIG. 3 . Please refer to FIGS. 2 to 5 . The pivot structure 130 of this embodiment includes a base 132 , a rack 134 , a rotating shaft 136 and a gear 138 . The base 132 is connected to the first body 110 , and the rack 134 is fixedly disposed on the base 132 . The rotating shaft 136 is connected to the second body 120 (shown in FIG. 1 ), and the rotating shaft 136 is pivotably connected to the base 132 along the rotation axis A so as to be able to move up and down. The gear 138 is fixedly disposed on the rotating shaft 136 and meshes with the rack 134 , and the rotation axis A passes through the center of the gear 138 . When the rotating shaft 136 pivots relative to the base 132, the gear 138 moves along the rack 134 to drive the rotating shaft 136 and the second body 120 to rise and fall.

6A to 6E illustrate the process of unfolding the second body of FIG. 1 relative to the first body. Through the aforementioned configuration, when the rotating shaft 136 rotates with the unfolding of the second body 120 as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6E , the rotating shaft 136 can be lifted by the movement of the gear 138 along the rack 134. This drives the second body 120 connected to the rotating shaft 136 to lift relative to the first body 110 . Therefore, even if the distance G (marked in FIG. 6A ) between the first body 110 and the second body 120 when they are relatively closed is designed to be small, the second body 120 can still be moved by the lifting action without being in contact with the first body during rotation. The body 110 interferes to smoothly deploy relative to the first body 110 . When the rotating shaft 136 rotates with the closing of the second body 120 as shown in FIGS. 6E to 6A , the rotating shaft 136 can be lowered by the movement of the gear 138 along the rack 134 , thereby driving the rotating shaft 136 connected to the rotating shaft 136 . The second body 120 of 136 descends relative to the first body 110 and returns to the state where there is a small distance G between the first body 110 and the second body 120 as shown in FIG. 6A .

FIG. 7 is a side view of the pivot structure of FIG. 5 . The pivot structure 130 of this embodiment further includes two limiting members 139 . The limiting member 139 is connected between the rack 134 and the rotating shaft 136 to limit the distance in the direction D between the gear 138 and the rack 134 . Thereby, the meshing between the gear 138 and the rack 134 can be prevented from being too tight or too loose, so that the pivot structure 130 can operate smoothly. In this embodiment, the limiting member 139 is divided into two independent components instead of being integrally connected, so that the assembly of the overall structure can be simplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the two limiting members 139 can be integrated into a single component.

In detail, the limiting member 139 of this embodiment is slidably mounted on the rack 134 along the sliding direction S. The rotating shaft 136 is pivotally connected to the opening 139a of the limiting member 139 along the rotation axis A, and the rotating shaft 136 is adapted to slide along the sliding direction S. Lifts and lowers relative to the base 132 . That is, the limiting member 139 and the rotating shaft 136 are driven by the gear 138 to move up and down along the sliding direction S, and the rotating shaft 136 pivots in the opening 139a of the limiting member 139 during this operation process. More specifically, the base 132 of this embodiment has two guide parts 1321, and each guide part 1321 has a slot 1321a extending along the sliding direction S. The rotating shaft 136 is rotatably inserted through the slot 1321a and can be raised and lowered along the slot 1321a. In other embodiments, the base 132 may use other appropriate structures for the rotating shaft 136 to be slidably pivoted thereon, and the invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the gear 138 and the rack 134 are limited between the two limiting members 139 , and the gear 138 and the two limiting members 139 are limited between the two guide parts 1321 to make the overall structure stable. In addition, the pivot structure 130 further includes a torsion component 131. The torsion component 131 is sleeved on the rotating shaft 136 to provide torsion. For example, the torsion component 131 is in contact with a guide portion 1321 along the axial direction of the rotation shaft 136 (ie, the extension direction of the rotation axis A), and the rotation shaft 136 is in contact with another guide portion 1321 along the axial direction of the rotation shaft 136 by its stopper portion 1361 . The guide portion 1321 is used to fix the position of the rotating shaft 136 in the axial direction.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the pivot structure of FIG. 5 from another perspective. FIG. 9 is a top view of the pivot structure of FIG. 8 . Please refer to Figures 8 and 9. In this embodiment, the rack 134 has two slide grooves 134a on the back. The end of each limiting member 139 has a bent portion 1391. Each bent portion 1391 is slidably mounted on the corresponding slide groove 134a. , so as to cooperate with the guide portion 1321 (shown in FIG. 3 ) to stop the limiting member 139 so that the limiting member 139 can be firmly slid on the rack 134 . In this embodiment, the slide groove 134a of the rack 134 is, for example, a dovetail groove as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 , and the bent portion 1391 of the limiting member 139 has a corresponding shape, so that the bent portion 1391 can be firmly fixed. Slide on the chute 134a.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a pivot structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a top view of the pivot structure of FIG. 10 . The difference between the embodiment shown in Figures 10 and 11 and the embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9 is that the chute 134a in Figures 8 and 9 is a circular dovetail groove, while the chute 134a in Figures 10 and 11 is a circular dovetail groove. General dovetail groove. Figure 12 is a perspective view of a pivot structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a top view of the pivot structure of FIG. 12 . The difference between the embodiment shown in Figures 12 and 13 and the previous embodiment is that the chute 134a of the previous embodiment is a dovetail groove, while the chute 134a of Figures 12 and 13 is not a dovetail groove. Designing the chute 134a as a non-dovetail groove can reduce the manufacturing and assembly accuracy requirements of the chute 134a of the stopper 139 and the rack 134.

