TWM677607U - Hinge module and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides a hinge module and an image forming apparatus. The hinge module includes a housing, a slider assembly, and a cam assembly. The housing includes a casing body defining an accommodation space. The slider assembly is disposed in the accommodation space and includes a primary slider, a secondary slider, a primary elastic member, and a secondary elastic member. The primary elastic member is arranged at a bottom portion of the casing body. The primary slider is disposed at one end of the primary elastic member. The secondary elastic member is arranged at the bottom portion of the casing body. The secondary slider is disposed at one end of the secondary elastic member and is movably engaged with the primary slider. The cam assembly includes a plate pivotally connected to the casing body and a cam disposed on the plate. The cam is formed with a first curved surface and a second curved surface. The first curved surface abuts the primary slider, and the first curved surface or the second curved surface abuts the secondary slider.

Description

Pivot structure components and image forming equipment

This invention relates to an office equipment, and more particularly to a pivot structure component and an image forming device.

Currently, the pivot structure of the automatic document feeder (ADF) of various office equipment, such as multifunctional office devices, multifunctional product/printer/peripheral (MFP), fax machines, scanners, or copiers, usually has a multi-angle support function (free stop angle) to ensure that the device cover can stay at any angle and will not close accidentally due to external force or gravity.

Existing pivot structures typically include a frame, a cam hinged to the side edge of the frame, a sliding block disposed within the frame, and an elastic component disposed at the bottom of the sliding block. The cam abuts against the sliding block; when the cam rotates, it causes the sliding block to move vertically, compressing the elastic component. This allows the elastic restoring force provided by the elastic component to achieve stable support at multiple angles.

However, since the sliding block and the cam interact only through a limited contact area, they are prone to wear due to friction and stress concentration during long-term operation, which affects the durability of the pivot mechanism. In particular, when the device cover is maintained in a low angle range, the compression of the elastic component increases, causing the contact area between the sliding block and the cam to bear greater pressure and become more susceptible to wear, thus affecting the support stability and making it impossible to effectively maintain the opening and closing angle of the pivot mechanism.

Therefore, how to effectively distribute the stress between the sliding block and the cam to reduce wear and extend the service life of the pivot structure is one of the issues that urgently need to be improved in this field.

One aspect of this invention is to provide a pivot structure component that, through the structural design of the slider component and the cam component, disperses the stress and friction borne by the contact area between the cam and the slider, and can further reduce the wear of the pivot structure component when it is in a low-angle state, thereby improving the durability and ease of use of the pivot structure component.

This novel pivot structure component includes a housing, a slider component, and a cam component.

The shell includes a housing that defines an accommodating space.

The slider component is disposed in the receiving space and includes a main slider, a secondary slider, a main elastic member, and a secondary elastic member. One end of the main elastic member is disposed at the bottom of the shell, the main slider is disposed at the other end of the main elastic member, one end of the secondary elastic member is disposed at the bottom of the shell, and the secondary slider is disposed at the other end of the secondary elastic member and is movably fitted into the main slider.

The cam component includes a pivot, a plate, and a cam. The plate is pivotally connected to the side of the housing via the pivot. The cam is disposed on the side of the plate facing the receiving space and abuts against the main slider and the secondary slider. The area where the cam abuts against the main slider and the secondary slider forms a first curved surface and a second curved surface.

The cam abuts against the main slider with the first curved surface, and the cam abuts against the secondary slider with the first curved surface or the second curved surface.

In some embodiments, the second surface protrudes beyond the first surface, and an angle is defined by an extension direction of the plate and a planar direction. When the angle is greater than a predetermined angle, the cam abuts against the secondary slider with the first surface. When the angle is less than or equal to the predetermined angle, the cam abuts against the secondary slider with the second surface.

In some embodiments, the main slider defines a fitting space and a through-hole, and has a main protrusion, with the through-hole recessed in the position of the main protrusion. The secondary slider is received in the fitting space and has a secondary protrusion protruding from the through-hole.

In some embodiments, the opening extends to a portion of the top surface of the main slider, allowing the top surface of the secondary slider to protrude from the opening.

