TWM628185U - Hinge - Google Patents

Abstract

A hinge includes a base, a rotatable bracket and an interference piece. The base includes a receiving trough, and the receiving trough is arranged parallel to an axial direction. The rotatable bracket includes a rotatable member, the rotatable member is arranged parallel to the axial direction, and both ends of the rotatable member are slidably combined with the base and located in the receiving trough, so that the rotatable member is able to rotate about the axial direction on the base. The rotatable member has a torsional friction surface facing the receiving trough. In a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction, the torsional friction surface at least includes a portion having a radius of curvature that is not equal to the radius of curvature of other portions, and the torsional friction surface does not contact base. The interference piece is arranged in the receiving trough. One end of the interference piece is fixed to the base, and a portion of the interference piece between two ends thereof does not contact the base and arranged in a suspending manner. The interference piece is located between the base and the torsional friction surface. The interference piece is shaped in a curved shape and bends toward the torsional friction surface, so as to form a local surface contact with the torsion friction surface in a tight manner, and a contact area of the local surface contact changes along with the sliding of the rotatable member relative to the base.

Description

Hinge

The present invention relates to hinges, in particular to a hinge that can change torsional resistance with rotation.

A foldable electronic device (such as a notebook computer, a foldable mobile phone or other electronic components) connects the two bodies with a hinge, so that the angle between the two bodies (usually 180 degrees to overlap each other) can be arbitrarily Change. The two bodies can usually be divided into an operation part placed on a desktop or held on a hand, and a main display part. Generally speaking, the user adjusts the included angle to an appropriate size so that the main display portion can be viewed with a comfortable posture during operation.

The hinge must provide appropriate torsional resistance to resist the dead weight of the main display portion or the torsional force generated when the electronic device is shaken, and maintain the aforementioned included angle. There are roughly two ways to provide torsional resistance. The first is to add a damping washer to the structure of the hinge to provide torsional resistance. The torsional resistance provided by the damper washers usually does not change with rotation, but maintains a fixed value. However, when the damping washer provides sufficient torsional resistance, it also means that the angle between the two bodies is not easy to change. When the user folds or unfolds the electronic device, he must continuously apply a relatively large force to adjust to a desired angle. Another form is a combination of springs, ejector rods and cams to provide variable torsional resistance, providing large torque within the range of angles often required by users force resistance, while providing a small torsional resistance outside the angular range. However, such a combined structure is relatively complex and has a temporary space, which is not suitable for application in small-sized, light and thin electronic devices such as mobile phones.

In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes a hinge, which has a simple structure and small volume and provides variable torsional resistance.

The present invention provides a hinge, which includes a base, a rotating bracket and an interference piece. The base has a setting slot, and the setting slot is arranged parallel to an axial direction. The rotating bracket includes a rotating part, the rotating part is arranged parallel to the axis direction, and the two ends of the rotating part are slidably combined with the base and located in the setting groove, so that the rotating part rotates around the axis direction on the base. The rotating part has a torsion friction surface facing the setting groove. In the radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction, the torsion friction surface has at least a partial curvature radius that is not equal to the curvature radius of other parts, and the torsion friction surface does not contact the base. The interference piece is located in the setting groove, one end of the interference piece is fixed on the base, and the part between the two ends of the interference piece is in a suspended (or suspended) state without contacting the base. The interference piece is located between the base and the torsion friction surface. The interference piece is curved and curved toward the torsion friction surface, so as to be in urgent contact with the part of the torsion friction surface, forming partial surface contact with the torsion friction surface, and the surface contact A contact area of changes with the sliding of the rotating part relative to the base.

In at least one embodiment, the rotating bracket further includes an assembly portion disposed on one side of the rotating portion.

In at least one embodiment, the base includes at least one first sliding joint, and the rotating bracket includes at least one second sliding joint; wherein, the first sliding joint is disposed at one end of the setting groove, The second sliding joint part is arranged at one end of the rotating part, and the second sliding joint part is combined with the first sliding joint part.

