TWM616801U - Hinge assembly and foldable electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

A hinge assembly and a foldable electronic device are provided. The foldable electronic device includes a pair of housings and a pair of hinge assemblies. The hinge assemblies are connected to the housings, so that the housings are capable of being relatively opened and closed. Each of the hinge assemblies includes a pair of brackets, a gear set and a pair of torque elements. The brackets are assembled to the housings correspondingly. The gear set is assembled with the brackets, and the gear set is located on a first side of the brackets. The gear set has a pair of ends, and the ends pass through the brackets and protrude from a second side of the brackets. The first side and the second side are opposite sides. The torque element is correspondingly sleeved at the end. Side surfaces of the hinge assemblies are hidden in the side surfaces of the housing.

Description

Hub assembly and foldable electronic device

The present invention relates to a component and a device, and particularly relates to a hinge component and a foldable electronic device.

For example, a foldable electronic device such as a notebook computer is basically composed of a display terminal and a system terminal that can be opened or closed relative to each other. The display end and the system end are respectively combined with the support frame of the hinge assembly, and the hinge assembly is used as the movement axis to perform opening and closing actions. Generally, the hinge components are set to move simultaneously, so when one of the hinge components rotates, the other hinge component can rotate synchronously.

When the foldable electronic device is used, one end (such as the display end) must be opened to a set angle for positioning, so that it is convenient for the user to operate. Therefore, the hinge component must be provided with a related torsion mechanism to achieve the positioning function.

However, in the existing hinge assembly, the torsion mechanism and the synchronous transmission mechanism are arranged and combined in sequence on the same side of the support frame. In this case, the component elements of the hinge assembly are complex, and along the axis of the hinge assembly, the length of the hinge assembly is very large, and it also occupies a large area in the proportion of the appearance of the foldable electronic device. When the foldable electronic device When the design needs to be thinned or changed, the designer will be troubled.

This new creation provides a hub component with a novel architecture.

The present invention provides a foldable electronic device with a novel appearance, in which the proportion of the exposed part of the hinge component of the foldable electronic device is reduced.

A hinge assembly of the present invention includes a pair of connecting pieces, a gear set and a pair of torsion elements. The gear set is connected to the connecting piece so that the connecting piece can be opened and closed relatively. The gear set is located on a first side of the connecting piece. On two sides, the first side and the second side are opposite sides. The torsion element is correspondingly sleeved at the end.

A foldable electronic device created by the present invention includes a pair of shells and a pair of the above-mentioned hinge components. The hinge assembly is connected to the shell, so that the shell can be relatively opened and closed. The connecting piece in the hinge assembly is correspondingly assembled with the housing, the gear set is assembled with the connecting piece, and the gear set is located on a first side of the connecting piece. The gear set has a pair of ends, and the ends pass through the connecting piece and protrude from A second side, and the first side and the second side are opposite sides. The torsion element is correspondingly sleeved at the end. The side surface of the hinge assembly is hidden in the side surface of the shell.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned gear set includes a frame, a first gear, a fixed pin, a pair of second gears, a pair of fixed shafts, and a gear cover. The frame is located on the first side. The first gear is arranged in the frame. The fixed pin passes through the first gear and is fixed to the frame, wherein the fixed pin serves as the rotation center of the first gear. The second gear is arranged on both sides of the first gear and respectively meshes with the first gear. Fixed shaft pair It should pass through the second gear and the connecting piece, and the fixed shaft has an end protruding from the connecting piece, and the fixed shaft does not rotate with the second gear. The gear cover covers the frame, the first gear, the fixing pin and part of the second gear, wherein the side surface of the gear cover is hidden in the side surface of the housing.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first gear and second gear are spur gears, and the number of the first gears is two.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first gear and second gear are helical gears.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned hinge assembly further includes a pair of buckle rings arranged at the ends, and the torsion element is located between the buckle ring and the connecting member.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned housing can be relatively opened 360 degrees.

Based on the above, this new creation provides a hub component with a novel architecture. Compared with the conventional hinge components, the hub assembly of the present invention has a smaller overall volume. Therefore, when the hinge component of the present invention is applied to a foldable electronic device, the overall proportion of the appearance of the hinge component exposed on the foldable electronic device is also reduced.

10: Folding electronic device

11: shell

11a, 12a: side

12: Hub component

121: connector

121a: Assembly hole

122: gear set

1221: frame

1222, 1222’: First gear

1223: fixed pin

1224, 1224’: second gear

1224a: Assembly Department

1225: fixed shaft

1225a: end

1226: Gear cover

123: Torque element

124: Buckle

S1: First side

S2: second side

X: axial

Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram of an opened foldable electronic device created by the new model.