In some embodiments, the main protrusion forms a stop at the periphery of the opening, and a portion of the top surface of the secondary slider abuts against the stop.

In some embodiments, the pivot structure component further includes at least one cushioning elastic member, with both ends of the at least one cushioning elastic member respectively connected to the shell near the pivot and to the side of the plate away from the pivot.

In some embodiments, the slider component includes multiple primary elastic elements, and secondary elastic elements are disposed between the primary elastic elements. The shell defines a primary chamber and multiple primary chambers, each of which is used to house a primary elastic element, and the secondary chambers are located between the primary chambers to house the secondary elastic elements.

In some embodiments, the second curved surface protrudes beyond the first curved surface. An angle is defined by an extension direction of the plate and a planar direction. When the angle is greater than a preset angle, the cam abuts against the main slider and the secondary slider with the first curved surface. The contact areas of the secondary slider and the main slider with the cam are flush with the vertical direction. When the angle is less than or equal to the preset angle, the cam abuts against the main slider with the first curved surface and against the secondary slider with the second curved surface, causing the secondary slider and the main slider to move relative to each other along the vertical direction.

In some embodiments, the main slider has a main protrusion, the secondary slider has a primary protrusion, and the cam abuts against the main protrusion with the first curved surface and against the secondary protrusion with the first curved surface or the second curved surface. When the included angle is greater than the preset angle, the main protrusion and the secondary protrusion are flush with each other in the vertical direction. When the included angle is less than or equal to the preset angle, the secondary protrusion is closer to the bottom of the housing than the main protrusion in the vertical direction, and the compression of the secondary elastic member is greater than the compression of the main elastic member.

Another aspect of this invention is to provide an image forming device.

This novel image forming equipment is equipped with a pivot structure component as described in any previous embodiment.

The advantages of this invention are as follows: by utilizing the different curved surfaces of the cam and the relative movable structure of the secondary slider and the primary slider, when the pivot structure is in a low-angle state, the cam abuts against the secondary slider with the second curved surface, thereby causing the secondary elastic member to generate more compression than the primary elastic member. The elastic support force provided by the secondary elastic member is also increased, which helps to further disperse the stress and friction applied by the cam to the slider component, thereby reducing the wear of the cam and the slider component. In addition to improving the multi-angle support effect, it also improves the durability and safety of the pivot structure.

The technical content and effects of this invention will be clearly presented in the detailed description with reference to the drawings and the following embodiments. It should be noted that the drawings are only used to indicate the relative positions of the components and are not related to the actual dimensions of each component. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should understand that this invention can have various variations in multiple different embodiments, all of which do not depart from the substantial scope of this invention. The descriptions and drawings herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to constitute any limitation on this invention.

It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this invention can be combined with each other, and any combination of features in different embodiments is also within the protection scope of this invention. That is to say, the multiple embodiments described above can also be arbitrarily combined according to actual needs.

This invention provides a pivot structure component 100, adapted for use in an image forming apparatus 200 as shown in FIG. 8. In one embodiment of this application, the image forming apparatus 200 is equipped with a pivot structure component 100. The pivot structure component 100 is disposed in the paper feed device of the image forming apparatus 200, providing a multi-angle support (free stop angle) function for the top cover of the image forming apparatus 200. The image forming apparatus 200 can be, for example, a multifunction office machine, a multifunction printer, a fax machine, a scanner, or a photocopier, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to Figures 1A, 1B and 2, a pivot structure component 100 of a first embodiment of this application includes: a housing 10, a slider component 20 and a cam component 30.