In at least one embodiment, the first sliding joint portion and the second sliding joint portion are a combination of an arc-shaped guide groove and an arc-shaped guide rail, and the arc-shaped guide rail is slidably arranged in the arc-shaped guide groove, so that the The rotating part slides relative to the base along an arc path and rotates around the axis.

In at least one embodiment, the center of curvature of the arc-shaped path lies in the direction of the axis.

In at least one embodiment, the radius of curvature of the torsional friction surface varies continuously.

In at least one embodiment, the radius of curvature of the torsional friction surface varies discontinuously.

In at least one embodiment, portions of the same radius of curvature are arranged discontinuously.

In at least one embodiment, an opening is formed on the base to communicate with the setting groove and the outside of the base.

Through the above technical solutions, the hinge of the present invention can change the frictional force inside the hinge with the angle during the rotation process, thereby providing the torsional resistance that changes with the angle. The hinge of the new type has the characteristics of simple structure and small volume, so that it can be applied to small and thin electronic devices.

100: Hinge

110: Pedestal

113: Setting slot

114: The first sliding joint

116: Opening

120: Swivel bracket

121: Rotary part

122: Assembly Department

123: Second sliding joint

124: Torsion friction surface

130: Interference sheet

130a: Screws

130b: Positioning post

210: Linkage mechanism

220,230: Body

X: axis direction

R0~R4, Rmax: radius of curvature

A0,A1,A3,A4: Contact area

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line A-A' in Fig. 3 .

Fig. 5 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line B-B' in Fig. 3 .

6 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the rotating bracket and the interference piece in the first embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hinge at a small included angle in the first embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a partial cross-sectional schematic view of the rotating bracket and the interference piece at a small angle in the first embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hinge at another smaller included angle in the first embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hinge at a small included angle in the second embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the rotating bracket and the interference piece at a small angle in the first embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hinge at a larger angle in the second embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a partial cross-sectional schematic view of the rotating bracket and the interference piece at a large angle in the first embodiment of the present invention.

14 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of another rotating bracket and an interference piece in the second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 , a hinge 100 provided by the first embodiment of the present invention includes a base 110 , one or more rotating brackets 120 and one or more interference flakes 130 . FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 take the pair of two rotating brackets 120 and the corresponding two interference pieces 130 as an example for illustration. The number of the rotating brackets 120 and the interference pieces 130 can be changed as required.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the hinge 100 can be combined with the two bodies 220 , 230 , so that the two bodies 220 , 230 form a foldable electronic device, wherein each rotating bracket 120 is connected to one of the two rotating brackets 120 .

In the following, an illustration is given by taking a base 110 cooperating with a rotating bracket 120 and an interference piece 130 . It should be noted that multiple sets of corresponding structures may be provided on the base 110 to match the multiple rotating brackets 120 and the multiple interference pieces 130 . The rotating brackets 120 are generally arranged in pairs on the base 110 , that is, multiple pairs of rotating brackets 120 may be arranged on the base 110 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , 4 and 5 , the base 110 has a setting groove 113 and a pair of first sliding joints 114 . The cross section of the setting slot 113 is semicircular, the setting slot 113 is arranged parallel to an axial direction X, and each first sliding joint 114 is respectively arranged at both ends of the setting slot 113 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 and 6 , the rotating bracket 120 includes a rotating portion 121 and an assembling portion 122 . The rotating portion 121 is disposed parallel to the axis direction X, and two ends of the rotating portion 121 are respectively provided with a second sliding joint portion 123 . Each of the second sliding joints 123 is slidably coupled to the corresponding first sliding joints 114 and located in the setting grooves 113 , so that both ends of the rotating portion 121 are slidably coupled to the base 110 , so that the rotating portion 121 is slidably coupled to the base 110 . It can rotate around the axis direction X on the base 110 .

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , the first sliding joint portion 114 and the second sliding joint portion 123 are a combination of an arc-shaped guide groove and an arc-shaped guide rail. The arc-shaped guide groove and the arc-shaped guide rail are arranged concentrically, and the arc-shaped guide rail is slidably arranged in the arc-shaped guide groove, and its equal center of curvature falls on the axis direction X. The combination of the arc-shaped guide groove and the arc-shaped guide rail enables the rotating part 121 to slide relative to the base 110 along an arc-shaped path and rotate around the axis direction X.

As shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , 5 and 6 , the rotating portion 121 has a torsion friction surface 124 facing the setting groove 113 . In the radial direction perpendicular to the axis direction X of the torsional friction surface 124 of the rotating part 121, at least a partial curvature radius is not equal to the curvature radius of other parts. In addition, the torsional friction surface 124 is not in contact with the base 110 , and the assembling portion 122 is disposed on one side of the rotating portion 121 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , in the first embodiment, the curvature radius of the torsion friction surface 124 exhibits a continuous linear change, that is, the curvature radius of the torsion friction surface 124 changes continuously with different reference angles, so that the rotating part 121 presents a cam type. Assume that the reference angle extending vertically from the axial direction X to the assembly part 122 is 0 degrees (the reference line points to the right side of FIG. 6 ), and the reference angle extending vertically from the axial direction X to the other side of the rotating part 121 is 180 degrees (The reference line points to the left side of FIG. 6 ); at the position where the reference angle is 0 degrees, the torsional friction surface 124 has the smallest radius of curvature R0, and at the position where the reference angle is 180 degrees, the torsional friction surface 124 has the largest radius of curvature Rmax .

As shown in FIG. 2 , FIG. 5 , FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , the interference piece 130 is located in the setting groove 113 , one end of the interference piece 130 is fixed to the base 110 , the other end abuts against the base 110 , and interferes with the base 110 . The portion between the two ends of the sheet 130 does not contact the base 110 and is in a suspended (suspended) state. One end of the interference piece 130 can be fixed to the base 110 through a screw 130a and a positioning post 130b. The interference piece 130 is located between the base 110 and the torsion friction surface 124 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , the interference piece 130 is in a curved shape, and is bent toward the torsional friction surface 124 of the rotating part 121 , so as to tightly contact with a part of the torsional friction surface 124 . The surfaces 124 form partial surface contact and are subjected to a pressing force perpendicular to the axial direction X. The contact area of the surface contact changes as the rotating part 121 slides with respect to the base 110 . The contact area between the pressing force and the surface determines the magnitude of the frictional force between the torsion friction surface 124 and the interference piece 130 . In general, the frictional force increases as the area of the pressing force in contact with the surface increases, and the frictional force decreases as the area of the pressing force in contact with the surface decreases.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , when the assembling portion 122 is unfolded so that the included angle between the assembling portion 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 is 180 degrees, the interference piece 130 is in contact with the part where the reference angle is close to 0 degrees. The curvature radius R0 of the aforementioned contact portion is small, so that the contact area A0 between the interference piece 130 and the torsion friction surface 124 is small; At the same time, the pressing degree of the torsion friction surface 124 on the interference piece 130 is also relatively low, so that the pressing force of the interference piece 130 on the torsion friction surface 124 is relatively small. At this time, the frictional interference of the interference piece 130 with the rotating part 121 is reduced to a minimum value, so that the rotating part 121 can be easily rotated.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , when the rotating part 121 rotates relative to the base 110 , the angle between the assembling part 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 decreases (for example, 170 degrees), and the interference piece 130 contacts the torsion friction surface 124 position changes. At this time, the radius of curvature of the contact part is increased to R1 (R1>R0), and the contact area between the interference piece 130 and the torsion friction surface 124 is increased to A1; at the same time, the torsion friction surface 124 pushes the interference piece 130 outward to increase the degree of urgency , so that the pressing force of the interference piece 130 on the torsion friction surface 124 increases. At this time, the friction force exerted by the interference piece 130 on the rotating part 121 increases, and the torsional force required to rotate the rotating part 121 increases (that is, the torsional resistance of the rotating bracket 120 increases), so that the assembly part 122 and the base can be easily fixed The included angle between the upper surfaces of the 110 , that is, the included angle between the pair of rotating brackets 120 that can be fixed.

