WO2009035242A2

WO2009035242A2 - Swing hinge for mobile phones

Info

Publication number: WO2009035242A2
Application number: PCT/KR2008/005302
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sung Hyun Ka
Original assignee: Amphenol Phoenix Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-09-12
Filing date: 2008-09-08
Publication date: 2009-03-19
Also published as: CN101796737A; WO2009035242A3; KR100875857B1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a swing hinge. The swing hinge is used for coupling a first unit and a second unit folded to one another. The swing hinge includes a first body coupled to the first unit and having a first path formed on the first body, a first coupler coupled to the first body, a second body coupled to the second unit and having a second path formed on the second body, a second coupler coupled to the second body, and a resilient member imparting an elastic force between the first body and the second body. The first coupler moves along the second path, and the second coupler moves along the first path.

Description

SWING HINGE FOR MOBILE PHONES

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a swing hinge for portable devices such as mobile phones. Background Art

[2] Portable devices such as mobile phones and the like include a key pad having multiple buttons, and a liquid crystal display serving as a screen. When a mobile phone employs a small liquid crystal display, the key pad and the liquid crystal display are provided in a single case unit. Conversely, when the mobile phone employs a large liquid crystal display, undesirably, the key pad and the liquid crystal display are provided in a single case unit. This is because integration of the large liquid crystal display and the key pad into a single case unit results in an increase in size of the portable device, thereby causing user inconvenience. In recent years, to accomplish an increase in size of the liquid crystal display while ensuring convenience of portable carriage, the mobile phone has the key pad and the liquid crystal display separately disposed in two case units which can be folded together. Further, today s mobile phones can provide a variety of services such as moving image display and the like, and include a liquid crystal display unit which can be rotated to be disposed not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction. In this case, the mobile phone includes a swing hinge for connecting the liquid crystal display unit to other components of the mobile phone. Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a foldable mobile phone including two units that can be folded to or unfolded from one another. Fig. 1 shows a folded state of the mobile phone, and Fig. 2 shows an unfolded state of the mobile phone. In Fig. 1, a liquid crystal display 13a is disposed in the vertical direction. In Fig. 3, the liquid crystal display 13a is turned from the state shown in Fig. 2 and is disposed in the horizontal direction. Conventionally, since a hinge shaft (that is, a rotation shaft of the swing hinge) of the liquid crystal display 13a is secured, the liquid crystal display 13a is disposed at an upper side as shown in Fig. 3. As a result, the mobile phone has a center of gravity located at the upper side, so that the liquid crystal display 13a is likely to be turned over as indicated by an arrow in Fig. 3, thereby causing inconvenience. Additionally, the liquid crystal display 13a must be configured or located at the upper side of the mobile phone so as not to interfere with a protruded coupling part 121a upon rotation thereof. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [3] The present invention is conceived to solve the problems of the conventional techniques, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a swing hinge adapted for portable devices such as mobile phones. It is another object of the present invention to provide a swing hinge that has a hinge shaft capable of moving upon rotation of a liquid crystal display. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a swing hinge that has a hinge shaft capable of two-dimensionally moving along a predetermined path upon rotation of the liquid crystal display. Technical Solution

[4] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a swing hinge for coupling a first unit and a second unit folded to one another includes: a first body coupled to the first unit and having a first path formed on the first body; a first coupler coupled to the first body; a second body coupled to the second unit and having a second path formed on the second body; a second coupler coupled to the second body; and a resilient member imparting an elastic force between the first body and the second body, the first coupler moving along the second path, and the second coupler moving along the first path.

[5] The first coupler and the second coupler may include contact members movably contacting the second path and the first path, respectively.

[6] The first coupler and the second coupler may include coupling columns coupled to the first body and the second body, respectively.

[7] The first coupler and the second coupler may include coupling members coupled to two connecting parts of the resilient member.

[8] The resilient member may be a torsion spring.

[9] The first path may be configured to provide a variable progress direction.

[10] The first path may have a curved shape and the second path may have a straight line shape.

[11] The first path may have an arc shape.

[12] The second path may have a curved shape.

[13] The swing hinge may further include an intermediate member inserted between the first and second bodies.

[14] The intermediate member may be coupled to one of the first and second bodies.