Referring to Figure 3, the outer shell 10 includes a shell 11, which defines an accommodating space 12 and an opening 13, and includes multiple main positioning blocks 141 and primary positioning blocks 142. The accommodating space 12 has multiple main chambers 121 and primary chambers 122. The main positioning blocks 141 are disposed at the bottom of the shell 11 and are respectively located in the main chambers 121, and the primary positioning blocks 142 are disposed at the bottom of the shell 11 and are located in the secondary chambers 122. The positions of the main chambers 121 and the number of the main positioning blocks 141 correspond to the main elastic members 23 of the slider component 20, and the positions of the secondary chambers 122 and the number of the secondary positioning blocks 142 correspond to the secondary elastic members 24 of the slider component 20.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the slider component 20 is disposed in the receiving space 12. The slider component 20 includes a main slider 21, a secondary slider 22, multiple main elastic elements 23, and secondary elastic elements 24. The main elastic elements 23 are respectively housed in the main chambers 121, and one end of each main elastic element 23 is disposed at the bottom of the shell 11 and connected to the corresponding main positioning blocks 141. The main slider 21 is disposed at the other end of each main elastic element 23. The secondary elastic member 24 is housed in the secondary chamber 122 and located between the primary elastic members 23. One end of the secondary elastic member 24 is disposed at the bottom of the shell 11 and connected to the secondary positioning block 142. The secondary slider 22 is disposed at the other end of the secondary elastic member 24 and is movably fitted into the primary slider 21.

Referring to Figures 4A to 4C and 5A, Figure 5A shows a cross-sectional view corresponding to the section line A-A in Figure 1A. More specifically, the main slider 21 defines a fitting space 212 and a through-hole 213, and has a main protrusion 211. The through-hole 213 is recessed in the position of the main protrusion 211, and the main protrusion 211 has at least one abutment 214 formed at the periphery of the through-hole 213. The secondary slider 22 is accommodated in the fitting space 212 and has a primary protrusion 221 protruding from the through-hole 213, and the top surface 220 of the secondary slider 22 abuts against the abutment 214 of the main slider 21. Therefore, when the main slider 21 and the secondary slider 22 move relative to each other, the main slider 21 is used to limit the secondary slider 22, thereby preventing the secondary slider 22 from disengaging due to the elastic support force of the secondary elastic member 24. Furthermore, the structural arrangement of the main chambers 121 and the secondary chambers 122 can also limit the extension and contraction directions of the main elastic members 23 and the secondary elastic members 24 respectively, so that the main elastic members 23 and the secondary elastic members 24 can move along a vertical direction Y without disengaging.

In this first embodiment, the slider component 20 has two primary elastic members 23 and a secondary elastic member 24 disposed between the two primary elastic members 23, which makes the force on the primary slider 21 more even along the vertical direction Y, avoiding tilting during movement or stress concentration in a local area. However, in actual implementation, the number and placement of the primary elastic members 23 and the secondary elastic members 24 can vary according to actual needs and are not limited to the aforementioned example.

Referring again to Figures 1A, 1B, and 2, the cam component 30 includes a pivot 31, a plate 32, and a cam 33. The plate 32 is pivotally connected to the side of the housing 11 via the pivot 31. The cam 33 is connected to the plate 32 and disposed on the side of the plate 32 facing the receiving space 12, and the cam 33 abuts against the main slider 21 and the secondary slider 22. The area where the cam 33 abuts against the main slider 21 and the secondary slider 22 forms a first curved surface 331 and a second curved surface 332, and the second curved surface 332 protrudes from the first curved surface 331.

Referring to Figures 5B, 6B to 7C, an extension direction of the plate 32 and a planar direction X together define an angle θ. The cam 33 abuts against the main slider with the first curved surface 331. Depending on the angle θ, the cam 33 abuts against the secondary slider 22 with the first curved surface 331 or the second curved surface 332.

Referring to Figures 5A and 5B, which correspond to the cross-sectional views along section line A-A in Figure 1A and section line B-B in Figure 1B respectively, the figures show the structural state of the pivot component 100 in a high-angle state. Specifically, when the included angle θ of the pivot component 100 is greater than a preset angle and it is in the high-angle state, the cam 33 simultaneously abuts against the main convex portion 211 of the main slider 21 and the secondary convex portion 221 of the secondary slider 22 with its first curved surface 331. The contact areas of the main convex portion 211 and the secondary convex portion 221 with the cam 33 are along the vertical direction. When the slide is aligned with the Y-axis, both the main slide 21 and the secondary slide 22 are subjected to force on the first curved surface 331, and simultaneously receive elastic support forces from the main elastic members 23 and the secondary elastic members 24. This allows the stress borne by the cam 33 and the slide member 20 to be evenly distributed, thereby reducing wear and friction between the cam 33 and the slide member 20.