Fig. 1B is an enlarged schematic diagram of area B of Fig. 1A.

FIG. 1C is a closed schematic diagram of the foldable electronic device of FIG. 1A.

Fig. 2 is an assembly schematic diagram of the hub assembly in Fig. 1B.

Fig. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of the hub assembly of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing that the first gear and the second gear are spur gears.

The aforementioned and other technical content, features and effects of the creation of the new model will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of the 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. The directional terms used are used to illustrate but not to limit the creation of the new model.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an opened foldable electronic device created by the new model, FIG. 1B is an enlarged schematic diagram of area B of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of a closed foldable electronic device of FIG. 1A. Please refer to Figure 1A, Figure 1B and Figure 1C at the same time.

The foldable electronic device 10 of this embodiment includes a pair of housings 11 and a pair of hinge components 12. The hinge assembly 12 connects the two shells 11 so that the two shells 11 can be opened and closed relatively. In this embodiment, one of the two housings 11 is the system end, and the other housing 11 is the display end. However, in other possible embodiments, the two housings 11 may also be display terminals, such as a foldable display panel. In addition, through the hinge assembly 12, the housing 11 can be relatively opened 360 degrees.

In view of the above, each hinge assembly 12 includes a pair of connecting members 121, a gear set 122 and a pair of torsion elements 123.

The connecting member 121 is correspondingly connected to the housing 11. Specifically, the connecting member 121 may be a plate frame, and a locking member (such as a screw) passes through the connecting member 121 and is locked into the housing 11 to The connecting member 121 and the housing 11 are assembled together.

The gear set 122 is assembled with the connecting member 121, and the gear set 122 is located on a first side S1 of the connecting member 121. The gear set 122 has a pair of ends 1225a (shown in FIG. 3), and the end 1225a passes through the connecting member 121 and protrudes to a second side S2 of the connecting member 121, wherein the first side S1 and the second side S2 are opposite sides .

The torsion element 123 is correspondingly sleeved on the end 1225a, and the torsion element 123 is used to provide torque.

It can be seen from the above that the torsion element 123 and the gear set 122 are located on opposite sides of the connecting member 121. Compared with the conventional hinge assembly structure in which the torsion element 123 and the gear set 122 are arranged on the same side of the connecting member 121, the overall structure of the hinge assembly 12 of this embodiment has been reconfigured, so the hinge assembly 12 is arranged along the axis. As the length toward X becomes shorter, the overall size of the hinge assembly 12 is effectively reduced. Therefore, when the hinge assembly 12 is applied to the foldable electronic device 10, the proportion of the hinge assembly 12 in the overall appearance of the foldable electronic device 10 is also reduced, which is beneficial to the improvement of the slim design of the foldable electronic device 10.

Incidentally, it can be seen from FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C that the side surface 12a of the hinge assembly 12 is embedded in the side surface 11a of the housing 11. This reduces the visual difference in the appearance of the side of the foldable electronic device 10 due to the exposed components, and makes the side of the foldable electronic device 10 have integrity and consistency in visual effects.

FIG. 2 is an assembly schematic diagram of the hinge assembly in FIG. 1B, and FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic view of the hinge assembly in FIG. 2. Please refer to Figure 1B, Figure 2 and Figure 3 at the same time.

The gear set 122 includes a frame 1221, a first gear 1222, and a fixed Pin 1223, a pair of second gears 1224, a pair of fixed shafts 1225, and a gear cover 1226.

The frame 1221 is located on the first side S1 of the connecting member 121. The first gear 1222 is provided in the frame 1221. The fixing pin 1223 passes through the first gear 1222 and is fixed to the frame 1221 to fix the first gear 1222 in the frame 1221, wherein the fixing pin 1223 serves as the rotation center of the first gear 1222.

The second gear 1224 is arranged on both sides of the first gear 1222 and meshes with the first gear 1222 respectively. Incidentally, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the first side S1 refers to the right side of the connecting piece 121, so the frame 1221 is located on the right side of the connecting piece 121; the second side S2 refers to the left side of the connecting piece 121, so the torsion element is located at 123 On the left side of the connector 121. The two sides of the aforementioned first gear 1222 are different from the first side S1 and the second side S2 of the connecting member 121. Specifically, the axial direction of the first gear 1222 and the axial direction of the second gear 1224 are perpendicular to each other, and the two second gears 1224 are located on opposite sides of the first gear 1222 in the radial direction to mesh with the first gear 1222.