To sum up, the present invention is provided with a rack and a gear on the base and the rotating shaft of the pivot structure respectively, and the gear can be moved along the rack when the rotating shaft rotates as the second body is unfolded. The rotating shaft is raised accordingly, thereby driving the second body connected to the rotating shaft to be raised relative to the first body. Thereby, even if the distance between the first body and the second body when they are relatively closed is designed to be small, the second body can still use the lifting action without interfering with the first body during rotation, so as to smoothly move relative to the second body. A body unfolds. In addition, the pivot structure of the present invention is further provided with a limiter between the rack and the rotating shaft, so that the distance between the gear and the rack is limited, thereby preventing the gear and the rack from meshing too tightly or too loosely. The pivot structure operates smoothly.

100: Electronic devices 110:First body 120:Second body 130: Pivot structure 131:Torque component 132: base body 1321: Guidance Department 1321a: Grooving 134:Rack 134a:Chute 136:Rotating axis 1361: Stopper 138:Gear 139:Limiting parts 1391: Bending part 139a:Opening A:Rotation axis D: direction G: spacing S: sliding direction

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of partial components of the electronic device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pivot structure of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the pivot structure of FIG. 3 . FIG. 5 is a perspective view of partial components of the pivot structure of FIG. 3 . 6A to 6E illustrate the process of unfolding the second body of FIG. 1 relative to the first body. FIG. 7 is a side view of the pivot structure of FIG. 5 . FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the pivot structure of FIG. 5 from another perspective. FIG. 9 is a top view of the pivot structure of FIG. 8 . Figure 10 is a perspective view of a pivot structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a top view of the pivot structure of FIG. 10 . Figure 12 is a perspective view of a pivot structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a top view of the pivot structure of FIG. 12 .

100: Electronic devices

110:First body

120:Second body

130: Pivot structure

131:Torque component

132: base body

1321: Guidance Department

1321a: Grooving

134:Rack

136:Rotating axis

1361: Stopper

138:Gear

139:Limiting parts

S: sliding direction

Claims (16)

An electronic device includes: a first body; a second body; and a pivot structure, including: a base body connected to the first body and having at least one guide portion; a rack configured on The base body; a rotating shaft connected to the second body and pivotally connected to the base body in an elevating and lowering manner; a gear disposed on the rotating shaft and engaged with the rack, wherein when the rotating shaft pivots relative to the base body When the gear moves along the rack, it drives the rotating shaft and the second body to rise and fall; and at least one limiting member is connected between the rack and the rotating shaft to limit the distance between the gear and the rack. , wherein the at least one limiting member is slidably disposed on one of the two opposing outer walls of the rack along a sliding direction, wherein the number of the at least one limiting member is two, and the gear and the rack are The gear and the two limiting members are limited between the two guiding parts. The number of the at least one guide part is two. The gear and the two limiting parts are limited between the two guiding parts. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotating shaft is adapted to move up and down relative to the base along the sliding direction. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the base along a rotation axis, and the rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the at least one limiting member along the rotation axis. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the base along a rotation axis, and the rotation axis passes through the center of the gear. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one guide portion has a slot, and the rotating shaft is rotatably passed through the slot and is suitable for lifting and lowering along the slot. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the pivot structure further includes a torsion component disposed on the rotating shaft to provide torsion. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the back side of the rack has at least one slide groove, and the end of the at least one limiting member has a bent portion, and the bent portion is slidably located in the at least one slide groove. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the at least one chute is a dovetail slot. A pivot structure includes: a base body having at least one guide portion; a rack configured on the base body; a rotating shaft pivotably connected to the base body in an elevating and lowering manner; and a gear configured on the rotating shaft and engaged with the base body. The rack, wherein when the rotating shaft pivots relative to the base, the gear moves along the rack to drive the rotating shaft to rise and fall; and at least one limiting member is connected between the rack and the rotating shaft to limit The distance between the gear and the rack, wherein the at least one limiting member is slidably disposed on two opposite sides of the rack along a sliding direction. One of the outer wall surfaces, wherein the number of the at least one limiting member is two, the gear and the rack are limited between the two limiting members, the number of the at least one guide part is two, the The gear and the two limiting parts are limited between the two guide parts. The pivot structure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the rotating shaft is adapted to move up and down relative to the base along the sliding direction. The pivot structure of claim 9, wherein the rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the base body along a rotation axis, and the rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the at least one limiting member along the rotation axis. The pivot structure of claim 9, wherein the rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the base body along a rotation axis, and the rotation axis passes through the center of the gear. The pivot structure of claim 9, wherein the at least one guide portion has a slot, the rotating shaft is rotatably passed through the slot and is suitable for lifting and lowering along the slot. The pivot structure of claim 9 further includes a torsion component, wherein the torsion component is disposed on the rotating shaft to provide torsion. The pivot structure of claim 9, wherein the back surface of the rack has at least one slide groove, and the end of the at least one limiting member has a bent portion, and the bent portion is slidably located in the at least one slide groove. The pivot structure of claim 15, wherein the at least one slide groove is a dovetail groove.

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