In this first embodiment, the preset angle is 15 degrees, but it is not limited to this. And less than the preset angle means the angle range in which the pivot structure component 100 is in a low-angle state.

Referring to Figures 6A and 6B, which correspond to the cross-sectional views along section line A-A in Figure 1A and section line B-B in Figure 1B respectively, the figures show the structural state of the pivot component 100 in the low-angle state. When the included angle θ is less than or equal to the preset angle, the cam 33 abuts against the main protrusion 211 of the main slider 21 with its first curved surface 331, and the cam 33 abuts against the secondary protrusion 221 of the secondary slider 22 with its second curved surface 332. Since the second curved surface 332 protrudes from the first curved surface 331, the secondary slider 22 and the main slider 21 can move relative to each other, causing the secondary protrusion 221 to move relative to the main protrusion 211. 11 will be closer to the bottom of the shell 11 along the vertical direction Y, so that the compression of the secondary elastic element 24 is greater than the compression of the primary elastic elements 23. At this time, the secondary slider 22 receives a larger elastic support force, which can further disperse the stress and friction between the cam 33 and the slider component 20, thereby improving the problem of increased wear when the pivot structure component 100 is in the low angle state.

Referring to Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C, Figures 7A and 7C correspond to the cross-sectional structures along section line A-A in Figure 1A and section line B-B in Figure 1B, respectively, showing the fully closed structural state of the pivot structure component 100. Furthermore, when the pivot structure component 100 is fully closed to an angle θ of 0 degrees, as the plate 32 rotates, the cam 33 drives the main slider 21 and the secondary slider 22 to move further towards the bottom of the shell 11, further increasing the compression of the main elastic element 23 and the secondary elastic element 24. At this time, the secondary slider 22, which is pressed by the second curved surface 332, is closer to the bottom of the housing 11 than the main slider 21. The elastic support force fed back to the secondary slider 22 from the secondary elastic member 24 is also increased, which can maximize the distribution of stress and friction between the cam 33 and the slider component 20, avoid stress concentration in a certain area, and effectively reduce the wear between the cam 33 and the slider component 20.

Referring to Figures 9A, 9B, and 9C, the main slider 21 and the secondary slider 22 of a pivot structure component 100 according to a second embodiment of this application are shown. In the second embodiment, the opening 213 of the main slider 21 extends from the main protrusion 211 to a portion of the top surface 210 of the main slider 21. Therefore, when the secondary slider 22 is accommodated in the fitting space 212, the top surface 220 of the secondary slider 22 is exposed from the opening 213. In this second embodiment, the main protrusion 211 abuts against the periphery of the opening 213 to form abutment 214, and the portion of the top surface 220 of the secondary slider 22 abuts against the abutment 214. Therefore, when the main slider 21 and the secondary slider 22 move relative to each other along the vertical direction Y, the abutment 214 can limit the secondary slider 22, preventing the secondary slider 22 from loosening from the opening 213 and detaching from the slider component 20 during operation.

Referring to Figures 10A and 10B, a pivot structure component 100 of a third embodiment of this application is generally similar in structure to the pivot structure component 100 of the first embodiment, except that the pivot structure component 100 of the third embodiment further includes at least one cushioning elastic member 40. Each cushioning elastic member 40 has its two ends connected to the shell 11 near the pivot 31 and to the plate 32 away from the pivot 31. In this third embodiment, the pivot structure component 100 is provided with two cushioning elastic members 40, which are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the outer shell 10. However, the number of cushioning elastic members 40 may vary depending on actual needs and is not limited to the aforementioned example.