In this embodiment, the first gear 1222 and the second gear 1224 are helical gears.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing that the first gear and the second gear are spur gears. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the first gear 1222' and the second gear 1224' may be spur gears, and the first gear 1222' is provided as two. Correspondingly, the frame 1221 may not be provided, and a plate is used to limit the first gear 1222' and the second gear 1224', so that the first gear 1222' and the second gear 1224' can only rotate without moving along Move in other directions.

It is better to use helical gears for the first gear 1222 and the second gear 1224 than to use spur gears. The advantage is that the meshing force between the gears is stronger and the tooth breakage is less likely to occur.

In view of the above, the fixed shaft 1225 passes through the second gear 1224 and the connecting member 121 correspondingly, and the fixed shaft 1225 has an end 1225 a protruding from the connecting member 121. In particular, in this embodiment, the fixed shaft 1225 does not rotate with the second gear 1224.

However, the second gear 1224 has an assembling portion 1224a, and the connecting member 121 has an assembling hole 121a corresponding to the assembling portion 1224a. The cross-sectional shape of the assembling portion 1224a is not limited, and can be rectangular, triangular or polygonal, and the assembling hole The shape of 121a corresponds to the shape of the assembling portion 1224a. The assembly portion 1224a of the second gear 1224 is correspondingly assembled into the assembly hole 121a of the connecting member 121. When one of the second gear 1224 and the connecting member 121 rotates, it will drive the second gear 1224 and the connecting member 121 The other one turned around.

The gear cover 1226 covers the frame 1221, the first gear 1222, the fixing pin 1223, and part of the second gear 1224 on the first side S1 of the connecting member 121, wherein the side surface of the gear cover 1226 (that is, the side surface 12a of the gear set 122) It is hidden in the side surface 11a of the casing 11.

In view of the above, the hinge assembly 12 further includes a pair of buckle rings 124 arranged at the end 1225 a, and the torsion element 123 is located between the buckle ring 124 and the connecting member 121. The torsion element 123 and the buckle ring 124 located on the second side S2 of the connecting member 121 are hidden inside the housing 11.

It can be seen from the above that the part of the hinge assembly 12 exposed outside the housing 11 is the gear cover 1226 located on the first side S1 of the connecting member 121 and the part covered by the gear cover 1226. Because the gear cover 1226 covers most of the components, from the appearance of the foldable electronic device 10, the user will only see the gear cover 1226, but not To the components covered by the gear cover 1226.

The connecting piece 121, the torsion element 123 and the retaining ring 124 are hidden inside the housing 11. The first gear 1222, the second gear 1224, the frame 1221, the fixed shaft 1225, and the fixed pin 1223 are tightly assembled to achieve compactness. Structure. In other words, along the axial direction X of the hinge assembly 12, the overall length of the part of the hinge assembly 12 located on the first side S1 is not very large. Therefore, the portion of the hinge assembly 12 exposed from the outside of the housing 11 occupies a small proportion to the entire housing 11, and it is relatively difficult to be noticed visually. Therefore, for users, the foldable electronic device 10 has a simple, beautifying and consistent appearance and visual effect.

Please continue to refer to FIGS. 1A to 1C. When the foldable electronic device 10 of this embodiment is used, for example, the foldable electronic device 10 is opened from the closed state of FIG. 1C to the opened state of FIG. 1A, and the two housings 11 is relatively open, wherein only one of the shells 11 can be opened relative to the other shell 11.

Please refer to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 2 at the same time, through the assembling portion 1224a of the second gear 1224 correspondingly assembled into the assembling hole 121a of the connecting member 121, the second gear 1224 is assembled to the housing 11 The connecting member 121 is driven to rotate with the fixed shaft 1225 as the axis of rotation. The rotating second gear 1224 drives the first gear 1222 meshed with the second gear 1224 to rotate, and then drives the first gear 1222 that is also meshed with the first gear 1222 and is located at the first gear 1222. The second gear 1224 on the other side of the one gear 1222 rotates, thus driving the other connecting member 121 to act. Since the housing 11 and the connecting member 121 are assembled together, the two housings 11 move simultaneously during the opening process.

The torsion element 123 is driven by the rotation of the connecting piece 121, so the torsion element The piece 123 rotates relative to the fixed shaft 1225. Due to the torsion force generated by the friction between the torsion element 123 and the fixed shaft 1225, the user pauses in the process of opening or closing the housing 11, and the two housings 11 can be maintained at a fixed angle.

When the two shells 11 are closed to each other, the two shells 11 also move simultaneously.

To sum up, in the hub assembly of the present invention, by rearranging the arrangement of the components, the hub assembly of the present invention can effectively reduce the overall volume compared with the conventional hub assembly. In addition, the hub component created by the present invention has the advantage of novel architecture compared to the conventional hub component.