As shown in FIG. 9 , further, when the rotating part 121 continues to rotate relative to the base 110 , the included angle between the assembling part 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 continues to decrease (for example, 150 degrees). The radius of curvature of the contact portion is further increased to R2 (R2>R1>R0), so that the contact area between the interference piece 130 and the torsion friction surface 124 is increased again; The pressing force of the interference piece 130 on the torsion friction surface 124 is increased again. The torsional resistance of the rotating bracket 120 is increased to a higher value, so that the angle between the assembly portion 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 can be more easily fixed.

As shown in FIG. 5 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 , in the first embodiment of the present invention, as the rotating part 121 rotates, the angle between the assembly part 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 changes, the torsional friction surface 124 and the interference piece The contact area between 130 changes continuously. Therefore, under different included angles, there will be different torsional resistances between the base 110 and the rotating bracket 120 , so as to fix the included angle between the assembly portion 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 . Taking the first embodiment as an example, when the included angle gradually decreases, the torsional resistance increases accordingly; when applied to the combination of the two bodies 220, In the case of the foldable electronic device of 230, it can be applied to fix the main body 220, 230 of the main display at an angle suitable for viewing.

As shown in FIG. 5 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 , the setting range of the torsion friction surface 124 can be between 0 degrees and 180 degrees of the reference angle. Therefore, when the included angle between the assembly part 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 is close to 90 degrees , the interference piece 130 will no longer contact the torsional friction surface 124, so that the torsional resistance between the base 110 and the rotating bracket 120 is only the frictional force between the first sliding joint 114 and the second sliding joint 123, so that The two bodies 220, 230 can be easily folded together.

As shown in FIG. 2 , FIG. 5 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , the interference piece 130 is bent toward the torsion friction surface 124 of the rotating part 121 , the base 110 is mainly used to fix one end of the interference piece 130 , and the other end of the interference piece 130 abuts against against the base 110 . The part between the two ends of the interference piece 130 does not interfere with the base 110 , that is, the part between the two ends of the interference piece 130 does not contact the base 110 and is in a suspended state. Therefore, the base 110 may be provided with an opening 116 that communicates with the slot 113 and the outside of the base 110 , so as to reduce the weight of the base 110 and make the part between the two ends of the interference piece 130 in a suspended state. The opening 116 can also be used to observe the state of the interference piece 130 to determine whether the interference piece 130 can function normally.

The hinge 100 shown in FIG. 3 can be equipped with other linkage mechanisms 210 without variable torsional resistance, such as interlocking gears. The linkage mechanism 210 is combined with the base 110 and connected to the rotating bracket 120 or the two bodies 220 and 230 to avoid rotation. The bracket 120 is separated from the base 110 , and enables the two rotating brackets 120 to be linked relative to the base 110 .

Please refer to FIG. 10 , FIG. 11 , FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 , a hinge 100 provided by the second embodiment of the present invention includes a base 110 , a rotating bracket 120 and an interference piece 130 .

As shown in FIGS. 10 , 11 , 12 and 13 , in the second embodiment, the torsional friction surface 124 of the rotating part 121 in the radial direction perpendicular to the axis direction X has at least a partial radius of curvature that is not equal to its radius. The radius of curvature of other parts. Different from the first embodiment, the radius of curvature of the torsion friction surface 124 of the second embodiment does not show a continuous change, but has a discontinuous change in stages, so that the torsion friction surface 124 exhibits a partially protruding state, for example, the torsion friction surface 124 The radius of curvature of the local part is R3, and the radius of curvature of other parts is R4, and R4>R3.