Advantageous Effects

[15] The present invention can accomplish the above and other objects by the configuration as described above. Specifically, the swing hinge according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided with two paths to permit the movement of the hinge shaft of the swing hinge, so that a mobile phone having the swing hinge has the center of gravity disposed at a lower side. Further, the swing hinge according to one embodiment of the present invention enables a liquid crystal display to be rotated without interference with other structures. Brief Description of the Drawings

[16] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[17] Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a conventional foldable mobile phone including a rotatable screen, in which Fig. 1 shows a folded state of the screen, and Fig. 2 shows an unfolded state of the screen;

[18] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the conventional foldable mobile phone, illustrating the screen rotated at 90 degrees from the state shown in Fig. 2;

[19] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a foldable mobile phone including a swing hinge according to one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a screen rotated 90 degrees from the state shown in Fig. 2;

[20] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the foldable mobile phone of Fig. 4;

[21] Figs. 6 and 7 are a plan view and a bottom view of the swing hinge of Fig. 4;

[22] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the swing hinge of Fig. 5;

[23] Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the swing hinge of Fig. 5;

[24] Figs. 10 to 20 illustrate the swing hinge in respective stages changing from the state shown in Fig. 2 to the state shown in Fig. 4; and

[25] Figs. 21 to 31 illustrate the swing hinge in the respective stages when the swing hinge is located at a different position from that of Fig. 10. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[26] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail.

[27] Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, a foldable mobile phone 10 including a swing hinge 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 12 and a folder 14 that can be folded or unfolded with respect to the main body 12. The main body 12 is provided with a key pad. The folder 14 includes a connection unit 15 that is connected to the main body 12 and can be rotated about a rotational axis 100, and a display unit 16 that is coupled to the connection unit 15 via the swing hinge 20 and provided with a liquid crystal display 13. As the connection unit 15 is rotated about the rotation axis 100 with respect to the main body 12, the mobile phone 10 is folded or unfolded to allow the liquid crystal display 13 of the display unit 16 to be opened or closed. The connection unit 15 includes a planar support 151 and a connecting part 153 disposed at one end of the support 151. The connecting part 153 is interposed between two protruded connectors 121 of the main body 12 and is hingably connected to a hinge or the like. A front side 152 of the support 151 is provided with a receiving section 154 depressed to receive the swing hinge 20 press-fitted into the receiving section 154. The receiving section 154 has substantially the same shape as a body 30 of a first member 22 of the swing hinge 20 described below. The body 30 of the first member 23 of the swing hinge 20 is fixedly coupled to the connection unit 15, and a body 52 of a second member 50 of the swing hinge is fixedly coupled to the display unit 16.

[28] Referring to Figs. 6 to 10, the swing hinge 20 includes the first member 22, the second member 50, an intermediate member 80, and a resilient member 90. The first member 22 includes the first body 30 and a first coupler 40. The first body 30 is a substantially planar member, and has a first curved path 32 and a first through-hole 34. The first path 32 extends from a first location 321 to a second location 322 which is located at about 90 degrees with respect to the first location 321. The first path 32 is defined by a space into which a contact member 64 of a second coupler 60 of the second member 50 described below is movably inserted. Here, a cable (not shown) does not pass through the first through-hole 34. The first coupler 40 includes a coupling column 42, the contact member 44, and a spring coupling member 46. The coupling column 42 includes a head section 421 and an extension section 422 which has a proximal end coupled to the body 30. The ring-shaped contact member 44 and the spring coupling member 46 are rotatably fitted onto the extension section 422 of the coupling column 42. The contact member 44 is inserted into a second path 54 of the second member 50 to move between a third location 541 and a fourth location 542 in the second path 54. The contact member 44 is preferably made of a smooth material to reduce friction with a wall of the second path 54 of the second member 50 while facilitating a smooth movement of the contact member 44. According to this embodiment, the contact member 44 is made of a poly acetyl material such as POM. The spring coupling member 46 has a coupling groove 461 into which a first hook 931 of the resilient member 90 described below is fitted.

[29] The second member 50 includes the second body 52 and the second coupler 60. The second body 52 is a substantially planar member, and has the second path 54 and a second through-hole 56. The second path 54 is substantially straight and extends from the third location 541 to the fourth location 542. The second path 54 is defined by a space into which the contact member 44 of the second coupler 40 of the first member 22 is movably inserted. The cable (not shown) does not pass through the second through-hole 56. The second coupler 60 includes a coupling column 62, the contact member 64, and a spring coupling member 66. The second coupler 60 has the same configuration as the first coupler, and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein. The contact member 64 of the second coupler 60 is inserted into the first path 32 of the first member 22 to move between the first location 321 and the second location 322 in the first path 32. The spring coupling member 66 has a coupling groove 661 into which a second hook 941 of the resilient member 90 is fitted.