Referring to Figure 10A, further, when the cushioning elastic member 40 is located on the side of the pivot 31 away from the cam 33, the cushioning elastic member 40 provides a torque force opposite to the weight of the cam 33 relative to the pivot 31. Therefore, the cushioning elastic member 40 can provide the cam 33 with an upward component force along the vertical direction Y, so that the cam 33 is not affected by its own weight or external environment and will not fall. This is beneficial for the cam component 30 to stay stably and makes the pivot structure component 100 have a better multi-angle support effect, thereby improving the safety of the pivot structure component 100 in use.

Referring to Figure 10B, when the pivot structure assembly 100 is fully closed, the cushioning elastic member 40 is located on the side of the pivot 31 near the cam 33. At this time, the cushioning elastic member 40 is stretched, thereby providing the cam 33 with a downward component force along the vertical direction Y. Therefore, when the pivot structure assembly 100 is disposed in the image forming apparatus 200 (as shown in Figure 8) and is in the fully closed state, the cushioning elastic member 40 helps the upper cover of the image forming apparatus 200 to clamp the paper downward, thereby helping to improve the quality of image forming.

In summary, the novel pivot structure component 100, through the contact area where the cam 33 abuts against the slider component 20, forms the first curved surface 331 and the second curved surface 332, and the main slider 21 and the secondary slider 22 are designed to be relatively displaceable, allows the pivot structure component 100, when in the low-angle state, to further distribute the stress and friction generated by the cam 33 abutting against the slider component 20 through the action between the second curved surface 332 and the secondary slider 22 and the secondary elastic member 24, thereby reducing wear and improving the durability of the product, thus effectively achieving the purpose of this novel component.

Although the present invention has been disclosed by way of preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100: Pivot structure component; 10: Outer shell; 11: Shell body; 12: Accommodating space; 121: Main chamber; 122: Secondary chamber; 13: Opening; 141: Main positioning block; 142: Secondary positioning block; 20: Slider component; 21: Main slider; 210: Top surface; 211: Main protrusion; 212: Fitting space; 213: Through opening; 214: Abutment part; 22: Secondary slider; 220: Top surface; 221: Secondary protrusion; 23: Main elastic component; 24: Secondary elastic component; 30: Cam component; 31: Pivot; 32: Plate; 33: Cam; 331: First curved surface; 332: Second curved surface. 40: Cushioning elastic component; 200: Image forming equipment; Y: Vertical direction; X: Planar direction; θ: Angle.

Figures 1A and 1B are perspective views of a pivot structure component according to a first embodiment of this application from different viewpoints. Figure 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of the pivot structure component according to the first embodiment of this application. Figure 3 is a top view of the casing of the pivot structure component according to the first embodiment of this application. Figure 4A is a perspective view of the main slider and secondary slider of the pivot structure component according to the first embodiment of this application. Figures 4B and 4C are exploded schematic diagrams of the main slider and secondary slider of the pivot structure component according to the first embodiment of this application from different viewpoints. Figure 5A is a front sectional view of the pivot structure component according to the first embodiment of this application, illustrating the embodiment where its cam member maintains the maximum holding angle. Figure 5B is a side sectional view of the pivot structure component of the first embodiment of this application, used to illustrate its side structure with reference to Figure 5A. Figure 6A is a front sectional view of the pivot structure component of the first embodiment of this application, used to illustrate the embodiment in which the retaining angle of its cam member is 15 degrees. Figure 6B is a side sectional view of the pivot structure component of the first embodiment of this application, used to illustrate its side structure with reference to Figure 6A. Figure 7A is a front sectional view of the pivot structure component of the first embodiment of this application, used to illustrate the embodiment in which its cam member is in a closed state. Figure 7B is a partially enlarged view of the pivot structure component of the first embodiment of this application, used to illustrate the relative positions of the main slider and secondary slider of the pivot structure component with respect to other components, as shown in Figure 7A. Figure 7C is a side sectional view of the pivot structure component of the first embodiment of this application, used to illustrate its side structure with respect to Figure 7A. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the pivot structure component of the first embodiment of this application arranged in an image forming device. Figure 9A is a perspective view of the main slider and secondary slider of a pivot structure component of a second embodiment of this application. Figures 9B and 9C are exploded schematic diagrams of the main slider and secondary slider of the pivot structure component of the second embodiment of this application from different viewpoints. Figures 10A and 10B are side views of a pivot structure component of a third embodiment of this application, respectively illustrating the embodiments of its cam component in the maximum holding angle and closed state.