As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 , when the assembling portion 122 is unfolded so that the included angle between the assembling portion 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 is 180 degrees, the interference piece 130 is in contact with the part where the reference angle is close to 0 degrees, and the contact part is The radius of curvature is R3, so that the contact area A3 between the interference piece 130 and the torsion friction surface 124 is small; at the same time, the torsion friction surface 124 is less pressed to the interference piece 130, so that the interference piece 130 presses the torsion friction surface 124 The force is relatively small. At this time, the frictional interference of the interference piece 130 on the rotating part 121 is reduced to a minimum value, so that the rotating part 121 can be easily rotated.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , when the rotating part 121 rotates relative to the base 110 , the angle between the assembling part 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 decreases (for example, 150 degrees), and the interference piece 130 is in contact with the reference angle greater than 0 degree part. At this time, the radius of curvature of the contact portion is increased to R4, which increases the contact area A4 between the interference piece 130 and the torsion friction surface 124; at the same time, the torsion friction surface 124 pushes the interference piece 130 outward to increase the tightness, so that the interference piece 130 is opposite to the interference piece 130. The pressing force of the torsion friction surface 124 is increased, and the friction force between the interference piece 130 and the torsion friction surface 124 is increased, so that the rotating bracket 120 has a higher torsional resistance, and the assembly portion 122 and the upper surface of the base 110 can be easily fixed At the same time, it is also easy to fix the included angle between the pair of rotating brackets 120 . That is to say, in the second embodiment, the torsional resistance can be changed between two values, especially when the included angle is small, there is a larger torsional resistance, so as to fix the main body 220, 230 of the main display at an angle suitable for viewing.

As shown in FIG. 14 , in different embodiments, the parts with the same radius of curvature can also be set as discontinuous local or segmental changes, for example, the parts with the radius of curvature R4 can be multiple or multiple An interval that varies linearly from R3 to R4. Therefore, in the process of changing the included angle, the torsional impedance can be changed alternately between a larger value and a smaller value, so that the user can fix the viewing angle at a desired angle.

Through the above technical solutions, the hinge 100 of the present invention can change the frictional force inside the hinge with the angle during the rotation process, so as to provide the torsional resistance that changes with the angle. The hinge 100 of the present invention has the characteristics of simple structure and small volume, which is beneficial to reduce the size, so as to be suitable for application in small-sized light and thin electronic devices.

110: Pedestal

113: Setting slot

114: The first sliding joint

116: Opening

120: Swivel bracket

121: Rotary part

122: Assembly Department

124: Torsion friction surface

130: Interference sheet

X: axis direction

R0: radius of curvature

Claims (9)

A hinge, comprising: a base with a setting slot, and the setting slot is arranged parallel to an axial direction; a rotating bracket, including a rotating part, the rotating part is arranged parallel to the axial direction, and the rotating part The two ends of the base are slidably combined with the base and located in the setting groove, so that the rotating part can rotate around the axis on the base; wherein, the rotating part has a torsion friction surface facing the setting groove ; Wherein, the torsion friction surface in the radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction has at least a partial radius of curvature that is not equal to the radius of curvature of other parts, and there is no contact between the torsion friction surface and the base; and an interference piece , located in the setting groove, one end of the interference piece is fixed on the base, and the part between the two ends of the interference piece does not contact the base and presents a suspended state; wherein, the interference piece is located between the base and the base Between the torsion friction surfaces, the interference piece exhibits a curved shape, and is bent toward the torsion friction surface, so as to be in close contact with a part of the torsion friction surface, forming a local surface contact with the torsion friction surface, and the surface contacting A contact area changes with the sliding of the rotating part relative to the base. The hinge of claim 1, wherein the rotating bracket further comprises an assembly portion disposed on one side of the rotating portion. The hinge of claim 1, wherein the base includes at least one first sliding joint, and the rotating portion includes at least one second sliding joint; the first sliding joint is disposed at one end of the setting groove, The second sliding joint portion is disposed at one end of the rotating portion, and the second sliding joint portion is combined with the first sliding joint portion. The hinge of claim 3, wherein the first sliding joint portion and the second sliding joint portion are a combination of an arc-shaped guide groove and an arc-shaped guide rail, and the arc-shaped guide rail is slidably arranged on the The arc-shaped guide groove enables the rotating part to slide relative to the base along an arc-shaped path and rotate around the axis direction. The hinge of claim 4, wherein the center of curvature of the arc-shaped path lies in the direction of the axis. The hinge of claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature of the torsional friction surface is continuously changing. The hinge of claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature of the torsional friction surface varies discontinuously. The hinge of claim 7, wherein the portions of the same radius of curvature are provided discontinuously. The hinge of claim 1, wherein a hole is formed on the base to communicate with the setting groove and the outside of the base.

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