Since the overall volume of the hinge component of the present invention is effectively reduced, when the hinge component of the present invention is applied to a foldable electronic device, the overall proportion of the hinge component exposed to the appearance of the foldable electronic device is also reduced, which is convenient for folding. The slim design of the foldable electronic device, and the foldable electronic device has a simple, overall consistent and beautified appearance.

The above are only the preferred embodiments of the creation of the new model, and should not be used to limit the scope of implementation of the creation of the new model, that is, simple equivalent changes made in accordance with the scope of the patent application for the creation of the new model and the content of the new creation description And modifications are still within the scope of the new creation patent. In addition, any embodiment of the new creation or the scope of the patent application does not have to achieve all the objectives or advantages or features disclosed in the new creation. In addition, the abstract part and title are only used to assist the search of patent documents, not to limit the scope of rights of the creation of the new model. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" mentioned in this specification or the scope of the patent application are only used to name elements (element) The name or difference between different embodiments or ranges is not used to limit the upper or lower limit of the number of components.

10: Folding electronic device

11: shell

11a, 12a: side

12: Hub component

121: connector

122: gear set

1221: frame

1222: first gear

1223: fixed pin

1224: second gear

1225a: end

1226: Gear cover

123: Torque element

124: Buckle

S1: First side

S2: second side

X: axial

Claims (11)

A hub component including: A pair of connecting pieces; A gear set is assembled with a pair of the connecting pieces so that a pair of the connecting pieces can be opened and closed relatively. The gear set is located on a first side of the pair of connecting pieces. The gear set has a pair of ends and a The end passes through the pair of connecting pieces and protrudes to a second side of the pair of connecting pieces, the first side and the second side being two opposite sides; and A pair of torsion elements are correspondingly sleeved on a pair of ends. The hub assembly according to claim 1, wherein the gear set includes; A frame located on the first side; A first gear set in the frame; A fixing pin passing through the first gear to be fixed to the frame, wherein the fixing pin serves as the rotation center of the first gear; A pair of second gears are arranged on both sides of the first gear and respectively mesh with the first gear; A pair of fixed shafts respectively pass through a pair of the second gears and a pair of the connecting pieces, and a pair of the fixed shafts have a pair of the ends protruding from the pair of connecting pieces, and a pair of the fixed shafts are not accompanied by a pair of the connecting pieces. Rotate the second gear; and A gear cover covers the frame, the first gear, the fixing pin and part of a pair of the second gear. The hinge assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first gear and the pair of second gears are spur gears. The hinge assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first gear and the pair of second gears are helical gears. The hinge assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of buckles arranged at a pair of ends, and a pair of the torsion element is located between the pair of buckles and the pair of connecting members. A foldable electronic device, including: A pair of shells; A pair of hinge components are connected to the pair of shells so that the pair of shells can be opened and closed relatively, wherein each of the pair of hinge components includes: A pair of connecting pieces, correspondingly assemble a pair of the shells; A gear set is assembled with a pair of the connecting pieces. The gear set is located on a first side of the connecting piece. The gear set has a pair of ends, and a pair of the ends protrude through a pair of the connecting pieces. A second side of the connecting member, the first side and the second side being two opposite sides; and A pair of torsion elements are correspondingly sleeved on a pair of ends, Wherein, the side surface of the hinge assembly is concealed in a pair of side surfaces of the shell. The foldable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the gear set includes; A frame located on the first side; A first gear set in the frame; A fixing pin passing through the first gear to be fixed to the frame, wherein the fixing pin serves as the rotation center of the first gear; A pair of second gears are arranged on both sides of the first gear and respectively mesh with the first gear; A pair of fixed shafts respectively pass through a pair of the second gears and a pair of the connecting pieces, and a pair of the fixed shafts have a pair of the ends protruding from the pair of connecting pieces, and a pair of the fixed shafts are not accompanied by a pair of the connecting pieces. Rotate the second gear; and A gear cover covers the frame, the first gear, the fixing pin and part of a pair of the second gears, wherein the side surface of the gear cover is hidden in the side surface of the pair of shells. The foldable electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the first gear is a spur gear, and the set number is two, and the pair of second gears are also spur gears. The foldable electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the first gear and the pair of second gears are helical gears. The foldable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the hinge assembly further includes a pair of buckles disposed at a pair of ends, and a pair of the torsion elements are located between a pair of buckles and a pair of the connecting pieces between. The foldable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein a pair of the casings can be relatively opened 360 degrees.

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