100: Pivot Structure Components

10: Shell

11: Shell

13: Opening

21: Main slider

22: Second Slide

30: Cam assembly

31: Pivot Axis

32: Plate

33: Cam

331: First Surface

332: Second Surface

Claims (10)

A pivot structure component includes: a shell, including a housing body defining a receiving space; a slider component disposed in the receiving space, including a main slider, a secondary slider, a main elastic member, and a secondary elastic member, one end of the main elastic member being disposed at the bottom of the shell body, the main slider being disposed at the other end of the main elastic member, one end of the secondary elastic member being disposed at the bottom of the shell body, and the secondary slider being disposed at the other end of the secondary elastic member and movably fitted into the housing. A main slider; and a cam component, including a pivot, a plate and a cam, the plate being pivotally connected to the side of the housing via the pivot, the cam being disposed on the side of the plate facing the receiving space and abutting against the main slider and the secondary slider, wherein the area of the cam abutting against the main slider and the secondary slider forms a first curved surface and a second curved surface; wherein the cam abuts against the main slider with the first curved surface, and the cam abuts against the secondary slider with the first curved surface or the second curved surface. The pivot structure component as described in claim 1, wherein the second curved surface protrudes from the first curved surface, and an angle is defined by an extension direction of the plate and a planar direction, wherein when the angle is greater than a predetermined angle, the cam abuts against the secondary slider with the first curved surface, and when the angle is less than or equal to the predetermined angle, the cam abuts against the secondary slider with the second curved surface. The pivot structure component as described in claim 1, wherein the main slider defines a fitting space and a through-hole, and has a main protrusion, and the through-hole is recessed in the position of the main protrusion, and the secondary slider is received in the fitting space and has a secondary protrusion protruding from the through-hole. The pivot structure component as described in claim 3, wherein the opening extends to a portion of the top surface of the main slider, such that the top surface of the secondary slider is exposed from the opening. The pivot structure component as described in claim 3, wherein the main protrusion forms an abutment at the periphery of the opening, and a portion of the top surface of the secondary slider abuts against the abutment. The pivot structure component as described in claim 1 further includes at least one cushioning elastic member, with both ends of the at least one cushioning elastic member respectively connected to the shell near the pivot and the plate away from the pivot. The pivot structure component as described in claim 1, wherein the slider component includes a plurality of primary elastic elements, the secondary elastic elements are disposed between the primary elastic elements, the shell defines a primary chamber and a plurality of primary chambers, the primary chambers being used to accommodate each primary elastic element, and the secondary chambers being located between the primary chambers and used to accommodate the secondary elastic elements. The pivot structure component as described in claim 1, wherein the second curved surface protrudes from the first curved surface, and an angle is defined by an extension direction of the plate and a planar direction. When the angle is greater than a predetermined angle, the cam abuts against the main slider and the secondary slider with the first curved surface, and the contact areas of the secondary slider and the main slider with the cam are flush with a vertical direction. When the angle is less than or equal to the predetermined angle, the cam abuts against the main slider with the first curved surface and the cam abuts against the secondary slider with the second curved surface, causing the secondary slider and the main slider to move relative to each other along the vertical direction. The pivot structure component as described in claim 8, wherein the main slider has a main protrusion, the secondary slider has a primary protrusion, and the cam abuts against the main protrusion with the first curved surface and against the secondary protrusion with the first curved surface or the second curved surface, wherein when the included angle is greater than the preset angle, the main protrusion and the secondary protrusion are flush with each other in the vertical direction, and when the included angle is less than or equal to the preset angle, the secondary protrusion is closer to the bottom of the housing than the main protrusion in the vertical direction, and the compression of the secondary elastic member is greater than the compression of the main elastic member. An image forming apparatus, configured with a pivot structure component as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.