[30] The intermediate member 80 is interposed between the first body 30 and the second body 52, and is secured to the first body 30. The intermediate member 80 acts as a wall for supporting the first and second bodies 30 and 52 therebetween, and allows the second body 52 to slide on the intermediate member 80. The resilient member 90 is a torsion spring, and includes a coil 92 and two extension parts 93 and 94 extending from the coil 92. The extension parts 93 and 94 are respectively formed at distal ends thereof with the first and second hooks 931 and 941, which are coupled to the first and second spring coupling members 46 and 66. The resilient member 90, and the first and second couplers 40 and 60 are located between the first and second bodies 30 and 52.

[31] Next, operation of the swing hinge according to the embodiment as described above will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 10 to 20.

[32] First, referring to Fig. 10, the display unit 16 is disposed in the vertical direction and is coupled to the connection unit 15 via the sing hinge 20. At this time, the second path 54 is disposed in the vertical direction to allow the third location 541 to be located at an upper side, and the first path 32 is located below the second path 54 and is elongated in a direction of a right upper side from the first location 321 to the second location 322. The swing hinge 20 is disposed such that the first and second paths 32 and 54 are located at a right side below the center of the display unit 16. The first contact member 44 is located at the third location 541 in the second path 54, and the second contact member 64 is located at the first location 321 in the first path 32. Since the resilient member 90 forces the two contact members 44 and 64 to move away from each other in opposite directions, the disposition of the display unit 16 can be continuously maintained. When a rotational force is applied to the display unit 16 in a direction of an arrow shown in Fig. 10, the first contact member 44 moves to a lower side along the second path 54 and the second contact member 64 moves to an upper side along the first path 32 while the display unit 16 is slightly rotated to a state shown in Fig. 11. Referring to Fig. 11, as the second contact member 64 moves to the upper side, the center of the display unit 16 moving along with the second contact member 64 is also moved to the upper side while moving to a left side, whereby the display unit 16 can be rotated. This movement of the display unit 16 continues until it reaches a state shown in Fig. 13.

[33] When reaching a state shown in Fig. 14, the center of the display unit 16 is moved downward until it reaches a state shown in Fig. 20. Referring to Fig. 20, the display unit 16 is disposed in the horizontal direction and the center thereof located at the lower side. The first contact member 44 is located at the third location 541 in the second path 54, and the second contact member 64 is located at the second location 322 in the first path 32. As shown in Figs. 10 to 20, since the display unit 16 is rotated such that it is moved upward at an initial stage and is finally disposed at the lower side, the display unit 16 is unlikely to interfere with other components of the mobile phone, and becomes more stable due to a lower location of the center of gravity when the liquid crystal display is disposed in the horizontal direction.

[34] Figs. 21 to 31 illustrate the swing hinge in the respective stages when the swing hinge is located at a different position from that of Fig. 10. Referring to Fig. 21, the swing hinge 20 is provided to the mobile phone such that the first contact member 44 of the swing hinge 20 is located at the center of the display unit 16. In this case, when the display unit 16 is finally disposed in the horizontal direction as shown in Fig. 31, the center of the display unit 16 is maintained at its original location.

[35] In the above embodiment, the second path is described as having a straight shape, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A person having ordinary knowledge can appreciate that the second path may have a curved shape.

[36] Further, in the above embodiment, the swing hinge is described as being used for the mobile phone, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A person having ordinary knowledge can appreciate that the swing hinge according to the present invention can be applied to other portable devices.

[37] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, the invention is not limited to these embodiments and the drawings. It should be understood that various modifications, additions and substitutions can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

[I] A swing hinge for coupling a first unit and a second unit folded to one another, comprising: a first body coupled to the first unit and having a first path formed on the first body; a first coupler coupled to the first body; a second body coupled to the second unit and having a second path formed on the second body; a second coupler coupled to the second body; and a resilient member imparting an elastic force between the first body and the second body. the first coupler moving along the second path, and the second coupler moving along the first path.

[2] The swing hinge according to claim 1, wherein the first coupler and the second coupler comprise contact members movably contacting the second path and the first path, respectively.

[3] The swing hinge according to claim 2, wherein the first coupler and the second coupler comprise coupling columns coupled to the first body and the second body, respectively.

[4] The swing hinge according to claim 3, wherein the first coupler and the second coupler comprise coupling members coupled to two connecting parts of the resilient member.

[5] The swing hinge according to claim 1, wherein the resilient member is a torsion spring.

[6] The swing hinge according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first path is configured to provide a variable progress direction.

[7] The swing hinge according to claim 6, wherein the first path has a curved shape and the second path has a straight line shape.

[8] The swing hinge according to claim 7, wherein the first path has an arc shape.

[9] The swing hinge according to claim 6, wherein the second path has a curved shape. [10] The swing hinge according to claim 1, further comprising: an intermediate member interposed between the first and second bodies.

[I I] The swing hinge according to claim 10, wherein the intermediate member is coupled to one of the first and second bodies.